Is it appropriate to go on a diet during the Christmas Holidays

2

Replies

  • Red_Dwarf74
    Red_Dwarf74 Posts: 38 Member
    misshoneyz2dab wrote: »
    I've been told by a lot of people, that I should avoid going on diets during the Christmas period. Should I still lose weight in December?

    I would log everything and stick to your plan to lose weight, take only Christmas day off.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    misshoneyz2dab wrote: »
    I've been told by a lot of people, that I should avoid going on diets during the Christmas period. Should I still lose weight in December?

    Do what you want to do, not what 'people' say...
  • PhilHarrison1
    PhilHarrison1 Posts: 16 Member
    edited November 2016
    So ballpark your numbers if you want to lose weight. Don't do daily. Do by the week. For example. This is Thanksgiving week. if you know you need 2000 calories a day to lose a pound, decide if you want that pound or can live with a half a pound and adjust the calories for that week to that number. For that pound at 2000 calories a day, that's 14000 calories for the week. Somehow I don't think you are going to eat 14000 calories on Thanksgiving day or Christmas. So from Thanksgiving Day to the next Thursday, adjust your calories so you still only get 14000 calories for that week. You will still lose a pound. Doing both, dropping to say 1/2 pound weight loss for that week and adjusting your daily calories to a weekly ball park, makes the holidays much easier and you won't feel deprived plus you won't feel totally guilty when you have that second piece of pie made with a butter pie crust or that extremely rich mac and cheese with 4 different types of cheese. And since you adjusted your goal to 1/2 a pound, you still have the success of losing weight that week. And if you want to nibble for the weeks in between, keep it on that 1/2 pound loss. A half a pound is still LOSS. And it's okay. You don't get any brownie points for losing it faster and being a martyr in the holidays if it makes you unhappy or ruins your loss. What counts is you keep on trucking toward your goal. Sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

    My sin this week was a local ice cream place's quart of ice cream which has extra butter fat. They were selling out for the season. I got a quart which lasted me 3 days. And it's okay. I will adjust my calories for the week after my last bite. Usually I eat down the days before but this was unexpected and sure enough once I took that first bite, I was doomed. I could have chosen to have hysteria and throw my diet to the wind because OMG look what I ate. Instead this morning, I woke up, adjusted the calories and went trucking on. At the end of the week, I will still have a loss.

    Ain't no reason not to go on a diet since you can still have a holiday.
  • Gerbsxyng412
    Gerbsxyng412 Posts: 86 Member
    Just keep eating healthy but enjoy yourself on Christmas, do what you want to do, don't listen to others! If you are wanting to lose weight then go for it!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,448 Member
    In 2012, my husband and I travelled the world for months ... and gained weight from eating all the good food out there. We arrived in the area of Canada where most of my family are a couple weeks before Christmas, with the plan to stay there about a month. The next day we went to a local community gym and got a 1-month membership.

    During that month, including Christmas of course, we both lost weight. :)

    We were working out at the gym a couple hours just about every day ... plus going for bicycle rides for an hour or two on nicer days ... and eating a reasonable amount. We weren't depriving ourselves, you can bet I still had my grandmother's shortbread! But we weren't going crazy.


    Since then, I've had about a week off over Christmas, plus it is summer (finally), so I usually ramp up my exercise through December, and then put in a lot of effort during my time off at Christmas, and I've lost weight each year. Last year, I hit my lowest weight in a long time about the day before Christmas. :)


    So sure ... nothing wrong with making an effort to lose weight over Christmas.
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
    I assume with a "diet" you mean calorie count? Using MFP and sticking to the calorie count "should be" a style of life rather than a diet, so using this you should not need to go on a diet, but you might include a couple of "Cheat days"
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,448 Member
    iofred wrote: »
    Using MFP and sticking to the calorie count "should be" a style of life

    Not necessarily. :)

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Do whatever works for you. There is absolutely no reason why you can't be in a deficit at the end of the week even with a day or 2 of indulgence.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Your life, your choice.
  • Rogstar
    Rogstar Posts: 216 Member
    edited November 2016
    I don't think there is an inappropriate time to start monitoring your diet. I mean, do you really want to gain weight over the next month? I know I don't...but there will be indulgences so I plan to fit them in.

    There have been many posts already mentioning that "it's only a day or two", something to that effect. However if you're like me, the period between Halloween and New Year's is an almost constant bombardment of those indulgences.

    Most of our birthdays are in November, so we have celebrations every weekend and even during the week. Thanksgiving is an entire weekend going to multiple homes over the 4 days and hosting one myself. There's office parties (in office and after hours) for both my husband and I, kids' parties, another two birthdays in the family to celebrate, and delicious goods brought in to work every day baked with love (or store bought, no judging!) And the actual Christmas celebration involves going to multiple houses again and out to eat & drink with friends in from out of town throughout the 9 day period between Christmas Eve and New Year's.

    So, all of that is just to say I totally relate. It is so much easier to say "F- it, I'm eating all the delicious foods!" Well...I believe you can have all the foods, but less of them. Eat a cookie and have it fit in your daily calories. Eat turkey and pie, have it fit in your calories. Drink a 6-pack or bottle of wine and go over your calories for the day, but start over the next day because one day will not hurt your progress. Or even set your calorie goal to maintenance for a month so you won't gain anything substantial overall and can start up after the season.

    If you're truly serious about losing weight you can take this opportunity to figure out how to control your day-to-day consumption around all the temptation, because there will always be another party or holiday or box of doughnuts around the corner.

  • Showthyme
    Showthyme Posts: 23 Member
    It is better to start today than wait until after the holidays or New Years Day. You will feel better about yourself for doing so.

    My Thanksgiving diet is to wear a pair of jeans that I can barely fit into. I will not be unbuttoning the top button. I have to eat a normal dinner or I am going to be in agony.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    I'm with the "no time like the present" crowd but also want to emphasize that approaching it as a "diet" especially something that is overly restrictive, may not be the most sustainable approach. My approach to this whole process is to focus on a reasonable calorie deficit, slow and steady weight loss, understanding that this is all a numbers game, and learning good habits that would make my transition to maintenance much simpler. The holiday season may be difficult to have a sustained large deficit, but it's a great time to start practicing portion control and moderation of the foods you love.
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    Agree w/DragonGirl & Lounmoun; go ahead and start. Just eat smaller portions of hi cal foods and eat your regular food plan most of the time. Also agree w/iofred, it should be a lifestyle, not just a project or diet w/an end date. You can do it!! If you mess up, forget it and move on; you only fail if you quit. Good luck.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    @misshoneyz2dab , I don't recommend going on a diet on any day between January 1 and December 31, as each one who goes on a diet does so with the intention of coming off the diet and then they gain back all the weight they had lost with interest. This is the yo-yo plan. If you want to begin changing your habits, any day is a good day.

    If one is prone to be easily discouraged, one might not want to start their healthy eating changes the day before a civil feast.
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    I hit my lowest weight ever last Xmas eve!
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    iofred wrote: »
    Using MFP and sticking to the calorie count "should be" a style of life

    Not necessarily. :)

    hence the "should be" :smiley:
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    I think it's actually a GREAT time to start a diet because you'll get a crash course in how to handle food pushers and the occasional splurge as part of your life. Too many people get started on Jan. 1 and then they get unhinged after the Super Bowl and just give up. Better to learn how to moderate when you actually have challenges thrown at you!

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