Dealing with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other special occasions

24

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    i guess it's all in the mindset. for me, these are just occasions and then it's back to business as usual.

    This is it. The danger is when the occasion never ends and it all runs into one 3-month fiesta.

    This is how i backslid into gaining my initial weight loss. Protip: Don't do this. Its much harder to lose than it is to gain it all back on a 3-month fiesta.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    i guess it's all in the mindset. for me, these are just occasions and then it's back to business as usual.

    This is it. The danger is when the occasion never ends and it all runs into one 3-month fiesta.

    i can't really let that happen personally...my cycling and general fitness would suffer greatly and I'm too much of a cycling nut and just way too much of a fitness nerd in general to let myself slide for months on end...I'm all about my bike and hitting the gym...basically my life priorities are kids, wife, bike, then everything else.
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday.

    If you eat a lot more carbs than you usually do, you could see the scale go up. Temporarily. I would bet that 3 pounds would be gone within another week. Don't be scared of this. Being glycogen loaded and fully hydrated is good!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited September 2015
    amillenium wrote: »
    I think celebrating the day of the holiday or even a few days isn't a big deal (including a few seasonal parties)...I like to enjoy. :) I think where people run into trouble is that the day or few days of celebration turn into a season of gluttony lasting from October to the end of December. I don't indulge in every Christmas cookie brought to the office or leftover Halloween candy. I DO enjoy the day of Thanksgiving and Christmas having whatever I would like with my family. Oh and booze on NYE cause I like champagne. I like it a lot. :)

    This is really true! It's not the one day, it's the whole season or the days after the holiday where you're still off track, which is what I think the OP was asking about. I recommend eating whatever you want on the holiday but still logging it--even if you're guessing after the fact (as in, "I think I ate 1/3 of grandma's chocolate pie, let me find an entry for chocolate pie and enter 1/3 of a pie's worth"). This way, you can both enjoy the holiday, but not get derailed by stopping tracking altogether. One day of no tracking can very easily turn into a week, which turns into a month. One day of tracking too many calories rarely does that. Good luck!

    Thanks, this is actually very helpful to think about. I suppose that my main concern is that overindulging on special holidays really does make it so much easier to continue the overindulgence throughout the season. This is my main concern-- I'm afraid I'll fall off the wagon! :open_mouth:

    Glad it's helpful. It's actually been a big breakthrough for me because I had the same problem with getting derailed by special occasions and weekend getaways. Once I started tracking everything anyway, I found it wasn't a derailer. Nothing like seeing your log of a 3,000 calorie day to jolt you back into discipline! lol

    This.

    I honestly have no problem letting myself indulge one day and go back to the plan the next day. Just LOG EVERYTHING. It's really key for me... seeing those big red numbers scares me. I know that if I'm 2400 in the red and don't do anything about it (ie, get back on track the next day to my normal deficit), that's going to be 3/4 of a pound of fat gained. So one day is ok... but two, not so much. So I estimate everything, even if I just have to add things in my head, then log it all.

    Also what helped me is that, by telling myself that I can eat what I want on Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's easier to tell myself the rest of the week that I really need to pass on that second cookie so I can have that piece of pecan pie I've been craving...

    Oh something else that works for me though... if I really want pumpkin pie, I might just have a piece the week before when I have extra calories so it's easier to pass on it on Thanksgiving... and I can have a bigger piece of pecan pie or something instead. Heck, same with sweet potatoes or whatnot... that way that's two or three things I can skip to save calories for that piece of pecan pie... And I might pass on the green beans if they were obviously cooked with butter because I just don't care for green beans, even if they're better for you... that will still save me 100 calories, lol.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.

    usually this would be an increase in glycogen (essentially water) as well as more inherent waste in your system...to actually put on 3 Lbs of fat you would have to eat well over your maintenance calories consistently. when in doubt, do the math...
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    edited September 2015
    For me I don't celebrate any holidays persay anymore (by choice) but my hubby likes home cooked holiday dinners. I fix him whatever he likes, I eat my stuff and everyone is happy. No rushing around to hang up this or buy that...(in my mind i picture ants, millions of ants seeking that tiny piece of sugary candy somone dropped.) People scurring around the malls and stores, parking lots packed with people buying and trying to please and make everyone happy, "sigh" i dont fall into the holiday consumerism anymore. However, when my children were young and still at home, we celebrated the holidays. Now we are a Country apart so the holidays, birthdays and such don't have meaning to me anymore. Even anniversary's are moot. I try to live each day without stress. Holidays had always been a stressful time for me. Happy to an extent but I loathed the "highs" and "lows" of emotions they gave me, so to remedy that, I opted out on all such interests. I prefer a steady calm energy around me. Being pagan I give reverence to the sabbats and esbats but as a solitary witch I embrace these in a quiet fashion. No hoopla just me and the universe.
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I also have a 1/2 century the weekend before Halloween, another the weekend before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving day Turkey Trot 5K (tradition) and a New Years ride following the Christmas and New Years holidays...i live a pretty fitness and health centric lifestyle and that doesn't stop just because of the holidays...i may indulge more than usual food wise, but really that doesn't derail me or anything like that...i've adopted and been maintaining this lifestyle for over three years now, much of which has been in maintenance and without logging...

