" Dough Boys "

I am reading a lot of posts about the holidays as it seems Halloween is the gate for the upcoming Holiday Season and I too started to let my head go there, as this season I still have weight to lose. I decided to not be freaked out.
My first thought was about my families traditional Christmas morning meal. I grew up and I can confidently say every Christmas from the time I was eating solid food was that of a concoction known in my house as " The Dough Boy"
Upon some research I see that the name is not just a family name and an actual name for a the fried doughy treat that graces my table and every relative of mine on my Mom's side of the family as far back as I and my elder siblings remember. What comes to mind when I mention to people the " Dough Boys" is the white chubby pop in fresh Pillsbury guy, but that is not the picture I get. My dough boys are golden brown pieces of bread dough, that have been left out over night to rise and then fried in a Cast Iron skillet that has been three quarters filled with Crisco ( That white soft lard comes in a big round can). Once cooked they are placed on a plate layered with paper towels to abosrb any extra grease, which I know that is laughable! We all get to choose our own toppings and speaking for myself, I ignore the sugar and cinnamon, and go right for the butter. All across my family this is happening Christmas morning and knowing that is so comforting, it is connectivity like no other. I have 6 siblings with entirely different lives and they have children of their own that have since moved out and had families of thier own, and yes you guessed it, if they are not returning Christmas morning for this ritual, it is playing out in their own homes. I love that thought, that feeling and that experience and I for one am not changing it this year. That is not a statement of defiance, it is what I love about Weight Watchers program, I do not have to change that. I may not have fun calculating the points for one of those " Dough Boys" but I can and I will, and I will love eating it, even if it sets like lead in my belly, and oh it does!
Yes, I have seen the articles that say 7-15 pounds of weight can be gained over the holidays but I can assure you that was not my 120 pounds, mine was gained over 365 days of bad choices and no activity times many years.. I have worked really hard to change that and it is happening, and will continue and so can everyone's else s. The Dough Boys stay on the menu, the mindless eating is out. I will pick my battles, I will eat what I want, but will pass on polite eating IE: Sisters cookies that I do not really like, but eat because I do not want to hurt her feelings, Candy on co-workers desks, ect.
Another thing I will remember is not only are the malls open but so is the Gym, the gym does not close down over the holidays.
As always I have been googling and I love this article, it will help me maintain my weight if not still lose. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/holidayeating12_01.aspx