Is it stupid starting diet so close to Christmas?

passenger79

I was successful using MFP and then I got put on heavy duty meds and partly that and partly feeling *kitten* about myself I've put 10lb on I lost initially and 20 lb on top.

I feel horrid,I 've never been this big.
Monday I'm going to Amsterdam known for waffles and pancakes,I'm celebrating my birthday there ,then it's Xmas,then New years...

I can't decide if it's pointless trying to diet now or wait until it's all out of the way but just feel so disgusted with myself.
Any advice is welcome . And yes I know no-one can motivate you but I'm barely getting through days as it is atm and any help or tips is appreciated .

kommodevaran

Don't go on a diet. Enjoy holidays and vacations and birthdays. Just stop the consistent, day in, day out overeating.

livingleanlivingclean

Logging and tracking doesn't mean restricting calories - perhaps just adding food to your diary will make you more mindful about what and how much you're eating?

QueenBee2018

I agree, enjoy yourself on your travels, wear clothes that are comfortable and don't punish you, take lots of walks and see all the sights...then come back renewed and get serious.

Good_Morning_Glory

I’d say anytime is the perfect time to start being aware!! It all begins with it, right?

TravelBear87

I have been to Amsterdam 5 times and one thing I love is the food. Enjoy your holidays as I did earlier this year in Amsterdam but could I suggest exercising whilst you are there.

If you have not been to Amsterdam before its a lovely small city and you can get everywhere by foot or bike. Perhaps avoid using trams and trains. We always rent bikes as its super cheap and the best way to travel in Amsterdam, you see so much and it's fun! This way you can indulge and exercise at the same time

Have fun in Amsterdam, it's a beautiful city with lots of yummy food. Have a great birthday.

FattieBabs

Have a lovely birthday. Maybe set MFP to maintenance based on your height, weight etc and then start cutting properly after Christmas. If you get into the habit of logging now it will be easier to keep going once you start cutting the calories. Just my twopence worth!

jjpptt2

It's not pointless. Progress is accumulation of successes over time, not perfection day in and day out. A few "good" days mixed in with several "bad" ones is still better than all "bad" days.

Francl27

Just start making better choices and ask yourself if you REALLY want something that badly before you eat/drink it. Small steps.

janalo55

By keeping track, you may even find out you're doing better than you thought. My goals are set to lose 1.5 pounds a week. Even if I go over, the log out usually shows a loss even if it's very slight, for the five week period it mentions. Yes, I know that's not exact, just a possibility. But what I mean is that you can be mindful, stay around what you need to maintain, and then come back and knuckle down. I guess the truth is, it just matters how badly you want to lose and how soon you want to do it.

Lounmoun

If you have no intention of or ability to limit your intake over this time period then no I don't think you should start a "diet" right now. You are just going to beat yourself up for no reason.
You might figure out your maintenance calories and try making logging and maintaining your current weight a holiday challenge.
Or just wait until January for weight loss and work on mental health and liking yourself no matter what your weight right now.

ladyhusker39

There's never a stupid time to start taking care of yourself. I'd recommend you also work on your harshly negative body image while you're at it.

couchnest

I started mine in early November knowing it would be hard around the holidays, but instead of waiting, I went for it and have lost 8 pounds. Have I been perfect each and every day? No. Have I at least tried? Yes. Do I beat myself up if I indulge and have one meal that I know I could have made a better choice on? No. I enjoy it and move on. I watch the calories in, and I try to add more activity to my days to help offset when I splurge on something a little less healthy. Set some goals, make a plan for how to help achieve them, and then do what needs to be done, realizing every day is a new day and one day off the diet is not going to undo weeks of effort.

Sofia_Aleman

No, its not stupid. Besides, your birthday, Christmas and New Years are just 3 days out of 19.

tinkerbellang83

I always think it's a good idea to start logging your normal food intake for a while first to see where you can reduce calories without making drastic changes, no reason to go overkill on the run up to New Year but as has been mentioned already it can be worthwhile just so you become more mindful.

spzjlb

I would totally start logging your food and exercise. It just helps in being mindful. For instance, you might just have one treat rather than two or split something with a friend instead of over-doing it. It all helps.

Keep moving and you’ll feel better. Cycle - it’s Amsterdam!! While sightseeing/shopping, count your steps. I was in Rome recently for a bit of holiday. I didn’t have access to a gym and I was not in a great area for running. But my husband and made a point of walking at least 20 000 steps per day - we were usually around 23 000. That helped offset the yummy food and extra drinks.

Happy holidays.

perkymommy

I'm just now starting back again and have been successful before starting around the holidays. I just plan not to over indulge. If I can't do it then I will start after the first of the year. I'm not sweating it.

