On Monday this week, I weighed in at the highest I’ve been since returning from Scotland earlier this year. Monday morning’s weigh in confirmed a few things to me. First, I’ve been eating too much in quantity and allowing too many non-Paleo foods to creep into my diet. Second, I was imbibing too much alcohol. I have severely restricted myself from both, and the results are telling: nearly six pounds gone in three days.

I know: a lot of that is water weight. I wouldn’t be surprised if 4 lbs of that is water weight. But the fact remains that any bloating or water retention I experienced as a result of my getting lax in my normal eating habits is now gone, and I’m back on track.

Every time I do the right things, I get the same results: weight loss. I make sure to eat the right foods in the right amount, avoid alcohol, get enough sleep, and even without exercise, the weight comes off. It’s so simple that I often can’t believe it’s really happening. It feels like a cheat code, except this one is for life and not a video game.

I know this appears to be in direct opposition to yesterday’s post about not being so strict over the holidays, but it isn’t. I also mentioned mitigating the damage done by the non-Paleo foods and alcohol by making smart decisions. Right now, while I’m not eating out with friends and family and not attending parties, I do my best to stay as strict as possible. The net result is that I will not gain nearly as much weight as I would if I decided to go completely off the rails until January 2nd. That’s just something I cannot and will not do.

It’s nice to have a mental reminder that starting January 2nd, when I get back to eating right, I will be able to drop the weight I’m invariably going to pick up over the next few weeks. It WILL go away.