After last week’s happy news of weight loss and breaking though stalls, comes post-Thanksgiving adjustments. I did enjoy my holiday; while I did limit myself somewhat, my body is extremely sensitive to gains, so I’m in the process of getting back to my new low.

Because of my ability to easily gain, my weight is like a seesaw. A few indiscretions immediately result in a few pounds to lose, and while they’re likely mostly water weight, it’s weight, regardless. Water weight is extremely painful to my joints, so I always know if weight I’ve picked up is mostly water — and it’s agony. Luckily, water weight is also the easiest to lose, so I’m not overly concerned about whether I’ll return (and break through) my new low; I know I will.

But I also like to enjoy the holidays. I’m very careful about reminding myself that being on a diet isn’t punishment; I will be working on weight loss for years to come, if I ever hope to completely control it. This also means that I have to have a livable plan, that allows for the occasional treat, with the understanding that I will pay for the treat with increased weight, and that I will immediately return to my established plan.

I’ll be dealing with the same thing on Christmas and New Year’s; I will allow for some leniency in my plan, with the understanding that there’s a price to be paid and a process to follow.

And goals to achieve. That’s the important part. I have goals set, and they keep me focused.

While my short term goal is to get through the upcoming holidays and perhaps even lose a little bit more in the few weeks left of the year, my next big goal is a lofty one. I’m at nearly 60 pounds down, and I have my eyes set on that 100 pound mark.

This is significant for me, because in the summer of 2012, my weight loss efforts culminated in an approximate 70 pound loss before making a trip to Cozumel. Between that time and Labor Day, 2013, I’d regained all of the weight I lost — plus 30 more. (And no, I wasn’t guzzling buckets of fries to get there. Like it or not, it takes very little for me to gain, so I must be on constant watch.) I gained 100 pounds in a little more than a year — and I was thoroughly and totally disgusted with myself for it. It’s taken me nearly the same amount of time, battling to lose that weight, and it doesn’t come off nearly as easily as it goes on.

We’ve set our plans for summer vacation, again; we’ll be returning to Cozumel — and I want to return to the weight I was in 2012. I still have all the cute clothes I bought for that vacation. I’ve been imagining being able to wear them, again, this coming summer; I wasn’t able to wear them in the summers of 2013 and 2014.

Can I achieve it? Yes, but only if I bear down and set my sites on the goal, and remember that goal when my brain wants to convince me that staying with the plan is just too much work. I’ve got six months, and 42 pounds to lose. And I intend to do it.

The best part of this is that I’m feeling stronger; the horrible part about 2012’s vacation was that I had unrealistic goals about what I’d be able to do while on vacation, and I got discouraged enough that I ditched my plan. I felt like I’d put in a ton of work for nothing, which was an absolutely dumb idea. What I’d give, right now, to have started this journey 100 pounds lighter! I wouldn’t have to be regaining lost ground — I’d be that much closer to my eventual goal.

I’ve gone through a vacation since then, and survived it. I’ve had some bad head games that tempted me to quit, and I have been working through them. I’ve proven to myself that if I put in the required mental work, I can get myself back in the right mental place necessary for success. And I’ll get through the rest of this holiday season, too.

58.4 pounds lost; 41.6 to go.