    i guess it's all in the mindset. for me, these are just occasions and then it's back to business as usual.

    Aha! Therein lies my problem... I'm just a month back into a more healthy and fit lifestyle after letting myself go for 5 years. Even when I was more healthy, I always took Thanksgiving and Christmas as an excuse to really just gorge myself, and so I'm trying to figure out what my plan of action should be this year.
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    It sounds like you have a handle on it. As others have said, two big meals over the span of 3 months is a blip. Holidays are to be enjoyed!

    Since you asked what others do, here's what it is for me.
    1) It took me a long time to avoid Halloween candy. I really used to love it. Now I save myself for the stuff that it is truly superb, gorgeous little works of chocolate art. Something worth savoring, not gorging on. I.e. not mass produced stuff that comes in supersaver family size bags. That's what I tell myself. Over & over. As many times as necessary. The trick is, it helps to have truly special chocolate on hand (or in my near future) to make it real.
    2) I am the holiday meal cook, and it's all pretty healthy food, save the desserts. I really don't worry about these meals. I have a reasonable size dessert and lots of champagne. Cheers!

    The bigger challenges for me are:
    3) Holiday parties. I eat before I go, even if it is just jamming carrot sticks and celery in my mouth in the car on the way. I do anything I can not to arrive hungry. If I'm hungry, a glass of wine will send me downhill on a toboggan. It's best for me just to have 2 glasses of wine on a full stomach and skip food altogether. Most party food is not that exceptional.
    4) Gifts of food. I do have 3 teenagers, so that is a big help in terms of being able to tell the giver genuinely that the gift was relished without having to devour it myself. I try to pick the one gift that is my favorite thing, and then savor little bits of it as long as I can make it last. If I didn't have kids, I'd take it to work. Some of the gifts are truly special, but if I get started, there is no stopping, so picking my favorite is my best compromise for "moderation."

    Thank you so much! I like the idea of making the regular stuff healthy and leaving the desserts alone because, slowly but surely, I am learning to control my dessert portions!

    Eating before holiday parties sounds like a fantastic idea! When I DO eat slowly, and small portions, I find that I still can enjoy myself. I just never though to fill up a bit before even getting to a shindig.

    I work in an office, so bringing leftovers to the office should work nicely for me this year. :)
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    those days are so important to me.. being around friends and family, eating, drinking, playing games, movies... i indulge and wether its maintenance or even over its 2 days out of the year.
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.

    usually this would be an increase in glycogen (essentially water) as well as more inherent waste in your system...to actually put on 3 Lbs of fat you would have to eat well over your maintenance calories consistently. when in doubt, do the math...

    The math would help, except that at this point in in my fitness journey I don't know the formula. I didn't even know what glycogen was before today... :neutral:
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »

    Glad it's helpful. It's actually been a big breakthrough for me because I had the same problem with getting derailed by special occasions and weekend getaways. Once I started tracking everything anyway, I found it wasn't a derailer. Nothing like seeing your log of a 3,000 calorie day to jolt you back into discipline! lol

    This.

    I honestly have no problem letting myself indulge one day and go back to the plan the next day. Just LOG EVERYTHING. It's really key for me... seeing those big red numbers scares me. I know that if I'm 2400 in the red and don't do anything about it (ie, get back on track the next day to my normal deficit), that's going to be 3/4 of a pound of fat gained. So one day is ok... but two, not so much. So I estimate everything, even if I just have to add things in my head, then log it all.

    Also what helped me is that, by telling myself that I can eat what I want on Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's easier to tell myself the rest of the week that I really need to pass on that second cookie so I can have that piece of pecan pie I've been craving...

