Tracking on Holidays/Special Occasions

heavymetalhippie1

Does everyone track on holidays or special occasions?

I realize the answer to this question should be an obvious YES, but I find myself using holidays or special occasions as excuses for not tracking or not being vigilant about what I’m eating.

Any real life advice or tips you all use?

ecrosby512

Yes I track, to stay in the habit of doing it. No, I don’t stress over what I’m eating at a family celebration, within reason. (Like maybe one rib and piece of cake, not 6 of them.)

missysippy930

I track everything.
Plan for it if possible. Make better choices. Try whatever I want, but smaller amounts. Log to the best of my ability. It’s only a day or two. Get right back at it the next day.

Machka9

heavymetalhippie1 wrote: »

Does everyone track on holidays or special occasions?

Maybe ... maybe not. Depends.

If I'm on a mission to lose some weight, I will. If I'm maintaining and feeling a bit more relaxed about things, I'll probably take a diet break.

But then ... I celebrate things by going for long bicycle rides and/or runs too, so I can eat more ... and often need to.

TavistockToad

heavymetalhippie1 wrote: »

Does everyone track on holidays or special occasions?

I realize the answer to this question should be an obvious YES, but I find myself using holidays or special occasions as excuses for not tracking or not being vigilant about what I’m eating.

Any real life advice or tips you all use?

nope, i don't track holidays or Christmas day, boxing day or new years eve.

every other day i do though.

i did recently track a weekend away, and with all of the walking that was done on holiday (and a bit of swimming) i was at or under maintenance even with a full English breakfast every morning and what ever i fancied eating through the day. i think a lot of that is because i have given myself permission to eat whatever i like, i don't actually feel the need to stuff my face. the odd ice cream or dessert and a cocktail or 3, but i don't go mad eating everything i see any more.

cmriverside

I track every day, and here's what happens if I don't:

"Meh. Tracking it is too hard. I'll start tracking again tomorrow." [tomorrow doesn't come for a month.]

I have years of logging history. I've learned by doing so that I am able to be more disciplined on a much more consistent basis. Even if my logging is "off" by 500 or so calories, I have a record of what I ate, and interestingly I can see that a couple days of being WAY over (like double my calories) doesn't lead to a huge weight gain. The worst that happens is I'm up a pound or two. I am able to be honest and say to myself, "Well, yeah. Eating 4000 calories per day will do that. Get back at it."

And then I do.

I can see from past experience that going back to my normal routine WILL result in losing that pound or two again very quickly. If I just stopped logging that two pounds would become 15 before I even realize it...because when I quit logging food I soon stop weighing myself too.

Ask me how I know.

JeromeBarry1

Holidays and special occasions are framed in the context of having a regular job. That regular job provides a cadence of habitual behavior, as well as a time-suck that keeps us away from food for several hours.

I have recently become without a regular job. Maybe I'm retired, or maybe I'm just self-supporting, but I needed to find another time-suck. It helps that I have several cardio exercise resources here at home, and can spend my time burning calories rather than eating them, or perhaps after eating them, as yesterday when I got extravagant with the chocolates.

Anyway, holidays and special occasions give you a different set of time opportunities and food temptations to learn to handle. You are human. You can do it.

cmriverside

However! Sometimes when I'm away from home I just write it down. I'll log when I get back. I don't like to take MFP with me on vacation.

TavistockToad

cmriverside wrote: »

However! Sometimes when I'm away from home I just write it down. I'll log when I get back. I don't like to take MFP with me on vacation.

that's part of the reason i don't log on holiday - i like a total break from social media.

LivingtheLeanDream

I don't log on weekends or while on holiday or for meals out... I used to in my pre-maintenance days but I don't need to any more...it seems I can eat intuitively and maintain my weight just fine.

thisPGHlife

Holidays, special occasions, and vacations are times where I am setting myself up to be in the habit of tracking. However I track when it's all said and done. I usually track before I make my meal it as I am making it but always before I eat. This helps me to see if I can "afford" the extra price of cheese or not 😁. It works for me.

However, for special things I would rather be in the moment and enjoying it. I usually try not to go overboard and still eat relatively well. I also really love food so if we are at a place that's well known for their wings or cheesecake, I'm not saying no to that!! I might still split it with my husband though. Or not. We also tend to take vacations that involve a lot of hiking or walking around so I know that I can burn the calories. Since I do really love food, I try and take a mental picture if what I had and then at the end of the evening I log it as best I can. I try not to stress out too much because the special meals like that happen rarely.

As far as everyday eating in vacation, I do the best with what I have. If I can order an egg white omlette, I know that's going to be filling with a solid amount of protein and not as many calories, depending on things like cheese. I set myself up for the day with a healthier meal that's filling so that I can be happier with smaller portions of the really yummy, high calorie stuff later. And I log as best as I can.

