Here we go again.  We're deep into the eating season.  Navigating the holidays is actually getting harder for me, now that I'm in my sixth year since lap band surgery.  It's easier to slack off this far out since WLS so this year I've decided that I need to do just the opposite. 

I wound up hosting Thanksgiving, which was a gift for me.  Turkey is always a good protein option, but since I was hosting, I was also able to prepare the weight loss friendly sides I like:  baked acorn squash (Splenda instead of brown sugar on mine), butternut squash (from a WW recipe I found), broccoli with just a little bit of olive oil and tons of garlic.  Feeling in control, it was relatively easy to just taste a spoonful of the other sides that I really wanted to sample:  stuffing, my homemade cranberry sauce which is a family tradition (I think I would be tarred and feathered if I didn't make it).  I also started online journaling for the first time.  I always journaled with pen and paper, but I tried myfitnesspal.com and I'm hooked.  It has an app that's easy to use on my blackberry after I had all my staple foods in my diary.  So leftover turkey, my husband's homemade turkey soup and journaling both food and exercise got me through the beginning of the holiday season.  (My Fitnesspal tracks both calories in and calories out - exercise which motivated me to also step up my cardio too!)

So now I'm on a roll.  I haven't worked with a trainer in years, so I got my rear in gear, found a good trainer and a good deal, and started training again.  It feels good, yes I'm sore but it's a good sore.  I want my arms back, and I'm sore in the right places....

Onto a plan for holiday cooking.  I have a lot of control over what I am eating through Chanukah and Christmas Eve (we celebrate both), before we head off to Nana and Pappa's house on Christmas Day.  That gives me plenty of time to be get into a good holiday groove.  So I'm looking to some of my favorite sources for recipes. 

My first stop is Chef Dave.  I've been fortunate to meet Chef Dave twice during my WLS journey.  He's is a long-term successful WLS patient and a classically trained Chef.  His books are filled with great, tasty easy to prepare recipes that everyone in my family can love.  We will soon be featuring his recipes on BandedLiving.  I am planning on using his advice to how to perfectly prepare beef or pork tenderloin from his December newsletter.

Next stop is Hungry Girl.  I thank hungry girl for putting pasta back in my life with recipes for shiratak I tofu noodles.  Low calorie pasta dishes are a go-to meal for me now when I'm trying to put together a satisfying low-cal meal.  The only problem is that my 12 year old daughter has now decided that she likes everything I make for MYSELF when I prepare them.  I recently posted HG Salutes:  the World's Best Pasta Swap on our LapbandedLiving facebook page.  I'm also going to paying close attention to the HG's Holiday Survival Guide.

It I don't find everything I'm looking for, I'd be off to CookingLight and Weight Watcher's for more ideas.

So there's my plan:

• Get through Thanksgiving without falling off the wagon (check)
• Find a trainer (check)
• Journal through January 8, at least
• Try some new WLS friendly recipes
• Manage stress by doing as much holiday shopping as I can online (thank you Amazon)
• Cook at home as much as possible, and make it fun!
• Plan to go shopping for clothes the week after December 26 Enjoy!

What's your plan to get through the rest of the holidays?