    Oh something else that works for me though... if I really want pumpkin pie, I might just have a piece the week before when I have extra calories so it's easier to pass on it on Thanksgiving... and I can have a bigger piece of pecan pie or something instead. Heck, same with sweet potatoes or whatnot... that way that's two or three things I can skip to save calories for that piece of pecan pie... And I might pass on the green beans if they were obviously cooked with butter because I just don't care for green beans, even if they're better for you... that will still save me 100 calories, lol.

    I like the idea of indulging in pie before the actual festivities. Maybe this is what I need to pursue-- having a Thanksgiving feast throughout the month of November!

  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    I am not looking forward to Thanksgiving or Christmas because of family issues, but the food is another story. My plan is mostly to just "bank" calories the week of both holidays and enjoy the food. I do intend to try being a little more mindful that I have been on past splurges- mostly not worrying about whether or not I finish something I didn't really enjoy.
  • sunandmoons
    sunandmoons Posts: 415 Member
    I dont know if I will be able to over indulge. I get full a lot easier now. I am having pumpkin pie and looking forward to it! Halloween is just another day and dont eat much candy...Enjoy what you wish..log it and carry on.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited September 2015
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.

    It's water weight. Just do the math. You can't gain 3 pounds of fat unless you eat 14000 calories over your maintenance or something.

    So, when it happens... take a deep breath. Get back to it. It will be gone in less than a week.
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.

    It's water weight. Just do the math. You can't gain 3 pounds of fat unless you eat 14000 calories over your maintenance or something.

    Yup, except I didn't know the formula before. I still don't, but it's something I plan on looking up when I get home. "Just doing that math" doesn't help someone who doesn't know the formula, let alone that a formula even existed. I don't think I'm the only person that has thought "all weight gain is BAD." It takes time to learn about types of weight lost/gained. Even knowing that muscle is more dense than fat doesn't always make the weight loss/gain thing easier to swallow since we're so conditioned to focus on our weight rather than overall health/fitness in our society.

    The thing about being so brand new to making a commitment to a lifestyle change is that there is still so much information I'm learning. So as far as fat vs glycogen-- had I known that in the past, I may have been able to forgive myself a little more easily and kept with a weight loss plan a little more easily.

    Thanks, all!
  • Fragmoss
    Fragmoss Posts: 66 Member
    edited October 2015
    My motto for the holidays, "This too shall pass."
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
    Last year I ate smaller portions of every thing and stayed within my calories... I recently gained during vacation and though I've lost all but .6 lbs, it's really mentally threw me back. I would suggest maybe ready yourself before hand like you said and maybe eat only enough to satisfy yourself... it's hard though. Pecan pie is what I look forward to and tiny slices are hard to do!
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    This will be my first set of holidays on MFP, and here's what I plan to do: I'm going to log everything, but I won't worry about the totals on the holidays themselves. Then the next day, looking at "OMG I ate two days worth of calories" or whatever it ends up being--I will not beat myself up, I'll say happy Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for wow wasn't that delicious...and then be mindful going forward. In fact, I'd hazard the guess that being able to see just how much I went over will help me stay mindful! Guess I'll let you know in January how that works out.
    As for leftovers, I'll eat smaller portions alongside my regular healthy stuff while sticking to my limits. Sure it will take a little longer to finish them off, but that's what Gladware is for isn't it? ;)
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    My usual plan for big events where there will be lots of food is to do an extra long work-out that day and then I try to log as best I can. I aim for eating at maintenance for the day. I try to take slightly smaller portions than I would have in the past. I get dessert, but I don't get 4 desserts. :) I try not to go back for seconds.

    All that being said, I've been at this for 8 months now and I've lost 70 pounds, and there have been PLENTY of meals since then where I didn't log and I ate way too much. At a family reunion one day this summer, there was SO much food (pot luck) and I wanted to try a little bit of everything, and I ended up being full way past the point of comfort and felt sick. I have no idea how many calories I ate, couldn't even guess. You know what? Still lost weight that week. One really big meal is not the end of the world, and it's not the end of your diet. You just wake up the next day and get right back into it. I could never have lost this much weight if I didn't give myself days to eat more and enjoy it.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    Bukawww wrote: »
    I plan on enjoying my holiday meals. I have 3 nutrition plans that I follow.

    #1 is my most ideal for steady, healthy weight loss (1000-1500cal deficit, low carb, high fat, moderate protein, 'healthy' foods, loads of activity).

    #2 plan is to make the best choices I can with what is available, increase my calorie allotment but still remain in a smaller deficit and/or increase my activity to maintain a smaller deficit.

    #3 is saved for holidays, special occasions, and girl days lol. Eat whatever I want at maintenance.

