Happy New Year, Readers! Thanks for stopping by today! It’s been a while since I posted, 31 weeks to be exact.  On July 1, my husband and I found out we were expecting, which came as a big surprise to us, as all signs pointed to no. After a stressful couple weeks of complications, things began progressing swimmingly! We’ve been elated ever since. However, in the midst of  excitement for my growing baby and belly, I found it hard to write. Naturally, this blog was created and has always been an outlet to discuss the emotional aspect of eating, in the hopes to eradicate weight gain. But during a time when weight gain is encouraged, I focused my attention to work and my nutrition degree and put this happy place of mine, Monday Dieter, on hiatus. But I missed you! I hope you didn’t miss me too much. 

But today, in an attempt to force a self induced week long christmas cookie eating marathon to come to an end, I found the inspiration to write. Let’s be serious, when I ate 6+ christmas cookies a day, for 9 days straight, I can’t blame that on baby. 

So here we are today, on what I consider “the monday” of all Mondays. Monday + New Year’s = the one day of that year that feels the most perfect to finally put an end to the horror that our weight story often feels like. But even though there is hope in a day like today, there is also anger. Anger than once again we are in the same place we were last year, trying to lose the same weight. And many of us are hit with the reality that if we just committed last year, we wouldn’t be facing today bloated with extra pounds yet deflated with the shame of failure. Worse, because of our past failures, many of us have even given up even trying. We’ve surrendered to the fact that we will never feel the way we want to feel in this body of ours. 

That’s why today I’m wishing everyone, including myself, a sense of ease. Ease as you enter the new year. Peace as you embark on your new years resolutions. Hope that you can find a goal and achieve it. Forgiveness if you’re in the same place this year as you were last. 

Let yourself ride the excitement of the new year, find peace in that fact that each year, without fail, the universe gives us an “unofficial” clean slate today (or tomorrow, if you’re still off from work today, you may be starting tomorrow and that’s understandable) to do as we please. As we throw away all the Christmas calories still lingering on our countertops, smile or reflect on the memories that each extra pounds on your body may be holding. We all had hardships in 2016, but don’t let those rainy days cloud the pockets of sunshine that we all experienced in the past 365 days. And let any failures from the past hold the door open for the future.

The glass should be half full today, full for the past and full for the future and full of water of course. 

Happy New Year!!