Problem: Christmas Dinner

kaseyr1505

I would just practice self control, and be active in the days before/after. I don't really see how one day is going to be a problem.

Smaller portions, realizing when you're full, and saying "no thank you" are tools we use daily.

abbeyjones1994

tracyannk28 wrote: »

Listen - I went 'balls out' on Thanksgiving and still lost 1.6 pounds that week so don't make yourself crazy over it. Christmas is once a year

SAME. Balls out on Thanksgiving, at my weigh-in on Thursday I made it under 130 for the first time in years. I did work out before the meal but I don't think it made a huge difference lol.

The biggest difference for me on Thanksgiving (and what will still matter on Christmas Day) this year compared to all other years was how I felt after the meal. I felt AWFUL from about an hour after finishing eating Thanksgiving dinner to the Saturday afternoon after. I know now that I simply can't eat as much as I used to and if I try to there will be h*** to pay. I'm glad I went all out on Thanksgiving because a) I enjoyed it while it was happening and b) I know my new limits. Does that mean I'm not going to enjoy everything I eat on Christmas Day? Nah. I just know my happy medium between eating at the deficit I'm set to now and the way I used to eat before.

If I gain the week after Christmas, whatever. It's one week. Hopefully I can keep it together for New Year's (I don't really drink so the alcohol calories won't be an issue, just the massive amounts of finger foods my mom makes for our annual NYE party).

lemurcat12

We will have a nice dinner on Christmas (and like I said above, probably not diet-friendly turkey, as on Thanksgiving), but I'm definitely not concerned about that at all. It's easy to fit one indulgent meal--even with dessert, as the baby Jesus would have it--in one's plan, and I don't care if I lose weight the week of Christmas. The difficult thing about this month is the numerous parties and cookie exchanges and food-related gifts and treats that just turn up at my office, etc. But dealing with that kind of thing is just life. Plus, makes the rest of the year seem easy! ;-)

feisty_bucket

BarbieAS wrote: »

However, my desire to meet my MFP goals butts up HARD against my desire to not waste food.

Yeah, I totally get that too. I'm big on eating food when it's "new" and fresh and am very aware of leftovers having a ticking countdown timer on them. So I feel strongly compelled to quickly work through leftovers, like it's my duty or role as goat-man cleanup guy to take care of The Problem.

BUT! This is a disaster with junk food/desserts. So my solution is to remind myself that this category of stuff is not "real food." It's pretend food, perhaps excretions from Space Alien Sugar Worms. It doesn't have nutritional value for humans, so it's actually an exotic, but largely toxic treat for stimulating my human taste buds and then going to the trash. Much like Romulan Ale in Star Trek.

You throw out enough treats, and pretty damn quickly you get good at only preparing/buying enough for one serving at a time. Zero leftovers!

cantumelia

Here´s what I do when I have to attend to some "eating party": I don´t eat anything at all during the day and save all my calories budget for that party. I try to keep in my daily goal. Since it´s only 1.200 calories I train more than usual the previous days to get more net calories. And if I find it necessary I fast the next day to keep my weekly calorie goal in track. Fasting for one or two days won´t hurt your metabolism and you´ll find it easy to do if you over eated the previous day. You just need to do some planning, burn more calories the previous days and fast the day after if you need to.

loribethrice

My Christmas dinner will be the same thing my Thanksgiving dinner was. A small sauceless cheese pizza.

khol1

Thanks Guys, the information here has actually been really helpful.
Really looking forward to Christmas!!

Kymmu

I find I'm still not hungry the following day ( boxing day) till dinner- so if you spread the whole calorie intake over 1.75 days it's ok!

Deps

I agree with Nerdie. Christmas Day is 100% a free day for me to enjoy. Leading up to it I'm logging everything though, eggnog, mince tarts, everything. But Christmas isn't for calorie counting, it's for enjoying

brittanyoneill37

Do what I did last Christmas - get so badly drunk that you can't even eat your Christmas dinner