Weekly WI: Year End Review

Well…Hello there 2025.  You snuck up on me.

 

Booking a cruise vacation that took up half the month really made December fly by.  I owe you more Norway recaps and then I’ll recap our Western Caribbean cruise.  So much to catch up on.

I have been reflecting on the past while still looking forward.  You can’t do anything to change what happens but being aware only adds fuel to the fire.  Just like the new year may have snuck up on me…so has 25 pounds.

I wish I could pinpoint one thing that contributed to my gain.  If I could, then I’d just stop doing it.  I find that I swing between “on track” and “you only live once.” 

 

In 2024, I gained 15 pounds.

 

In 2023, I gained 10 pounds.

 

I am feeling every pound of my 25-pound gain.  Not only in my clothes but also in my movement.  It is not easy to start again.  One of our members shared this in our Facebook page.

 

It has been a couple years since I’ve experienced re-gain of this caliber.  I know if I don’t get a handle on it NOW, it will only continue to spiral out of control.

The silver lining is that to take of 25 pounds this year, the average loss is 2 pounds a month.  That feels 100% doable!

Norway Adventures: Port of Call - Nordfjordeid

The announcement came just after 8am, due to high winds, a big ship, and a tiny dock, our port day was cancelled. The consultation price was a scenic cruise day along the fjords. 

The weather was amazing and we’d booked a balcony this trip. We spent some of our impromptu sea day both with the group and on our balcony. 

By evening we had our group’s tropical night, organized by the Cruise monkeys. Our festive attire had the rest of the cruise passengers intrigued by even more. 

It was a great day and I stayed up late where we partied listening to 80’s music. 

Don’t forget to catch on all our Norway adventures including P&O Britannia, Stavanger, and Flam.

Weekly WI: The Day After...

…allllll the indulgences!

Oh my goodness, it has been a few days of indulges, which is a 180 from last week.  Let’s rewind.

I returned from our recent vacation with a 7.8 pound gain.  On our September cruise vacation, my gain was 8 pounds.  At least I am consistent.  The difference between the two vacations is that I was still holding onto to some September weight gain further impacting the situation with my tight pants and general uncomfortableness.  

I got back on track right away and said goodbye to three extra pounds on my body.  WHOOOHOOO!

Of course, this week looks really different.  The holidays brought with them high point food and an excess of sweet along with some alcohol.  I’m back to work Friday - Monday which will help.  My plan is to lean into the Expanded Zero Points foods, which I did last week, and get back to activity.  I walked indoors on the treadmill Tuesday and outdoors on Wednesday.  Our weather is not as friendly for an outdoor walk today so I’ll make sure to log some indoor activity.

I’ve also been tracking for 50 (now 51) days.  Tracking at least one item a day is one thing I did differently on my recent cruise vacation.  I don’t usually track (see 8 pound weight gain above) and didn’t want to break the routine I had started in November with daily honest tracking.  I decided to track at least one item which kept my routine in check and easier to resume when I returned home.

I am thinking about my 2025 goals and how I am going to maximize all the tools available to me for a successful year.