STBrink

In the beginning, there is orange and black foil.  That foil is joined by yellow and red, with the black fading away.  In what seems like an instant, the yellow and orange are things of the past and the red takes hold alongside glittering green and silver.  All of these beautifully colored foils, they signify the enemy.   They are the harbingers of what is, quite possibly, the most difficult time of year for me; the dreaded days between Halloween and Christmas. 

I know, they're supposed to be fun and mysterious through October, then family-filled and warm through November, and merry and bright through December.  But in the end, it all boils down to the foil - and the food wrapped in the foil.  I have a mad sweet tooth.  If you give me a choice between potato chips, a turkey dinner, and a Snickers Bar, I'm going to pick the Snickers Bar every time.  Given my recent struggles with staying on track, the Holiday season couldn't be setting in at a worse time. 

Two days ago, the first gigantic bowl of candy showed up on a co-workers desk, and yesterday some frosted pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies appeared in the office kitchen.  So on Monday, I had two peanut butter cups and didn't eat the bread from my lunchtime sandwich and yesterday, I had two sugar cookies and didn't eat my packed lunch at all.  I was grateful that, in spite of these indulgences, my bloodsugar peaked out at 127 mg/dl Monday and 129 mg/dl yesterday.  And on both days, I made my way to the gym and put in an hour of workout time.  Oh, the joy of small miracles. 

But I simply can't maintain this kind of eating through the entire Holiday season.  Not only is it not good for my body, which needs fruit and veggies and whole grains even though my brain needs candy - it is not good for my psyche. 

Every year, I struggle with the time between Halloween and Christmas.  And it isn't just the food.  It's the seemingly constant darkness and the cold and the snow and the elevated number of sick people in my midst.  The candy and the struggle of keeping my diabetes in-line only exacerbates all of the other wintertime trials people face. 

In the past, I've mostly folded to the pressure of the foil.  I've eaten the candy and enjoyed it.  Last year, I was able to curb some of those desires having gained a good deal of momentum from a summer of consistent healthy eating and exercise.  But being a little off-track this year, I fear I may once again fall into old (bad) habits.  

But I won't go down without a fight.   

This is where you come in, dear readers.  Tell me (and others out there who MUST resist the foil) - do you have any tricks that help you through this time of year?  How do you avoid the constant temptations?  How do you adjust to the darkness, the weather, the illness that comes with winter? 

Damned you, colorful shiny foil.  Damned you, I say.