JillianRumrill

It's not stupid, if you don't start NOW, there'll never be a right time to start- life happens and will always find a way to confound one's plans, instead, tell life that you're the master and you start NOW!
When I first made a commitment a few years ago to changing my eating habits and living a healthier lifestyle IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING! Can't stop, won't stop. TAKE LIFE BY THE HORNS AND MAKE IT YOUR PET! DOOOO IIIIITTTTT NOOOOOWWWWW!!!

peaky151

No it's not stupid to start now. I would say have one goal.. no matter what... drink lots of water. Everyday set that goal. That way by the time you really start you will already be used to that one. Don't beat yourself up. Enjoy your vacation and have a wonderful time!

dsboohead

Start now and start with counting and logging and get with the habit if you're up for a challenge!

laur357

I agree that it's sometimes useful to log what you normally eat for a week or two before going into weight-loss mode. You can see if there's anything you can work on, learn to weigh/measure/read nutrition labels, see what kinds of food keep you full, and generally just start forming a habit. Then you can take the information you gathered and work in a calorie reduction. It can be very eye-opening to see your normal eating habits, and it might just take a few small changes to your regular eating patterns put yourself in a deficit.
It might also help you maintain instead of gain through the season. Oh, I had hot cocoa and cookies already, I can probably save this slice of pie for tomorrow. Oh, I'm going to a big holiday party tonight, maybe I'll just have some soup and crackers for lunch.

However, if you're ready, you're ready. I lost my first 60 pounds with a start date of 3 weeks before Thanksgiving, and kept it up over a year before I went on a long maintenance break. I reduced calories through the whole holiday season and lost weight.

Either way, pick what seems right for you - you don't want to set yourself up for failure if you have a feeling you should wait until the holidays are over.

duskyjewel

I agree with the others who suggested just starting to track but not actually reducing calories at this point. Getting back into the habit takes a little time.

I started again December 1 and had the same thoughts as you.....maybe I shouldn't bother. But I don't have any fun travel coming up and Christmas is only one day, and any holiday parties will only be one or two more days. All other days, I can track and eat for weight loss. I'm trying to lose 20 after gaining it back from the 50 I lost 5 years ago. I went to nursing school and doing that while also working full time caused me to gain. But two years after nursing school, excuses about why I still have this weight are pretty dumb, so I might as well start now instead of later.

Just start tracking, to gain awareness and re-form the habit, and then go into weight loss mode in the new year. Good luck! And enjoy lots of carbs and fat during your trip!

davidylin

I would say that any time is a good time to start, but personally, I think it's wise to be realistic about what you expect to accomplish and what you think about your longer-term ability to adopt new habits and behaviors.

Iwantahealthierme30

No. I started November 26th and I had a friend tell me it's terrible that I'm "on a diet", I told her I'm not on a diet. She wanted to sabotage me by buying half a dozen donuts the other day (she's diabetic) so I was like sorry, can't see you now. Start now. You don't have to go crazy. I still eat everything, but I already had a donut this week she wasn't going to make me screw this up.

Oh by the way I lost 7-10 pounds in 2 months. 6 of those was before starting MFP

tinkerbellang83

duskyjewel wrote: »

I agree with the others who suggested just starting to track but not actually reducing calories at this point. Getting back into the habit takes a little time.

I started again December 1 and had the same thoughts as you.....maybe I shouldn't bother. But I don't have any fun travel coming up and Christmas is only one day, and any holiday parties will only be one or two more days. All other days, I can track and eat for weight loss. I'm trying to lose 20 after gaining it back from the 50 I lost 5 years ago. I went to nursing school and doing that while also working full time caused me to gain. But two years after nursing school, excuses about why I still have this weight are pretty dumb, so I might as well start now instead of later.

Just start tracking, to gain awareness and re-form the habit, and then go into weight loss mode in the new year. Good luck! And enjoy lots of carbs and fat during your trip!

I actually started December 1st last year, and aside from a couple of breaks from deficit whilst I've been travelling or on special occasions I have kept it up longer than I ever have before. Hopefully this time next year you can tell someone the same

smantha32

kommodevaran wrote: »

Don't go on a diet. Enjoy holidays and vacations and birthdays. Just stop the consistent, day in, day out overeating.

This. You can use the time to get used to tracking again and being mindful of how many calories you're taking in.

MelanieCN77

Not stupid. I wanted to get off a 5lb gain and started at the beginning of November, knowing full well it would take me through Thanksgiving and holiday parties and food. Even with some big meals and a couple of off the rail days I'm right on 1/2 lb a week target because 90% of the time I stick to the plan. Eating it up on a celebration day doesn't have to mean going to town every day of the month. Just start logging and slowly grow an awareness of your habits and intake and adjust.

sllm1

It's always better to log and track than to say, "I'll wait until after the holidays."

At the same time, give yourself some leeway on days that you have celebrations and such.

Go for it!

Good_Morning_Glory

There is some BAD *kitten* advice here!!!

MegaMooseEsq

I'll put my vote in for "start tracking now and aim for at least maintenance." Even if it wasn't the holidays I'd recommend that approach. I found that when I started tracking religiously I also ate a bit less just because I was thinking about it. I didn't lose weight, but I did get a lot of really valuable information about my eating habits.

steveko89

"There's no time like the present" is a saying for a reason. Though be realistic about your results and that all nutritional choices have consequences, even on vacation, birthdays, and holidays.

Also, with 20lbs to lose your best bet is probably to aim for a 1.5lb/week deficit or less (guessing that would be in the ballpark of 1% body weight). Based on your comments I can see you wanting to be aggressive and set MFP calories to lose 2 lbs/week or just bottom it out at 1200 but trying to be that restrictive on calories won't be as sustainable.