Winning battle of the waistbands

Admit if you have experienced this feeling: You select a pair of pants for the day but there is trepidation because sometimes they are loose, sometimes they are snug.

You slowly pull them on, wondering if you will be able to breathe freely today or if the waistband will be digging into your mid-section all day.

Finally, you button the top button and it’s not completely uncomfortable.

Maybe you are imagining it, but there’s a little gap.

Heck, you may even need to find a belt. You do a little happy dance and your day just got off to a good start.

Now image that same scenario the week after Christmas.

You’ve lost track of how many holiday parties you have attended. Dozens of family members have come and gone, each requiring a multi-course dinner.

And those cookie-exchanges… you wouldn’t dream of eating a dozen sugar cookies, but you can’t pass up trying each of the 12 different holiday-themed cookies you swapped.

Now, those “fat-pants” have become your skinny jeans and there is still the New Year’s Eve party to contend with.

When it comes to weight management during the holidays, there are as many different theories as there are people.

One friend told me all bets are off from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. He will eat whatever he wants and not feel guilty about it, knowing that he will resume healthy eating after the first of the year.

Another weighs himself every Monday.

He doesn’t change his eating habits or his workout schedule.

He just wants to know if the scale is creeping up or down.

Personally, I’m just going for maintain, not gain over the holidays.

I will try to eat healthy, but I’m not going to pass up a piece of pie that someone has worked so hard to make – it would be an insult to them.

And I will continue to work-out on a regular basis, especially since the YMCA will be open with regular hours except on the actual holidays.

Ultimately, life is too short to not enjoy all good food and drinks over the holidays.

It’s just trying to find that balance of a healthy – and enjoyable – lifestyle.

You have to ask yourself: Would my friends and family rather be around someone who is watching every calorie, every morsel, and every bite?

Or would they want to be around someone who is enjoying themselves….even if he or she has resorted to wearing sweatpants to all the holiday gatherings? I’m betting on the elastic-waistband.

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When you make a mistake, you are supposed to acknowledge it and then move on so that is what I’m doing.

In my column two weeks ago, I thanked all the ladies who threw a surprise party after my triathlon.

Unfortunately, because of automatic spell-check, one person’s name was “fixed” for me. Since I’ve known this person from my pre-kid days, I’d like to again thank Kristy Pollnow – not Kristy Pillow - although it makes a good alias.

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The YMCA will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, but will reopen Friday at 5 a.m. with regular hours and fitness classes.

Happy Thanksgiving from the entire YMCA staff.