    #3 usually ends up making me feel gross, heart burn, sluggish, bloating, etc and I'm reminded why I actually love plans #1/#2 better anyway lol.

    Life is still meant to be lived...it never has to be all or nothing.

    That's my plan too! In #1 mode my calorie deficits are smaller each day, but I'm older & set to lose more slowly. I probably go into #2 mode 3-4 days a month over things like a dim sum date with my daughters or a pub night with my girlfriends. #3 mode is even less frequent, just holidays and travel. I'll be doing that one a few of the days I'm in DC this month. Just maintenance. But I ALWAYS log so it doesn't get too crazy.

  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
    I'm planning on "banking calories" a few days before all the big holidays. Meaning, my normal calories are 1226, I would only eat 1000 that day and give myself 200 to use on the holiday. After a few days of that I'd get enough calories to have a satisfactory holiday meal on the day itself. I'll still have to be good about leftovers, though.

    My gym will be open on Thanksgiving so I'll try to go then. I can't seem to find holiday hours for the gym I'll be using when I'm on vacation for Christmas though so I'll have to see. Christmas may be my only true cheat day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.

    It's water weight. Just do the math. You can't gain 3 pounds of fat unless you eat 14000 calories over your maintenance or something.

    Yup, except I didn't know the formula before. I still don't, but it's something I plan on looking up when I get home. "Just doing that math" doesn't help someone who doesn't know the formula, let alone that a formula even existed. I don't think I'm the only person that has thought "all weight gain is BAD." It takes time to learn about types of weight lost/gained. Even knowing that muscle is more dense than fat doesn't always make the weight loss/gain thing easier to swallow since we're so conditioned to focus on our weight rather than overall health/fitness in our society.

    The thing about being so brand new to making a commitment to a lifestyle change is that there is still so much information I'm learning. So as far as fat vs glycogen-- had I known that in the past, I may have been able to forgive myself a little more easily and kept with a weight loss plan a little more easily.

    Thanks, all!

    3500 calories = 1 pound. Seriously, once I figured it out, it was a revelation and I stopped freaking out about scale fluctuations.
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    what I do is skip or have very light meals either side of the big one. Where I'm really weird though is on Easter Sunday, I just eat my chocolate eggs and have one normal meal that day (it freaks my family out though) - and manage to stay under 2500 calories doing so.

    Do you notice that you still maintain the same weight doing this? or do you usually go up a few?

    I'm mostly scared of going up more than 3 lbs the week of a holiday. Usually when I see a rapid gain like that is when I get severely discouraged, and that's when I tend to fall off.

    I guess if that happens, though, I can come on here for a little encouragement.

    It's water weight. Just do the math. You can't gain 3 pounds of fat unless you eat 14000 calories over your maintenance or something.

    Yup, except I didn't know the formula before. I still don't, but it's something I plan on looking up when I get home. "Just doing that math" doesn't help someone who doesn't know the formula, let alone that a formula even existed. I don't think I'm the only person that has thought "all weight gain is BAD." It takes time to learn about types of weight lost/gained. Even knowing that muscle is more dense than fat doesn't always make the weight loss/gain thing easier to swallow since we're so conditioned to focus on our weight rather than overall health/fitness in our society.

    The thing about being so brand new to making a commitment to a lifestyle change is that there is still so much information I'm learning. So as far as fat vs glycogen-- had I known that in the past, I may have been able to forgive myself a little more easily and kept with a weight loss plan a little more easily.

    Thanks, all!

    3500 calories = 1 pound. Seriously, once I figured it out, it was a revelation and I stopped freaking out about scale fluctuations.

    That's great, thanks so much! Really, that helps immensely! :) I didn't get to do research on it when I got home (got home late, had a late dinner, but stayed within calories!) But that really puts things into perspective!
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    Ashtoretet wrote: »
    I'm planning on "banking calories" a few days before all the big holidays. Meaning, my normal calories are 1226, I would only eat 1000 that day and give myself 200 to use on the holiday. After a few days of that I'd get enough calories to have a satisfactory holiday meal on the day itself. I'll still have to be good about leftovers, though.

    My gym will be open on Thanksgiving so I'll try to go then. I can't seem to find holiday hours for the gym I'll be using when I'm on vacation for Christmas though so I'll have to see. Christmas may be my only true cheat day.

    This is exactly what I was thinking about doing! I was wondering if very many other people do that too, but it looks like the general consensus is to give yourself a little forgiveness for having an off day.

