Will i prevent weight gain during the holidays this year?

Well, i did last year... and was SO proud. This summer i was still down to a respectable level and holding. Out of a sense of optimism (insert: eagerness, love, desire to 'do good', loneliness, or perhaps just plain stupidity), i encouraged my sister to move in with me.

She has changed... loads more than me, i think (although i probably have a bias). She is no longer the fun-loving, eager woman i knew years ago. Life did something to her i can't 'fix' - but i still love her. She has a chronic lung disease, or bronchial, i'm not quite sure, but won't quit smoking. Even though she doesn't smoke in my house, she steps out the back door to smoke... the odor is on her clothes so you can smell it in the house anyway. She 'tried' to quit since moving here but started when our mom went to the hospital.

She has diabetes but will not eat healthy food. No matter what i buy or cook, she lets me know she is not very fond of it. She prefers the fatty starchy version. She IS a good cook, but doesn't like whole grains or most vegetables... unless the veggies have a buttery sauce on them.

Since she moved in, i've tolerated a variety of mood swings to which i am not accustomed. My usual good humor is taken as 'sarcasm' even though my friends and rest of the family seem to enjoy my company. My desire to have her 'talk things out' or for any real conversation is considered tiresome and greeted with grunts or one syllable answers.

Okay, so the question was... How will i avoid weight gain during the holidays.

This holiday i will remember my SP friend's favorite quote: "You are always a valuable, worthwhile human being -- not because anybody says so, not because you're successful, not because you make a lot of money -- but because you decide to believe it and for no other reason." Wayne Dyer

i will eat like i did when i was working to keep my husband alive. i will eat healthy foods regardless of what my new housemate likes to eat. i will eat moderate portions.

i'm beautiful, dammit!!! i will remind myself of this every day.

i will continue to love my sister but remember to love me first. After all, how can you have any love to share if you don't love yourself. Meanwhile, her disposition really is improving. This i know.