Back to WW: It's okay to gain

I planned for the week of Thanksgiving. I prepared for it with a lot of thought, focus, and intensity. Such planning and preparation gave the week a sort of effortless flow. 

Executing my plan went well. I ran three times, one being a family turkey trot. The race went better than expected. Everyone had a good time, including me. 

The goal of eating, pre-planning points, and shopping out of town was to avoid guilt. I can say my week was void of guilt. I confess I looked for it. I'm so used to entertaining it during the holiday but it was not there at all. Thank God for learning new things. 

In the past, I'd judge my holiday but the weigh-in that follows a holiday. I always would say "I always lose or maintain." This year I got introduced to The Ranting Weight Watcher's Holiday Plan. It is a well-rounded plan I never considered before. The plan considers the 13 weeks between October and the first weigh-in of the new year. 

I put pen to paper and discovered the following: 

2017 holidays: - 6.4 lbs

2018 holidays: + 4 lbs 

2019 holidays: +1.6 lbs

2020 holidays: -5.8 lbs

2021 holidays: -6.2 lbs 

2022 holidays: +4.8 lbs

2023 holidays: up for grabs! 

In all transparency, I am 6.4 lbs heavier than I was when I started the 2022 holiday season. I am 14.6 lbs heavier than my lowest weight during my WW journey. 

Now that you know all of that, I can confidently tell you that I gained 0.6 lbs this week and I am okay with the gain. Thanks to the leadership of the great folks at The Ranting Weight Watcher community, I can say that this is not uncommon. My strategy and plan are going to gently and efficiently lead me to my goal. 

I'm glad to have lost 3.7 lbs for the month. The plan for the next week is the following:

• Track, weigh, and measure, daily.

• Follow my half-marathon training plan (3 runs per week) and practice CrossFit (2-3 days a week).

• Drink at least 60oz of water per day. 90 oz is ideal. 

• Sleep 7 hours per night

• Plan my family menu, shop for food, and prepare at least 3 meals for the week on Sunday. 

• Ask, "What if this doesn't work?" and come up with a plan B for busy weeks. For example, I have several frozen meals ready to go such as chili, roast, rice and beans, and shepherd's pie. If I can't cook on Sunday, I can line these meals up for consumption. 

• Accept help. This upcoming week is the busiest week of the year. It's okay to accept help. 

Starting weight: 175 lbs 

Last week's weight: 157.6 lbs (-17.4) 

First Goal: 153.4 lbs (-4.2)

Second Goal: 146 lbs (-11.6)

Final Goal: 136 lbs (-21.6)