    Whatever I end up doing, this thread has been super helpful already! It's encouraging to see other people who have been at this for a while saying that getting through this season IS manageable.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    From a food perspective, holidays are just that to me - one special day, not a weeks long binge fest. I don't feel compelled to log my food, I'll eat what I want and as much as I want, and then resume my normal routine the next day.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    Personally, I'm going to aim to eat at maintenance on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think that having a little extra will help me to feel satisfied and knowing that I stayed at maintenance will keep me on track.

    Halloween is pretty easy as I'm pretty picky about my chocolate. We usually have the family over for pizza and then go trick-or-treating with the kids so after pizza I walk all over the neighborhood, so at least I'm getting out and doing something!
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    edited October 2015
    My doctor has advised me to eat healthy for my cholesterol. I'm trying to avoid medicine. It's not a will I; it's more of I have to. My plans are if I'm going to someone's home where I'm bringing food, I'm going to bring healthier options such as a roasted chicken, broccoli, etc. This way I can indulge is "some" of their foods that I'm not sure of calories and have the food I brought. I'm not telling them in advance to be rude. Just bringing what I feel is better choices.

    Plus, I'm going to lighten up some of my recipes. I know holidays are a special time. I appreciate that and I won't be overly worried but if I can lighten up some dishes and indulge in some that aren't, there's a happy medium. For me, we celebrate holidays at work, family, friends, etc so it's not just one day or one meal. It can last for days.

    Also, if you know you're going somewhere and worried, eat something before going to keep you from overeating. I'm not one to skip meals. It would cause me to eat everything in sight. I figure with extra workouts and eating in moderation, I will be fine.
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    I drink tons of extra water and try to avoid too much alcohol. I also bring something like fruit or veggies to snack on so I don't eat crackers, cheese, nuts, and other bits put out by the host and I don't wind up overly hungry by the time we sit down to eat.

    When it's time for the meal, I do a small portion of each thing I want and don't bother with anything that a) I don't love or b) I can have anytime. I try to fill half my plate with veggies. I have a small piece of the dessert that I love and a nice coffee.

    The hardest part is indeed not letting extra eating on a few days roll over into the whole season.
  • LokiDokiArtichoki
    LokiDokiArtichoki Posts: 36 Member
    I have chocolate/candy pretty much everyday and I eat foods I make on Christmas/thanksgiving quite often, too, especially now that it's football season. I find that foods lose their "specialness" and they're not that big of a deal. I think I used to get into the mindset that I wouldn't be able to eat those holiday foods except for a few days and I would go crazy overboard. I'm not so much like that because if I want green bean casserole or spinach dip then I'm going to make and have it now not later (thus not risking a binge later when I think that's the only time I'm going to be able to indulge in my fav food). Granted, it doesn't mean go hog wild when you do make it... Portion it out, invite your friends over/take it over to a friend's house, freeze some.
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    I drink tons of extra water and try to avoid too much alcohol. I also bring something like fruit or veggies to snack on so I don't eat crackers, cheese, nuts, and other bits put out by the host and I don't wind up overly hungry by the time we sit down to eat.

    When it's time for the meal, I do a small portion of each thing I want and don't bother with anything that a) I don't love or b) I can have anytime. I try to fill half my plate with veggies. I have a small piece of the dessert that I love and a nice coffee.

    The hardest part is indeed not letting extra eating on a few days roll over into the whole season.

    You know, I always forget about the calories in alcohol! I always thought I ate somewhat reasonably in recent years around special events, but I never factored in the fact that I'd have at least 3 beers at one of these things.

    As far as alcohol goes, what are some of your preferred lighter options?


    I have chocolate/candy pretty much everyday and I eat foods I make on Christmas/thanksgiving quite often, too, especially now that it's football season. I find that foods lose their "specialness" and they're not that big of a deal. I think I used to get into the mindset that I wouldn't be able to eat those holiday foods except for a few days and I would go crazy overboard. I'm not so much like that because if I want green bean casserole or spinach dip then I'm going to make and have it now not later (thus not risking a binge later when I think that's the only time I'm going to be able to indulge in my fav food). Granted, it doesn't mean go hog wild when you do make it... Portion it out, invite your friends over/take it over to a friend's house, freeze some.

    I love this idea! I think that the anticipation is what gets me the most! The mental waiting has me obsessing over holiday foods, so I'm really leaning towards the tactic (haha) of cooking some of my favorite dishes leading up to each event. And even after, if I missed out on something, then I can enjoy later on and not experience FOMO!