And guess what else? I don’t care.
That doesn’t mean I’m so cozy with my extra few pounds that I plan to keep them around long term. What it does mean is that I’m not beating myself up about it. I took a total of 3 weeks off from exercise in 2014, and that’s not even accurate because I did workout when I was on vacation, just not the 2-3 hours/day my body has become accustomed to teaching.
90% of the time I drank 1.5-2 litres of water/day, made sure to get a minimum of 6 servings of fresh fruit & vegetables in, and ate pretty cleanly aside from enjoying my favourite Christmas treats/desserts.
We haven’t opened any of the boxes of chocolates we received for Christmas, and have only eaten single serve “treats”.
I don’t drink alcohol, drink about 3-4 lattes/week and usually stick to water (or SodaStream FREE flavoured water) and herbal tea so I didn’t put those pounds on from drinking my calories.
And even on Christmas Day I didn’t over eat.
So where did the weight come from?
While working I typically cover 80,000-90,000 step/week according to my Fitbit. These past two weeks I’ve averages around 20,000. That’s a pretty big difference.
My drastic reduction in general “movement” coupled with extra holiday treats = a gain of 3-4 pounds.
Whoop-ti-frigging-do.
While my break may have not be great for my waistline, it was amazing for my mind, body and soul. I normally try to take a week off every 3-months during the year, but last year I only took 1 week off in July, and then the two weeks over Christmas. In the meantime I was working 6 or 7 days/week and was burnt out physically and mentally. Taking a vacation where I did next to nothing for well over a week was wonderful. I sat around watching all four seasons of Game of Thrones, watch the Doctor Who marathon, and watching countless movies and generally being a bump on a log. About 1 week of my time off I spent sick but even then I was enjoying the fact that I had nothing to do.
While I admire those who stick to their eating plans and workout plans regardless of whether it’s Christmas, Thanksgiving or just a random Saturday, I’m all about balance. And I don’t regret a single thing that went into my mouth this past holiday season. Sure I’m looking forward to losing these holiday pounds so I feel less constricted in my clothes 
but I’m not stressing over it. Life returns to normal tomorrow, and I know that in a few weeks these holiday pounds will be nothing but a memory.
In the meantime, yes I am carrying a few extra pounds at the moment, mainly around my middle. No, there isn’t a baby in there – just a little extra padding to keep me warm for this cold Canadian January, haha.
If you gained a few pounds this holiday, I don’t want you to feel bad about it either. All it means is you need to tighten things up and get back on track, and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that come mid-February we’ll both be back where we were before all those cookies and squares appeared! 
This was a great post! I know that I have put on some holiday weight, but I’m not getting on the scale to find out how much. I plan to get back on track this week and hope that it comes off. I think that everybody needs a break. The key is to get back on track. I’m glad you enjoyed your holidays.
People get too hung up on worrying about gaining weight over the holidays. I admire those who are dedicated and stick to their workout/meal plans all year long, but those people also aren’t putting in the kind of hours I do each week. My poor body needed a rest! I’m sure you’ll be back on track in no time at all <3