Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Author

Over the weekend, I spent time with some of my dearest friends, at their annual Christmas party. Of course, since I am on Weight Watchers, it is truly hard to stick to Power Points and count them, especially when away from home. I anticipated I would gain weight; however, all I did was to practice portion control. Instead of filling my plate with food, I got only small portions and ate only a bit. I did not clean my plate. Yes, I went to the desserts table and I did eat two pieces of a chocolate roll. Definitely not on the program, but it is the Christmas season. I am determined NOT to gain weight this season. Will I achieve it? You bet I will! Originally, I planned to lose all of my weight this year. No, I haven’t achieved that. But like someone said in our Thursday morning meeting…”None of us put the weight on overnight, and we cannot expect to lose the weight overnight.” I am losing on the average of one pound a week. Sometimes, I lose .2; or .4, or .6. I’ve learned to tell myself it is ok to lose ever so slowly! The best weight loss I’ve had was 4.2 in two weeks. Yes, it is the holidays. Nevertheless, this year, I am enjoying wearing glitz and glamour again. Just last week, I treated myself to a glitzy belt. Yes, I can wear a belt again! The little things in life, like losing weight at the Christmas holiday season, makes me so proud!