How do you plan to handle the holidays?

astralpictures

I'm going to pig out on both Thanksgiving and Christmas, instead of feeling and acting deprived. The week leading up to each I may exercise a little more and cut a few more calories. I've also been trying the 5:2 diet, which will be helpful for those weeks.

romancefan1983

I plan on enjoying all the yummy food!

I do plan on exercising both mornings (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and then from there enjoy everything in moderation....little bites of everything. Most importantly I plan to stop when I get full. That's usually my biggest obstacle....all the food is so good that I eat just because.

Deipneus

This is my first time trying to lose weight over the holiday season. I know I need a plan... I just don't know what!

The abundant Halloween candy is already sneaking up on me, and I've caught myself making trips to the candy bowl. I log every peanut butter cup, of course, but they sure add up fast!

I have NO idea how I plan to balance Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to be able to indulge (and not have mine or my boyfriend's family tell me to eat more!), but I don't want to blow my progress, either.

Any suggestions?

I handle the holidays the same as any other days, with self control. Heck, I BEGAN on MFP in November of 2011 just before Thanksgiving. The trick for me was to stop equating food with entertainment, fun, love or as a salve for wounds. It's fuel. I have learned to go to parties and dinners without eating like a pig. People DO tell me to eat more. I just smile a lot.

lilbearzmom

I think that as long as you have some sort of plan, you are on the right track. That might at least help not go completely off the rails and continue the celebrations through January. I'm planning on "fitting it all in" and continuing to log and exercise as normal.

czechwolf52

I'm lucky because I only have to worry about a few different Christmases. I am weird and don't care for Thanksgiving food at all, so I'll probably be the only person who actually has to worry to eat more on Thanksgiving. I have a big extended family so I will be celebrate Christmas on 4 different days- Christmas Even, Christmas Day, and the Saturdays before and after Christmas. I will allow myself to indulge on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I won't go super wild, but I will enjoy the day. On my other Christmases I will just work to stay within my budget. I can have anything I want, just in a reasonable quantity. I'll just work out whenever possible to ensure that I won't gain weight and continue losing.

As for your Halloween situation, allow yourself one or two small pieces of candy a day, look up the nutrition and log it. Make the candy fit into your budget.

Francl27

Meh, it's two days. I'll just try not to go nuts and only indulge on what I really want. I could make plans but I'm sure it won't work out because family will show up or something. I'm more worried about how I'll work out if we have guests staying in the guest room, which is my workout room.

captmiddy

As others have mentioned, if you eat lighter going in and out of the holiday, it averages out. Now if you consume your entire week deficit and then some well you are going to end up with a bad week, but it is just one week and you have a lifetime of weeks to balance it out.

If my wife and I are at home, we will make a fairly safe holiday meal that we can easily fit into both of our plans (hers is easier as she is supposed to be gaining, so going a little extra over doesn't hurt so much). If we are travelling then well we will see what happens, but on balance I plan to maintain my week deficit not my day deficit.

HeyGoRun

Im buying/making everything so ill know what will be on the table and will buy enough for 4 people with no leftovers
My family is in california and i dont speak to my inlaws
So no surprise food will be around.

GreekGoddess7319

Last Thanksgiving I used a smaller plate than everybody else. I didn't feel like I was depriving myself because my plate was full, but in actuality I was eating less than I normally would have.

Do this! It's a matter of psychology, tricking your mind into believing that you are eating a full plate (which you are).
As for the Halloween candy matter . . . go to the dietary needs section at WalMart/Target/Walgreens/wherever and buy a box or two of Atkins peanut butter cups. They are not as tasty as Reese's . . . at first. After a little while, you will wonder why you ever likes Reese's because the Atkin's pb cups are so rich and creamy. A little while longer and you will only be able to eat one of the two cups they put in the package. And two of the Atkin's pb cups are 160 calories together, and much less sugar.
Also, see if you can get your family to participate in physical activity those days so exercise is easy. Maybe a Thanksgiving game of capture the flag or football? For Christmas, pull out the Wii and compete against one another? It'll make you feel less guilty about all that food.
No matter what you do, though, remember to enjoy each of your holidays. A diet is not punishment.

