Winter Months Strategies?

I’ve been doing this for over six months. I’ve made really solid progress. Easy during Spring/Summer when eating light is normal for me. Autumn brings the colder weather and an urge for comfort foods. I’ve been making lighter versions of everything and have weighed weighed portions and log the calories, but honestly, the whole calorie counting thing is about ready to drive me over the edge. I feel my grip slipping. I am doing more activity, meeting my step and burn goals but I worry that I’m going to lose it once Halloween comes. All the deprivation might lead to a tsunami of a backlash. Especially when the weather turns cooler and the days get short Anyone else? Strategies? Please? Help!

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,098 Community Helper
    edited October 19

    Ditto to holiDAYS vs. holiMONTHS. The rare days are a drop in the ocean, and our regular day-in, day-out habits - the things we do the overwhelming majority of the time - are the ocean. Those routine habits that are on repeat, those determine the majority of our outcomes.

    Going to maintenance calories for a while is also a reasonable choice. It's an extra-reasonable choice, actually something I'd recommend, if you've been losing weight quite quickly for months. (I don't know what you mean by "really solid progress". Sometimes people have expectations of normal loss that turn out to be unsustainably aggressive. Maybe that's not you, but I can't know.)

    Here's a discussion of why a maintenance break could be positive, in addition to the obvious reason that we're going to need to have maintenance habits forever when we reach goal, and practice is good prep.

    I'd strongly recommend reading/viewing the content at the links in the first post.

    You're doing a good thing by lightening up your traditional comfort foods. It helps me to eat more of those warm, filling dishes in the Fall.

    Another thing that helps me a little is a SAD (seasonal affective disorder) light, even though I don't have fullbore SAD. I follow directions for using it, normally turn it on for a while during the day while doing other things that leave me seated.

    It may also help to make sure your sleep quality/quantity is as tuned up as you can manage. Sub-optimal sleep increases appetite and reduces willpower.

    I hope you haven't put treat foods totally off limits during weight loss, at least not treats you could successfully consume in moderation within your calorie goal. Over-restricting tends to increase chances of backlash. A few hundred calories of Halloween treats isn't life-destroying in the big picture, but 5 pounds of it followed by not being able to stop gobbling it potentially is. Have some, not lots. Eating up to maintenance calories is fine, and I'm talking about weekly averages here.

    If it's purely the counting that's getting to you, not the eating levels, then maybe try a month experiment where you follow your established healthy weight loss eating habits for a month, and see what happens to your body weight. (You do have routine habits you've developed, I hope?) If you don't go crazy, you can stop counting for a while as a break, too, if counting per se is the irritant. If you start that, and DO go crazy, of course stop. It's an experiment. We learn from them, right?

    I think you can work your way through this, but only you can zero in on what the root problem is here, and take steps to counter it. What works for others of us maybe can give you some ideas, but I think weight management is very much an n=1 experiment where we need to figure out what works for us as individuals. Personalization is a key success factor, IMO.

    Best wishes!

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 2,168 Member

    Exactly that. It sounds like you're diet fatigued anyway. No need to make yourself miserable over the holiday season. It's fine to take a break. It's healthy to take a break. Your goal should be to maintain, plus maybe a few pounds of water weight increase.

    Keeping up steps count and other exercise might be harder, with weather often a good reason to do less. If you have equipment at home then you might be find it easier to keep active, even if that's as little as some dumbbells, kettlebells or bands.

  • FattBitt
    FattBitt Posts: 3 Member

    Thank all so very much for thoughtful, considered and thorough replies. I set out to lose 90 and I’ve lost over 50 since starting in April. I’m not doing the injections and my hunger naturally increases during winter. My losses have slowed a bit, but I’ve been gaining a little muscle so that might be the reason. Or perhaps my biology just holds on to the weight when the weather turns cooler. This year I’m ignoring “the season” because I want to gift myself with better health and it’s more difficult with all the festive cheer. Thank you all again for the great tips.

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,434 Member

    Yes definitely go to maintenance and take a break for a bit.

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,816 Member

    You've done really well so far! Losing 50 lbs is amazing!

    In regard to this statement: "perhaps my biology just holds on to the weight when the weather turns cooler", that's just not true. You are probably less active and/or eat more in the colder, holiday season months.

    You didn't say what your activity is, but I find it is easier to get moving and do cardio when the weather is colder because it helps me stay warm. Definitely keep tracking your calories whether you stay in a deficit or go to maintenance because holidays and seasonal changes happen every year, so you might as well have a plan for it.

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,851 Member

    One option is to rely more on soups in the winter. A cup of hot soup before a meal will take the edge off your hunger. It also makes a good main dish that doesn't have a lot of calories. A cup of sugar free hot chocolate satisfies my sweet tooth with less than 100 calories when I come in from a walk or run in the cold. Apples and grapefruit are good winter fruits that are very filling.

  • FattBitt
    FattBitt Posts: 3 Member

    Soup is a fantastic idea!! I only know one lo-cal/fat/sodium recipe which is the old cabbage soup business but I’m guessing you mean broth based type soups? I’ve looked through the recipe section on MFP and the soups are scarce. I’d love to hear any of your favorites. Thank you.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,704 Member

    The big hints to me is the increasing activity plus unsustainable plus past the six month mark.

    10lbs a month is really fast (not just "solid" loss) unless you're still within the morbidity obese range in terms of excess energy reserves that are available to be lost.

    You may be surprised as to how much more willing you may be to count calories if you switch away from viewing calories counting as a way to impose restriction. Perhaps view counting as a way to maximize intake. Within the parameters of achieving your goals.

    But a more reasonable goal at this time may be achieving deficits in the 250 to 500 Cal a day range as opposed to the 750 to 1250 you've been posting based on your actual losses.

    0.5% or even 0.25% of body weight loss a week is slower than 1% or 0.75%, but a *** kittens *** load faster than regain!

    Sustainability of effort wins every time. So try to make things as easy as you can so you can keep on keeping on.