Hi Lisa, do you have cheat days? if so, skip a cheat day and enjoy your holiday meal and snacks. if you deprive yourself or make yourself miserable you will stop.
enjoy, eat reasonable but partake in the holiday spread.
Then work twice as hard the next week!!
When I was first losing and also in early stages of maintenance, I logged like it was a religious ritual, very consistent. (I wanted to be sure I really knew what my true maintenance calorie level was, so good data was important t me.)
Even then, I ate pretty indulgently on holidays and a few other special occasions, just tried to estimate it realistically.
Now (year 5+ of maintenance), I don't always log those days, but still indulge. Honestly, the rare way-over-maintenance day just doesn't seem to have the much impact. There'll be a water-weight/digestive-fullness bump on the scale for a few days to a week, but it drifts away in a few days to a week . . . as long as it's a holiDAY, not a holiMONTH.
If the scale starts to creep gradually upward over time (which is how true fat regain looks, for me), I know how to make it creep back down, but adopting a slight calorie deficit for a while. The more time goes on, the more un-stressed I am about how things will work out. I pretty much trust the process. No question that's a little more difficult at first!
Christmas plans include demolishing a 6kg gammon joint while enjoying the company of my family, it’s going to be more special this year as I now have a granddaughter.
Holidays and vacations are to enjoyed and just part of the gentle ebb and flow of my weight maintenance throughout the year. My control is staying in an acceptable weight range.
Hi Lisa, do you have cheat days? if so, skip a cheat day and enjoy your holiday meal and snacks. if you deprive yourself or make yourself miserable you will stop.
enjoy, eat reasonable but partake in the holiday spread.
Then work twice as hard the next week!!
Hi Lisa, do you have cheat days? if so, skip a cheat day and enjoy your holiday meal and snacks. if you deprive yourself or make yourself miserable you will stop.
enjoy, eat reasonable but partake in the holiday spread.
Then work twice as hard the next week!!
Hi Lisa, do you have cheat days? if so, skip a cheat day and enjoy your holiday meal and snacks. if you deprive yourself or make yourself miserable you will stop.
enjoy, eat reasonable but partake in the holiday spread.
Then work twice as hard the next week!!
My cheat day is eating a yogurt called two good. It has 3 carbs and 2 g of sugar and only 80 callories. I turn it into a sandae by adding fat free sugar free whipped cream then i shave dark chocolate and yummm!
if it was just one day I would be ok, temptations on tv all month, people bringing food gifts all month. I think it was a hard month. Then all the leftovers. I had to do some serious adjusting. Changing the channel on tv, throwing a lot of food gifts away or regifting, throwing away left overs when the food is yummy but know i get carried away on that high calorie carb and sugar stuff and all the Halmark tv shows with cookies and goodies not to mention the stores, xmas cookies everywhere.
I don't freak out about it now and enjoy. I'm wiser and old enough to know that enjoying some REAL treats on occasion (and even every day) is better for me in the long-term than trying to abstain altogether or replace with "healthy" alternatives. I decide what treats/indulges I really want and balance everything out. I do enjoy baking so will make healthier alternatives most of the time, but when it comes to certain things--either I want the real thing or it's pretty impossible to do.
The truth is, I just feel better internally when I eat better, so if I eat a lot of junk I just don't feel good--physically or mentally. So, if I've had a few days of eating more and more junk than usual, I now know I feel better when I"ll get back to my regular eating plan. It's' not that I regret eating that way in the first place, though, and if I did regret it, it means it wasn't a conscious choice)
Replies
enjoy, eat reasonable but partake in the holiday spread.
Then work twice as hard the next week!!
Even then, I ate pretty indulgently on holidays and a few other special occasions, just tried to estimate it realistically.
Now (year 5+ of maintenance), I don't always log those days, but still indulge. Honestly, the rare way-over-maintenance day just doesn't seem to have the much impact. There'll be a water-weight/digestive-fullness bump on the scale for a few days to a week, but it drifts away in a few days to a week . . . as long as it's a holiDAY, not a holiMONTH.
If the scale starts to creep gradually upward over time (which is how true fat regain looks, for me), I know how to make it creep back down, but adopting a slight calorie deficit for a while. The more time goes on, the more un-stressed I am about how things will work out. I pretty much trust the process. No question that's a little more difficult at first!
Holidays and vacations are to enjoyed and just part of the gentle ebb and flow of my weight maintenance throughout the year. My control is staying in an acceptable weight range.
It’s what I do the other 360+ days in which I pay attention to.
The truth is, I just feel better internally when I eat better, so if I eat a lot of junk I just don't feel good--physically or mentally. So, if I've had a few days of eating more and more junk than usual, I now know I feel better when I"ll get back to my regular eating plan. It's' not that I regret eating that way in the first place, though, and if I did regret it, it means it wasn't a conscious choice)