keeping weight off over holiday and winter months

Options
2

Replies

  • maria0elisa
    maria0elisa Posts: 199 Member
    Options
    hilaria81 wrote: »
    This is my first-ever holiday season of being active on My Fitness Pal.

    Me too!! I'm a little nervous;)
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
    Options
    I'm maintaining, so perhaps this is a little different, but I find that it helps to plan for high calorie days by losing some extra weight to "eat in to". This has worked for me, so that a day or so after over-eating I back where I was.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    I'm doing my best to maintain this month without being super strict about tracking. I'm thinking of it as a test, if I can make it through this month, I can do anything :smile: So on days when there is a lot of food, I will eat what I want in moderation. But on regular days, just continuing what I have done in the past 9 months, eating at a deficit whenever possible
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    Options
    amy0louise wrote: »
    hilaria81 wrote: »
    This is my first-ever holiday season of being active on My Fitness Pal.

    Me too!! I'm a little nervous;)

    me 3.

  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
    Options
    Honestly I'm just avoiding fattening food and food based events. When they have potlucks and treat days at work I hide in my cubicle and don't go. Those family events I can't avoid, I take tiny portions of the least fattening things and drink a lot of water. Also, workouts! I didn't screw up over Thanksgiving so I am confident I can manage to not screw up over Christmas/Yule as well.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
    Options
    I pick and choose what I absolutely want, and pass on all the rest!
  • maniacmom9600
    maniacmom9600 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    On dinner parties where everybody brings something, I pick a healthy choice to bring. Monitor my calorie intake with the calories burned and take small portions or skip the dishes I'm not sure of or look fattening. Stick to the meats and veggies and fruits and avoid the dinner rolls. If it's appetizers--constantly have a glass of water in hand, eat slowly and if I do have a glass of wine (slip slowly and follow by a bottle of water). Eat something before I go so that I'm not as hungry when I'm there.
  • maria0elisa
    maria0elisa Posts: 199 Member
    edited December 2014
    Options
    I just worked out the other day that for me, 200 cal = 4k of running.
    I reckon this is probably a good thing to bear in mind over the holiday period haha..... is it worth having to get that run in?!
  • tenaciousdee78
    tenaciousdee78 Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    Within reason I eat what I want but try not to 'over eat', as I'm maintaining now, and keep up with exercise. I Keep the food diary going too and weigh myself weekly. It does work :)
  • Nolan1009
    Nolan1009 Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    So I know this isn't good advice for everyone but if you're looking to gain muscle/strength it might be :) I've stressed about holiday gain in the past but this year I've decided to let the food/season work with me and not against me. I'm using the extra food intake to help fuel heavier lifting sessions and increase muscle mass. If I know I have an event where I'm going to eat more I'll do my most important lifting sessions around it (i.e.: legs, glutes, arms- also working on upping my bench press). I still track to make sure I'm not going to far over, but I get to enjoy myself and not stress over it. I've had great results so far, I feel much stronger and I'm up around 2 lbs but I actually feel like I look better :) Keeps me from doing restrict/binge cycles and feeling guilty which I've done in the past .
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Options
    Small deficit through the week, 250-300 calories a day, then enjoy the events without going too overboard.
  • mave34
    mave34 Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    This is my first holiday season active and consistent on MFP and I am a little worried but not so much over the foods but more so the wine and spirits :( It's all the same really a calorie is a calorie and I know I haven't the room to incorporate anything extra. I plan on adding extra exercise and to allow myself a couple days off to avoid a week long binge.
  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
    Options
    If you are really struggling with it, then consider volunteering at a food bank or a soup kitchen during the holidays (or after, people are still hungry when it's not a holiday). Replacing the guilt of overindulging with the reward of making a small difference in someone's life can really turn around the holidays for you. It helped me really appreciate all that I had when I met people who were so much happier with less.


  • smittybuilt19
    smittybuilt19 Posts: 955 Member
    Options
    It's just like every other day of the year in that it should involve moderation. That sounds nice don't it? lol. I have serious self control issues over the holidays. I do keep telling myself, moderation, moderation, but it is truly difficult.

    Capt_Apollo's approach (see above) is one I had never thought of. Start a new physical training program, or sign up for a new years fun run/walk. It will give you a reason to stay accountable to yourself.

    Personally, I'm just thinking of the 20 lbs I put on last holiday season, it's kind of working. I did start a new lifting program which has me excited in the weight room and working a little harder, hopefully that will combat the treats.

    ramble ramble ramble
  • cosmichvoyager
    cosmichvoyager Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    I am finding it harder to be motivated to exercise due to the dark days and the weather so I signed up for some classes at the gym and pre-paid for them. Even though I am not doing as much as I did last spring/summer I have 3 paid classes a week that I have to do or lose the cash for nothing.