skullshank

well i start with a drink...early in the afternoon it will likely be a dirty martini. as i sip on that and enjoy it, we'll start to get the cheese and crackers ready, and my wife will get going on the spinach artichoke dip. shoot....i need another drink. this will go on throughout the afternoon as we enjoy hanging out in our pajamas watching a horror movie marathon. sometime around 3 the turkey (laticed in bacon) will be ready, and we'll crack open the wine. at this point, my wife and i differ....she's a jarred gravy girl, and im a drippings and wondra kinda guy, so i'll make my gravy while she opens hers. load up the plates and wine glasses (milk for junior) and feast on bird, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, crescent rolls and cheddar bacon biscuits. now that we've hit the wine, we'll stick to it until dessert. whew! got through 2 plates...its best to load the dishwasher now, because i sure as hell aint gonna do it later. dishes in the dishwasher means it must be time for pie, and ice cream, and cookies. well that goes really well with irish coffee, so maybe ill make one of those. i might wander in to the kitchen shortly thereafter and start to pick like a vulture at the carcass. this is an indicator that its time for a sandwich. out comes the bread and mayo so i can load up a thanksgiving sub. wash that down with another glass of wine.....head up stairs and make sweet sweet love to my woman like 2 polar bears wrestling in slow motion. pass out, belching and farting out the days festivities while dreaming of turkey omeletts in the morning.

thats typically how i handle thanksgiving.


ETA: TL;DR - i eat all the food and drink all the booze.

AleciaG724

I'll be on a two-week vacation including a family reunion over the Christmas/New Year holidays... I will have worked too hard to make my min goal at that point to throw it out the window with overeating! My usual exercise is swimming. I may not be able to do that every day as we are staying with family part of the time, so I plan to walk A LOT. I figure if I can walk for at least an hour & eat a light breakfast & lunch should be able to indulge a little for dinner. My goal is to not gain any weight and come back weighing the same as when I left - that will be a victory in my eyes. Then I'll hit it hard when I get back home and continue on the meet my next goals!

ETA - I only buy candy I don't like for trick-or-treaters (for me that's Almond Joy, Mounds, & Snickers...)

MB_Positif

well i start with a drink...early in the afternoon it will likely be a dirty martini. as i sip on that and enjoy it, we'll start to get the cheese and crackers ready, and my wife will get going on the spinach artichoke dip. shoot....i need another drink. this will go on throughout the afternoon as we enjoy hanging out in our pajamas watching a horror movie marathon. sometime around 3 the turkey (laticed in bacon) will be ready, and we'll crack open the wine. at this point, my wife and i differ....she's a jarred gravy girl, and im a drippings and wondra kinda guy, so i'll make my gravy while she opens hers. load up the plates and wine glasses (milk for junior) and feast on bird, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, crescent rolls and cheddar bacon biscuits. now that we've hit the wine, we'll stick to it until dessert. whew! got through 2 plates...its best to load the dishwasher now, because i sure as hell aint gonna do it later. dishes in the dishwasher means it must be time for pie, and ice cream, and cookies. well that goes really well with irish coffee, so maybe ill make one of those. i might wander in to the kitchen shortly thereafter and start to pick like a vulture at the carcass. this is an indicator that its time for a sandwich. out comes the bread and mayo so i can load up a thanksgiving sub. wash that down with another glass of wine.....head up stairs and make sweet sweet love to my woman like 2 polar bears wrestling in slow motion. pass out, belching and farting out the days festivities while dreaming of turkey omeletts in the morning.

thats typically how i handle thanksgiving.

I got lost reading this. Sounds like the best day ever. Except for the jarred gravy (no offense to your wife who is surely awesome)

TheSlorax

well i start with a drink...early in the afternoon it will likely be a dirty martini. as i sip on that and enjoy it, we'll start to get the cheese and crackers ready, and my wife will get going on the spinach artichoke dip. shoot....i need another drink. this will go on throughout the afternoon as we enjoy hanging out in our pajamas watching a horror movie marathon. sometime around 3 the turkey (laticed in bacon) will be ready, and we'll crack open the wine. at this point, my wife and i differ....she's a jarred gravy girl, and im a drippings and wondra kinda guy, so i'll make my gravy while she opens hers. load up the plates and wine glasses (milk for junior) and feast on bird, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, crescent rolls and cheddar bacon biscuits. now that we've hit the wine, we'll stick to it until dessert. whew! got through 2 plates...its best to load the dishwasher now, because i sure as hell aint gonna do it later. dishes in the dishwasher means it must be time for pie, and ice cream, and cookies. well that goes really well with irish coffee, so maybe ill make one of those. i might wander in to the kitchen shortly thereafter and start to pick like a vulture at the carcass. this is an indicator that its time for a sandwich. out comes the bread and mayo so i can load up a thanksgiving sub. wash that down with another glass of wine.....head up stairs and make sweet sweet love to my woman like 2 polar bears wrestling in slow motion. pass out, belching and farting out the days festivities while dreaming of turkey omeletts in the morning.

thats typically how i handle thanksgiving.


