learning from your mistakes

brenn24179

I made a lot of mistakes this Christmas and want to learn from them. After 2 years of doing good, I got complacent, what mistakes have you made and are going to do different.
1) not watching cooking shows and watching grandma's grandma make a cake (then I made one like I need the whole cake here)
2) don't bring that popcorn tin home from Moms house (that was a lot of popcorn I ate including carmel sweet stuff.
3) quit thinking Christmas is all about food, enjoy socializing not eating.
4) don't have large bags of chips and dip (u see it is Christmas, I never do this any other time)
5) try not to get frazzled with xmas tree lights and eat at 10 that night.
6) don't eat everywhere to get the Christmas spirit, it is not in the food.
7) ignore the media with foods, turn off tv, they are just trying to sell stuff, don't be a sucker
8) and don't buy big bag of cheese popcorn just because it is Christmas.
I don't know what got into me, don't think I was sad, who knows because I was eating, I think it was just all the temptation and holidays are hard for people who struggle with food issues! and I plan to dust myself off,forgive myself and learn from these mistakes, anyone else just mess up, it is ok as long as we learn. I also gained 7 lbs and don't want a repeat.

brenn24179

how about you gym people, do you seem to do just as well with moderate exercise or do you overdo it to get back in shape now?

gothchiq

I gained 7 also and I am working out 'til I drop every other day. The off days are for muscular repair and recovery.

JohnGenito710

Its okay... it is Christmas, I put on 10 pounds in the week but cut 6 the first week back... I cut out a lot of carbs at first to jump start it and will slowly increase them back until they are normal... I felt guilty too but most of the weight u put on is water and you probably just look extra bloated, A week or 2 back into it and you'll be back to where u were before the holidays both mentally and physically

callyart

I don't worry over Christmas, if you put on weight you can just lose it again :-) I would never spend Christmas watching what I eat/drink because it's the best thing about it!

ironblossom

Oh yeah, Christmas mistakes! Your #2, #3, #4, #6, and #8 I'm right there with you. It's different foods, but
1) Don't make cinnamon rolls (that nobody but my husband and I ate anyway) just because "it's Christmas" I am not the sole feeder of the family, and if other people want rolls they can make them.
2) Don't bring the popcorn home. Popcorn is a huge weakness of mine and I usually manage to resist it, but it's everywhere at Christmas!
3) Don't have a slice of each kind of pie, next year we'll have pumpkin and apple and god knows what else too! Just have a small slice of ONE kind.
4) Don't buy the high-calorie/fat coffee and alcohol drinks and indulge in desserts because "it's Christmas!"

I don't know how much I gained because I was on vacation right before Christmas and right before that was Thanksgiving, and right before that was out family's fall birthdays celebration (cake 2 weekends in a row!), but from Halloween through today I'm up about 10 pounds. Not...uh...good.

brenn24179

I know it is Christmas but very cautious now because I had a friend put back on all her weight 60 lbs after getting into the Christmas eating and kept going. I also seen a girl at the gym this morning who had gained 60 plus back and was so depressed and I don't want that to happen to me. Thank goodness I have MFP and only have 5 lbs to go but I know not to get complacent, it can happen to any of us if we don't keep up good habits. I don't think eating and drinking is best thing about Christmas, there are people to socialize with and enjoy and all decorations,parades,movies, etc. Geez, there is stuff besides food to enjoy.

mymodernbabylon

I just got back to eating and working out the way I did in the past. I think I gained a total of 1 lb after losing the water weight this week. No biggie.

PRMinx

But cooking shows taught me how to, you know, cook a balanced meal. Why are they bad?

brenn24179

cooking shows with balanced meals is good. I just got into all the cakes and it seems like they just throw all the sweet stuff in your face this time of year enticing us. Ok, I admit I have no self control, that is why I am on MFP.

Eire228

I used Christmas as an excuse to eat a ton and also gained weight back. Some of it came off pretty quickly, but not all of it.

I learned that I need to NOT use the holidays as an excuse to let things slide. I think it's ok to indulge a little, but not nearly as much as I did. You're completely right, it's about family and spending time together, not about the food! It's a tough lesson to learn, though.

acorsaut89

brenn24179 wrote: »

I know it is Christmas but very cautious now because I had a friend put back on all her weight 60 lbs after getting into the Christmas eating and kept going.

So maybe Christmas is bad for eating the things you shouldn't . . . but if you have 2 weeks of not so great eating and you know you can't continue on like this forever, you are still on track and you can bounce back from that. You probably didn't gain all your weight in 2 weeks did you? No, it was months - maybe even years - of consistently overeating. If you have the discipline to say it's only 2 weeks, let me enjoy this time and then I'm back to work - why is it such a bad thing? Sure there's people to visit and events to go to but really, much of that is centered around food. Why not really enjoy life? I don't want to feel deprived, especially with the holidays. You've worked this hard to lose and enjoy your life, do you enjoy not eating the foods you really love while everyone else does? If so, good on ya, but I don't.

Sorry but a girl who ate at Christmas and "kept going" and then gained 60lbs back was either waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over eating or she doesn't know how to control herself and have the self-discipline to not do it or maybe both.

See I ate, and I ate and then I ate some more over the holidays but once the food was gone, it was gone. I didn't buy more because it's now on sale, and I'm back to my regular meal prep lifestyle. If you have the discipline and commitment to know that those 2 weeks are just a break and afterwards you're back into your regular lifestyle then there's nothing wrong with it. Personally, I looked forward to getting back to eating the foods I do the rest of the year - my poor stomach and digestive track were hating on me big time . . . I have IBS and this time of year wreaks havoc on my system but I know it's coming, I stock up big time on pro-biotics and know that I'm bringing it on myself and have no one to blame but me for the stress on my body. For me, the food is mostly worth it and I've become kind of selective about what I choose to eat in terms of holiday foods, but I still eat a ton of stuff I shouldn't. I bring it all on myself . . . just me, no one else.

yoovie

brenn24179 wrote: »

how about you gym people, do you seem to do just as well with moderate exercise or do you overdo it to get back in shape now?

IM NOT ONE WHO PRESCRIBES TO COMPENSATING.

oops crapslock sorry!

I know that consistency makes more difference than going hard in spurts - exercise, like diet, should be regular.

if your exercise regimen is a bunch of beinge/purge weeks, just like your eating might be, it'll wreak the same kind of habit.

I stick with moderate and steady, a solid, beautiful foundation.

that way if my eating DOES turn out to be all over the place, at least my workouts are going to help me balance back out.