    Moderating food is not that hard for me, but some of that is because I'm not in a social group or workplace where everyone is pushing sweets and fatty foods on me all the time. That would be tough!
    Oh, and lower calorie drinking --spirits with diet mixers + a lot of dancing when I do drink.
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
    Options
    According to everything I've read on MFP, the first 5-7 pounds will be water weight that just drops off once I go back to deficit, so I'm not too worried about it.

    Also, my TDEE is 1964. In order to gain 1 pound, I would have to eat 3500 calories above 1964. Even if I overate by 1000 calories a day, that would only be two pounds a week, so the most I'd go up is four pounds over my two week holiday season eat-a-thon.

    So, water weight of 5 pounds, actual weight of 4 pounds gives me a gain of 9 pounds at the end of two weeks.

    After going back to deficit, I'd be down 5 pounds within a week, and the other 4 pounds would take a month. And that's if I overeat every day for 14 days by 1000 calories.

    Which I'm not planning on doing. I'll be eating at a deficit when I can, eating at maintenance when I'm able, and overeating on Christmas and when we go out to dinner.

    And today. Office Christmas part is in T - 2 hours. Strap the feedbag on.

  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Options
    For me it's all about balance. I'm very mindful of what I eat. I mainly eat whole foods, I rarely drink my calories, I fit in and plan out my treats and write my meals down in my journal. Also I'm active everyday (power walking, light/heavy weights, bodyweight work and/or Pilates).

    When I look at treats I ask myself is it worth the calories. For example 9 pieces of Hershey's Kisses are 200 calories. To me it's not worth it because I know I would eat more than 9 and there are better choices I could snack on for less calories/better satisfaction.

    Other times, like last Friday I made some homemade bread sticks with a very tasty parm. cheese/butter/garlic powder dipping sauce. I ate more than I planned, but I cut out some other carby foods in that meal.

    Nothing is off limits for me though, I never stopped eating carbs, flour, sugar, pasta, ice cream, pizza etc., I just don't eat nearly as much as I did when I was obese.

    I've learned to eat slowly and savor each bite. I used to cram food down my throat not aware of any calories and barely enjoyed it.

    I am lucky because I am tall and active so my maintenance calories are pretty high, but I don't see myself straying from this routine anytime soon. It works well for me...haven't gained any weight back and I don't feel like it's a struggle, but it took me a while to get to this point.

    Enjoy your food and treats with your friends and family, but try not to over do it. :) Happy Holidays!

  • Vanilla_Lattes
    Vanilla_Lattes Posts: 251 Member
    Options
    My work has been doing a 12 days of Christmas thing. Different snacks every day. Idk, I've just been bringing my lunch like normal. I guess it doesn't tempt me that much. I keep treats that I like at home so I don't really want ones I don't care about. I also allow myself chocolate everyday anyway so .. Maybe I'm no help, the food everywhere hasn't gotten to me this year.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    Options
    Like Nolan1009, I'm trying to use any overeating as a chance to fuel weight workouts. I also like to go for a long run or XC ski session on the morning of any festivities-- that's what I did on the 2 Thanksgivings I was a part of, and it worked really well. Also, taking really small portion sizes, or if someone serves you too much food, saving some of it for later rather than stuffing yourself because they put it on your plate, prevents some of the overeating at dinners.

    If I do eat a lot, especially carbs, on a holiday, I use that as fuel for a long cardio workout the next day. I also tend to not be hungry the day after overeating, so I sometimes make up for it by just not eating much, though I have to watch it with that because it does tend toward binge/restrict if there are too many celebrations.

    For the extra food at work, I have trouble with that too-- but just saying no to yourself is the best solution, along with bringing some nice, small, not-so-sugary treat like some dark chocolate with you to have instead of the cupcakes or whatever that are on every surface at work.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    Options
    One big thing I've noticed is that people tend to "naturally" decrease their activity. It's dark and cold and people just tend to be more sedentary during the winter months. You combine that natural tendency with heavier foods in general and comfort eating and the holiday season, you get kind of a triple whammy.

    For me, I still get out on my ride, but nowhere near the miles I do in the spring, summer, and fall...but I hit the weight room hard...lights are on and the gym is heated. I'm also vigilant about my overall diet and nutrition during the week and let these relax a bit more on the weekends as I will be attending various holiday parties and functions.

    I did a fine job of maintenance last year during the winter and holiday season...this year I'm intentionally doing a bulk since early September...it is very deliberate though and doesn't mean "eat all the cookies"...I just figure it's a good time of year to do it since there are more calories around and I spend more time in the weight room.

    My plan is to move back into maintenance after the holidays and then into a cut when temps start to warm up and I naturally move to spending more time on my bike.

Categories