Holiday Challenge: Maintain, not lose

ChickenKillerPuppy

I just wanted to take this opportunity to urge folks who are in the losing weight phase to adjust your expectations and calorie goals to maintaining your weight over the holidays. It is really too much to ask of yourself (if I may grossly generalize) to expect yourself to eat at a calorie deficit during the holidays. Instead of saying "screw it, it's the holidays, I'll just start again in January" why don't you set your goal to eat at maintenance and not gain weight? Imagine starting the new year off without being up on the scale!

I know for so many years around this time of year I totally gave up on losing, and to me that meant getting to eat whatever I wanted because it was too hard to lose over the holidays so I just gave in. Then come January I was up 5, sometimes 10 pounds and was super depressed. And that depression made it even harder to just "turn my life around" and be this perfect person.

I abandoned all of that several years ago when I focused on changing my habits slowly to creating a lifestyle I could maintain. A key part of that while I was losing was changing my focus during hard times to maintaining instead of just abandoning all plans to lose. I just wanted to share with others in case this helps people view the holiday season differently.

Best of luck!

Retroguy2000

Too late!

Thanksgiving was a blowout for me. I was just a pound or two above my lowest of 2022, then I took a few days off diet and exercise for Thanksgiving while traveling to family, which extended to, "Call it a deload week", and then, err, "Carb loading is a thing?"

I own it though, and I'm not concerned. I got back on the cardio the last couple of days, and am itching to get back on the weights tomorrow, and I'll increase my protein and get back on track. I bought a ton of protein powder in recent sales so I'm set for a long time.

Not bad advice though, just too late for me :-)

ChickenKillerPuppy

@Retroguy2000 - not too late! In fact, your story is a great case in point - a few days off so easily turns into a week off. I am so impressed you are back on track in losing mode. But if that gets tough - just know the option for maintaining is there. Instead of having a “deload week” as you described, remember that maintenance and not gaining, even though you are not losing, is still an option! I wish you the best of luck.

Retroguy2000

Yes, you're right.

TBH I was genuinely due for a deload week, but... that doesn't mean the diet should go to hell at the same time. The thing is, I've always found it easier to keep a good quality and high protein calorie intake while also working out regularly.

Like I said, not worried. I should be able to fully recover last weeks damage before Xmas week, then as you said, expect not to lose that week, and that'll be fine.

spiriteagle99

For me it is better to enjoy a holiday meal or two without guilt, but stay on track the rest of the time. Unless you attend a lot of parties, a few big meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas won't affect your weight loss or maintenance. Giving up dieting completely for six weeks is likely to make it very difficult to get back to a weight loss mindset.

springlering62

It is possible to retrain your brain, whether it’s a holiday or extended travel.

I just got back from six weeks of travel, and fell on and (pretty badly) off the wagon. I kept reminding myself what a relief it would be to get home and back to “normal”, and that I couldn’t substitute home style nomnoms for the ones I was enjoying while traveling.

By taking that attitude it was indeed a relief- and was easy to do. On the plane, I even made a meal plan for the next week- as has been my habit since being on MFP, made my grocery list, prelogged several days worth of meals, and scheduled time to go grocery shopping the next morning.

I also made it a point to continue exercising while gone, even if that meant just a long morning walk some days.

Like @ChickenKillerPuppy suggests, I also tempered my expectations. I kept logging and knew roughly how many pounds I’d be up when I got home by the calories I’d estimated and logged. I was right on the money, too - reaffirmation how keeping up with data and logging here really works.

Having a mindset with a plan in place was super helpful.

Never in my life thought I’d reach a point I would actually crave cottage cheese. 😇

faithrainbow1

I have been struggling since Halloween; my kids are old enough now to be really excited about trick-or-treating. For Thanksgiving and Christmas my husband’s parents won’t celebrate with my extended family, so we end up celebrating most holidays twice. My husband’s work gets us invited to multiple holiday parties. And we have four immediate family birthdays in Nov/Dec/Jan. I am doing better than I have some years, but the scale is creeping upward (not maintaining) so I’m feeling a bit down about it all.

roscoesmama1029

This a great idea! I’m going to try it and see how I do this year.

bert16

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

For me it is better to enjoy a holiday meal or two without guilt, but stay on track the rest of the time. Unless you attend a lot of parties, a few big meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas won't affect your weight loss or maintenance. Giving up dieting completely for six weeks is likely to make it very difficult to get back to a weight loss mindset.

^^^ This is it for me!!! I'm a homebody, so not attending any holiday parties aside from a holiday tea with a friend and her 11 yo daughter. So I ate what I wanted to on Thanksgiving; I'll eat what I want to for Christmas dinner; and I'll be targeting loss for the rest of the time. I totally think your plan is a good idea for some and definitely take your point; but I need to keep myself in the weight loss groove, less I lose momentum and get used to consistently eating at maintenance.

In the end, I think everyone needs to do what works for them and give themselves a little grace over the holidays, however that manifests itself. Happy Holidays to you all!