ETA: TL;DR - i eat all the food and drink all the booze.

you and your wife are adopting me

FrauHaas2013

Eat, Drink and be merry within reason!

THIS! I haven't snuck any Halloween candy at all! I think part of the reason is that we put 3-4 pieces in a bag and staple it shut. Do I really want to open some little kid's candy bag to steal a piece? Uh,no, I don't! And I haven't had any cravings for candy, anyway, so I'm good.

I'm lucky with the holidays - my husband is a chef and he knows what I like to/don't like to eat. He's always very careful to make sure there's plenty for me, too - he avoids salt, sugar and fat as much as he can - and if he does use any of it, he'll tell me how much or make a special "low-cal" version for me. That being said - we'll see how this year goes!!!!

Iwishyouwell

Holidays use to be a big, big problem for me, like most. This year I plan to indulge because I now eat in a way that allows me to, and still lose, but if you have any control issues you might need to find alternatives.

I LOST weight during the Halloween/Thanksgiving/ Christmas season in 2011/early 2012 (I'm a huge Christmas nut who celebrates for a month and a half). That was a big deal for me because I just love all the goodies associated with that season.

I did so by picking out three or four choice foods that satisfied my seasonal holiday cravings, but did so in a way that aided my weight goals. I was strictly low carb at the time, so I used low carb treats. For me having canned pumpkin on hand that I could season, and sweeten with artificial sweeteners, was a huge help. I also brought the entire line of DaVinci holiday sugar free/low calorie flavored syrups, which were a true lifesaver. I could add them to coffees, teas, plain yogurt, cream cheese based desserts, pumpkin, and drizzle over nuts, which all gave the taste of the holidays while sticking within plan. Worked wonders and I didn't' feel deprived. If you're not low carbing or watching your sugar, just find the equivalent low calorie and/or low fat treats that helps satisfy your cravings, while keeping you away from all the usual Holiday goodies that might trigger overeating.

A lot of times people gain during the Holidays simply because we've been trained to associate those holidays with heavy sweets and treats that "everyone" seems to be eating. Perhaps seeking out replacement foods that don't blow your plan, whatever that plan is, while still helping you feel like you're enjoying some of the tastes of the season, is all you need.

Good luck!

michelegurr

Hey there...I have only been using MFP for just under 2 weeks...I cannot tell you the magic plan for holiday eating, or I wouldn't need MFP, now would I? I CAN tell you what I plan to do as I was thinking the very same question, especially since we are hosting a big shindig with lots of fam this year...
I plan on eating mostly protein, so turkey will be the big deal on my plate...also green salad, takes up lotsa room for little cals and others will not notice so much what you aren't eating. I will either share a roll with someone else or not eat one, cuz I am also a carbaholic, can ignore forever but once tasted my resolve is pretty much shot all to heck...also means I will forego my specialty, pecan pie and chocolate pecan pie (sigh). I would warn you off of things you already know are high cal, but I personally think it's sacreligious to eat thanksgiving turkey with out gravy and stuffing! LOL I just plan on getting very small helpings of these, just enough to taste and satisfy...BTW a little thing I found is, well at least it works well for the diet cake you can make with a box of cake mix and a diet soda...hard to get used to eating dry cake, but if I eat most of the cake first then just eat a little frosting out of a spoon with the tail end of the cake, I only eat like a teaspoon of frosting instead of like 2 TBSP...Im gonna put it to the test turkey day as well...eat the green salad first as I am so not a rabbit food person, then I'll feel fuller on the healthy stuff and not as inclined to binge on the rest of it...I will look now and know my cals and portion sizes so I can eyeball without feelin like a freako dieter busting out with my measuring cups in public! haha I will not save all my cals for dinner and only eat once, bad idea for me unless we eat late afternoon...my weak time...I will eat slow and talk a lot especially since our fam is chock full of multi-platers! And if for some goofy reason I do eat more than I'm supposed to, I have two backup plans: 1) where I live is absolutely gorgeous! I will invite everyone to go on a mass walk, sight seeing adventure...OR I will wait until all are asleep and I will play Wii until I've burned enough cals to make up for the overage!

