pit falls of special occassions

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smileysarah66
smileysarah66 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am terrible when it come to special occasions...like Easter and Christmas... I was doing really well until Xmas came along and I thought what it the point!! But I am coming back with a new attitude cos if I want my slim belly back I av to do something!

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  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    The way I dealt with Christmas was by doing an extra 20 mins exercise a day in December to build up some calories in advance. That way you cna have your meal,wont feel deprived, relax and stay on track.

    Just learn from it and start applying yourself slowly and surely towards target again, the important thing is you are back trying and your journey has just taken a bit more of a circuitous route. Good luck and welcome back.
  • smileysarah66
    smileysarah66 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you, i am getting on the wii fit and looking at a spinning bike so hopefully that will help. With working in an office worker i don't get a lot of activity during the day.
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
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    I'm going to Paris for 3 weeks in June and just know I'm going to be happily wallowing in crepes, butter and wine. So I'm trying to lose 10 lbs before we go so that I can fit into my pants at the end of the trip. I'm hoping that the miles and miles of walking will help offset it. I only have 5 more lbs to go.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Christmas is hard because it's not just that one day. From Thanksgiving until Christmas, we are bombarded with treats and sweets. During that one month period, I don't think we go more than a day without someone coming by the office with trays of goodies.

    The rule I try to follow is "If it's something truly special, have a piece. If it's something you can have any day of the year, pass". One client came back from a trip to Paris and bought us French chocolates. You can bet I had a couple of those! Another client came in with a holiday tin of Pepperidge Farm cookies. Since I can swing by Stop & Shop any day of the week and pick up some Milanos....I passed.

    If you think about it, most of the stuff that's put in front of us at that time isn't all that special or unique: (with the exception of the holiday dinner itself). What's the difference between Hershey Kisses in the red and green wrappers that you see at Christmas, and the ones in the silver foil that are available all year round? Nothing. So I try not to use the holiday wrapping as an excuse to eat more than I normally would.
  • cmcdonald525
    cmcdonald525 Posts: 140 Member
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    [quote="booksandchocolate12;32055281"
    The rule I try to follow is "If it's something truly special, have a piece. If it's something you can have any day of the year, pass".

    If you think about it, most of the stuff that's put in front of us at that time isn't all that special or unique: (with the exception of the holiday dinner itself). What's the difference between Hershey Kisses in the red and green wrappers that you see at Christmas, and the ones in the silver foil that are available all year round? Nothing. So I try not to use the holiday wrapping as an excuse to eat more than I normally would.[/quote]

    This is excellent advice!
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    Going to a family Bday today and then staying in a hotel with 3 of my nieces (it's a bit of a drive). I've been strategizing all week...skip the cake, go for the boiled eggs at the hotel breakfast. Here's hoping for a good weekend!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Think of it this way...it isn't holidays and special occasions that bring you here, it's the days that aren't. I ate less last Saturday in preparation for Easter (about 300 calories left). It turned out that Sunday, I only went eight calories over my goal. Enjoy your time with family and friends, eat a little more if you want, and get back to work when it's over.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    smileysarah66 wrote: »
    I am terrible when it come to special occasions...like Easter and Christmas... I was doing really well until Xmas came along and I thought what it the point!! But I am coming back with a new attitude cos if I want my slim belly back I av to do something!

    Well, occasions are only supposed to last for a day or so...not months...it really ceases to be an occasion at that point.

    I always enjoy myself on occasions...one day doesn't ruin anything, and that's what you need to understand...it's ridiculous to indulge for a day and then just toss up your hands like what's that point...in the grand scheme of things, occasions are pretty meaningless...they're like maybe 10% of your whole year...the other 90% is the point.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    As other people have said, it isn't the special occasion that gets you, it is deciding that the special occasion lasts for weeks. Have you tried limiting the length of your celebrations or identifying the holiday food traditions that are most important to you?
  • krissyreminisce
    krissyreminisce Posts: 284 Member
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    thereshegoesagain wrote: »
    I'm going to Paris for 3 weeks in June and just know I'm going to be happily wallowing in crepes, butter and wine. So I'm trying to lose 10 lbs before we go so that I can fit into my pants at the end of the trip. I'm hoping that the miles and miles of walking will help offset it. I only have 5 more lbs to go.

    I went to Paris on '07 before I was trying to lose weight and I enjoyed PLENTY of food! Don't forget to try the baguettes! But we also did a *kitten* ton of walking (I even took the STAIRS down from the top level of the Eiffel Tower!) and after 2.5 weeks, my family noticed a weight loss.

    In the coastal region of the Basque Country they had a baguette called 'sandwich amèricain' which was basically a baguette with beef, fries, mayo, and ketchup. A lot of the girls, including me, scarfed this down after eating ham and cheese for a while. Lol!

    Have fun and walk!
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    I don't sweat the special occasions any more, really. If I put on a few pounds over a vacation, or the Christmas-New Year holidays, they come off once I resume my "usual" eating and physical activities.
  • smileysarah66
    smileysarah66 Posts: 15 Member
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    booksandchocolate12 wrote: »
    Christmas is hard because it's not just that one day. From Thanksgiving until Christmas, we are bombarded with treats and sweets. During that one month period, I don't think we go more than a day without someone coming by the office with trays of goodies.

    The rule I try to follow is "If it's something truly special, have a piece. If it's something you can have any day of the year, pass". One client came back from a trip to Paris and bought us French chocolates. You can bet I had a couple of those! Another client came in with a holiday tin of Pepperidge Farm cookies. Since I can swing by Stop & Shop any day of the week and pick up some Milanos....I passed.

    If you think about it, most of the stuff that's put in front of us at that time isn't all that special or unique: (with the exception of the holiday dinner itself). What's the difference between Hershey Kisses in the red and green wrappers that you see at Christmas, and the ones in the silver foil that are available all year round? Nothing. So I try not to use the holiday wrapping as an excuse to eat more than I normally would.

    This is really good advice, will keep this in mind! Thank you!
  • VanillaGorillaUK
    VanillaGorillaUK Posts: 342 Member
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    I don't like the idea of holding back on special occasions. If its just one day I eat whatever I want and still estimate on MFP.

    For a longer timeframe i.e holiday I eat to maintain, eyeballing it. Including a few days off to eat anything I like.

    Last Christmas I put on 2.5kg, I had huge dinners, ridiculous amounts of alcohol, endless sweets/crisps etc. It took me 3 weeks to lose it.

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