Also, never be afraid to ask about what's in something. If you're really embarrassed about asking, you can always play it off as, "I can never get my lobster roll to taste this good at home. I'm using ingredient x, y, and z. Are you using something different or do you think it's a ratio thing?" Act like you're trying to improve your cooking at home. Either there will be an ingredient you didn't know about and can then log better, or there may have been more high calorie ingredient then your expected, in which case you are also better off knowing and can log it more accurately.

kommodevaran

I think it's the other way around: If you're tracking just to track, it's easy to use not tracking as an justification for overeating. Tracking should be (IMO) a tool for awareness. Your goal is to improve eating habits, right? So you don't have to track if your eating is in line - you track to get your eating in line. The impact of overeating is most of all depending on duration/frequency. If your holiday is a week or two, no big deal. If those special occasions are now and then, no big deal. But if you're holidaying for three months per year, and you have 200 friends, and you go to all your friends' birthday parties, and birthday party means cake, you might be in trouble.

elsie6hickman

I track every day, and no matter what is going on, I try to stay on track with my calories. When I have to attend something where there is food, I try to focus on the fellowship of friends, rather than on the food. (this has been a real shift in attitude for me). I try to remind myself that it is not the last supper, and I will have an opportunity to eat that again in the future. One thing I find is that once I wrench myself free of foods (like things very cheesy or my beloved French fries), after a few weeks, I don't even crave them anymore.

thisPGHlife

kommodevaran wrote: »

I think it's the other way around: If you're tracking just to track, it's easy to use not tracking as an justification for overeating. Tracking should be (IMO) a tool for awareness. Your goal is to improve eating habits, right? So you don't have to track if your eating is in line - you track to get your eating in line. The impact of overeating is most of all depending on duration/frequency. If your holiday is a week or two, no big deal. If those special occasions are now and then, no big deal. But if you're holidaying for three months per year, and you have 200 friends, and you go to all your friends' birthday parties, and birthday party means cake, you might be in trouble.

Not sure if this was intended for me but if it was, apparently I want as clear as I should have been. I do use this as too to help keep my eating in the right track. For me, holidays, special occasions, and vacations are infrequent. They are also a time when I would want to enjoy what I'm eating so I would rather eat at maintenance for the day and enjoy the food/event/company. I don't do what I would normally do, pre log, but I still log. That way, if I do eat above maintenance, I can be aware of it so that I can either exercise more, eat less, or both and keep my weekly calories where they need to be.

I'm still logging so I can be aware of what I'm eating and make adjustments through the week. I want to work towards my goal but I'm not going to halt my life. Quite the opposite. This is about making my health a lifestyle and part of that is figuring out how to celebrate and vacation while still maintaining my health.

So you are right, it's about getting your eating in line which for the most part it is. However, for me, it's also about being accountable to myself. If I want to have a half rack of ribs one night on vacation because we are in Kansas City at a place known for ribs, I'm going to do it. I'm just going to make sure that it's accounted for in my log so that I know why I'm experiencing a jump in weight, water or otherwise. It also gives me the information I need to decide where I'm going to cut some calories here or there or take an extra 20 minutes at the gym. Or if I'm ok with taking the caloric hit.

I don't see logging as a justification for overeating and I would hope that my words didn't make it seem that way. I also don't think I will ever be someone who can intuitively eat. Looking back at what I wrote, my first paragraph may have been confusing. The intention was this:

I am in the habit of logging before I eat so I can make sure that I'm not overeating. It also helps me make decisions on what to eat so I can make sure that I am going to be full, satisfied, and meeting my macros the way I want. Since I am towards the beginning of my journey, I haven't had as much experience with holidays, vacations, and special occasions. What I have done so far that has worked for me is to continue to log on those days/events. However, instead of logging as a made the meal, I log afterwards so that I can focus on the event. I still want to be able to make sure I am starting in track but I don't want it to detract from my experience. I don't go overboard with my eating at those times, but I allow myself a little bit of wiggle room so that I can enjoy myself.

Sorry for the confusion.

kommodevaran

Your follow-up makes it clear to me that you've got this - the intention of tracking, and the mindset as well as habits so that it serves your goal. You are the master, MFP is your servant - good to hear! Weight management is all about balance, balancing needs and wants, knowing the costs, but also the value, of everything you consider, and making informed decisions, based on free choice.

FibroHiker

I had a reply written but MFP erased it.

The short answer is yes. If I didn't track, I would be consuming way too much.

heavymetalhippie1

Thank you all so much for the insight... if anything I’m glad to know I’m not alone in the struggle!!! I am definitely one who if I stop tracking, I just quit for many days. And yet, I always find a way to make the excuse for a holiday.... which becomes a holiweek...