Not so much a foolproof plan as it is a plan for a fool but hey least I have a game plan, and ya know what? I cannot , it is a physical impossibility to, eat enough in one day to gain back all I've lost (meaning to put me back at my high weight which was 250ish!). So hope some of this gives you something you can use to help you handle your holidays!


PS I live 15 miles from town and even when my kids were still home we never had trick or treaters so no candy in the house 'cept my big girl candy bars - I simply refuse to give up my dark chili chocolate, and yes it is worth doing extra wii time for! Good luck this year!

Mutant13

I plan to relax my eating on Xmas day, but other than that stay strict. I'm working New Years anyway

LeanneGoingThin

I plan to eat small breakfast, small lunch and not care so much in the evening. Maybe try to eat at maintenance level.

lucan07

Eat whatever you want within reason and go for a walk or run to burn off excess calories and maintain your deficit.

dave6134

My only advice is to see it as a normal day and keep your portion sizes to the same you would normally do.If those around you are over indulging allow them to do so, but relax and join in events on your terms.

If you think you might eat a little more than planned go for a brisk walk or plan to add an extra 30 minutes of exercise to your program. If you do put on a couple of lbs or don't lose weight don't panic or see it as a failure.

I was on here 2 years ago and 4 months into my weight loss when I faced this problem, I gained 3 lbs, but.... the next week when I weighed in I lost 5lbs. I think there is no right or wrong result. Just enjoy the holidays.

Mongognom

I have already decided that the only two days I will allow myself to go over my calories are Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I am not going to go nuts! I figure 2 days won't kill me. If anything else comes up, I will deal with it but will stay within my goals.

I have the same philosophy, although I have three days. I will still keep to the not more then 3 pieces of candy and to stop eating when I'm not hungry anymore guidelines. But days like christmas eve and christmas morning breakfast is days where my daily 300-500 calorie deficit will make up for me eating a little more on occasions.

kimlynn919

i've actually lost weight before over the holidays...candy is not an issue for me, so halloween doesnt scare me

but thanksgiving/christmas i can do okay sticking to the turkey, deviled eggs, veggie sides and a small bit of dressing...oh, and pumpkin pie...never have to leave out the pumpkin pie, i don't binge on it, but i enjoy it even with a dollop of whipped cream

renatewolfe

I am putting off buying Halloween candy until right before Halloween. Then I will get things I don't care for but kids like. As long as have something for them, it doesn't matter whether it's the best chocolate or not. I love trick or treater's, but my health is more important. They will just have to do without Reece's Peanut butter Cups and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars this year, LOL!

As far as Thanksgiving goes, I will just call it a cheat day. I haven't had one yet, and I have planned for that to be my cheat day. Fortunately, there are lots of people at our Thanksgivings, so we all take small portions and there is never enough for seconds.

Christmas is the most problematic, so I will just call Christmas Eve and Christmas Day cheat days, and not worry about them. They key is to stay away from all the treats at work, but at this point, I like feeling better more than I like treats, so I will save my goodie time for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and leave the rest alone!

candiceh3

On days I know there are Christmas parties (or birthdays, etc) I eat a small good breakfast (usually only 200 calories, mostly protein), and then only the party food. Then I exercise enough to bring myself back to maintenance only. I don't try for a deficit on these days. If need be, I have a protein shake for dinner.

It is only one day, and once I have resolved to keep under maintenance by cardio, it means I am less likely to binge to the extreme. I still have fun though .

WaterBunnie

We celebrate Christmas Day, Boxing Day (the next day) and New Years Day but eat as normal inbetween. Portion control and choosing what I want most rather than eating everything and then resign myself for a maintenance week rather than a loss! Worked last year!

paulei1975

My first time back in the states after spending the last 3 in Europe, I'm going to Eat, drink and Drink some more. The next day I'll burn a few thousand calories with a headache but,oh well.

alisonlynn1976

I eat what people serve me at social events but keep it to a reasonable portion size.

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ingeh

the only days Im going to go over are christmas eve and christmas day. Wer off to the in laws on christmas day so will expect lots of treats and Im not worrying about it at all.

JDubIsShrinking

Personally, my plan is to exercise like crazy and eat REALLY well that week, but on the day of the actual holiday... I'm eating whatever I want. Hopefully in moderation. We'll see.