Christmas

christinafoulkes

I’m wobbling a bit here. Christmas for us has been about food. Food has always been a large part of the holidays. You know, the special treats and the baking. For example, hubbby knows I am trying to eat well but I see he’s put chocolates in the cart. So I am unpacking the groceries and putting them in the freezer where I don’t see them. My issue is that I am working in retail and the treats can give me the energy buzz I need. In some cases, it’s simply sleep I need! What foods can satisfy that sweet craving I get and what other strategies do you use? I am not doing any Christmas baking this year!

amusedmonkey

For me, personally, it's easier to navigate holidays if I eat at maintenance or plan a tiny manageable gain (no more than 500 calories over my maintenance for up to two weeks). Trying to keep a deficit around the festivities leads me to overeat, oddly more so than if I just purposely increase my calories. I feel more in control and I don't ruin my diet as much as I would if I tried to restrict. Christmas cookies are only available on Christmas, so are other seasonal food items I like. I just eat them, within reason. I feel completely avoiding the foods I love and can only have once a year is not fair. It feels less stressful to do that than to tell myself "no" and then end up losing control. It also helps me avoid overeating them. I deserve to enjoy life, even if it involves cookies every now and then. It's about the mindset, I guess. If I'm flexible with my current goals in favor of my long term goals I tend to achieve better results.

rundgrenrocks

I'm newly enjoying fruit. I especially love getting a pomegranate and just eating one little seed at a time for a while. I also love this spicy, citrusy product you sprinkle on cucumbers, fruits, and lots of other stuff, called Tajin.

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rheddmobile

Last year I was diagnosed as a diabetic on December 15th - so I was kind of thrown into the deep end as far as navigating holiday food. What I did was go and buy a bunch of really delicious things which suited my goals, such as fancy fruits (which I can have in moderate portions), nuts, herbal teas, coffee, and dark chocolate. With a little extra planning you can come up with 100 or fewer calories of something to make you happy, instead of 300-500 calorie baked goods.

The pomegranate sounds like an excellent idea, they take forever to eat.

GemstoneofHeart

I understand as it is similar for me. In my office, we celebrate with potlucks and cookie exchanges and food galore.

I have been eating at maintenance since Halloween. I still track everything-I am NOT going to stop doing that as I know I won’t be able to start again. So I eat at maintenance and I will start cutting calories again after the new year.

I started my weight loss journey in December last year and really missed out on the holidays. It was good because I was focused and lost weight, but this year i want to enjoy some treats!