Don't worry about the holidays...

ovi212

I have been really stressing about going home for the Easter holidays. I'll be home for about 4 days and I will have to forgo my exercise routine and stop eating my 'diet foods/meal plan'. I will have to eat the family dinner (extra calorific on Easter), there will be emphasis placed on eating what others do at other meals and I will be gifted a lot of chocolate.

But then I got down to really thinking about it...
Our calorie goal on MFP is set so that we are at a deficit. So we CAN actually eat over it and not gain weight.
So if my clicker is set at 1200, to lose 0.8lbs a week...then I am at a deficit of 2800 for the week (so I lose the 0.8lbs) or 400cal/day.
This means I could technically eat 1600 per day and maintain. I would have to eat 875 extra...each day to gain 1lb while I was home..or 2475 a day. 3350 a day for 2 lbs!

So I know this may not happen exactly, our bodies don't do precise calculations but it gives you an idea of how realistic making it through the holidays are. So I may not contribute to my weight loss over the weekend but I can just take a brief pause. I won't undo all the progress I've made. I can enjoy the holiday. Eat within reason and come back after it's over.

I feel like days that are out of our routine that strain our diets and weight loss path can be very stressful and anxiety inducing but in realty it is possible to get through them. This just shows that we need to remember we are eating at a DEFICIT! a small increase will not cause weight gain! (maybe water but that should go right?)

Does anyone have any experience with this working?

amwood89

You're totally right, we shouldn't stress so much - instead we should be enjoying our time with friends/family. I know exactly what you mean about the emphasis on food.. My family are Italian/Ukrainian & food is the centre of everything they do!!

I was away for 5 days last week & I ate/drink (which felt like a lot at the time - but reflecting on it, it's probably 'average' for someone who isn't trying to eat at a deficit - on the food front anyway). Needless to say, I enjoyed myself & didn't log for those 5 days, but didn't go completely over the top either.

When I returned on Sunday evening I weighed myself & I had 'gained' 5lbs. This obviously wasn't a true gain, so I weighed again on Wednesday (which is my normal 'weekly weigh in day') & I had dropped 4.4lbs, so only up by 0.6lbs from the previous week before I went away.

Generally speaking, if you gain in a short period of time, you will be able to lose again equally as fast.

Enjoy your break & don't stress

Greenrun99

Ya don't say.. hmm.. I bet your maintenance is higher than 1600.. and you probably won't gain 1 lb in 4 days unless your constantly eating food (or eating large amounts of fast food) everyday of those 4..


Now water weight.. that will be in full force.

ovi212

Thanks! I'll make sure I don't weight myself right when I get back.

ZombieEarhart

I think the problem here is your "diet foods/meal plan". There's nothing about holiday food that's incompatible with losing weight. Just eat smaller portions, log everything, and stay near your calorie goal.

As for exercise- run in the morning or take an evening walk with family and friends. Do body weight exercises. Do some yoga, whatever.

If your "plan" cannot hold up in some altered form for a 4 day trip home, it's a bad plan.

ETA: and when you're gifted chocolate, do the givers stand there and watch you eat the whole thing? Why not take a small bite, say thanks, and save the rest to nibble on for the next few weeks?

ovi212

My family is very much against the diet industry. They expect me to eat like them and if they think I am not eating enough and losing weight then they worry and watch my intake. They are very set on the whole natural set point, eat whatever you want theory. My whole family tends to have a thin body type without diet or exercise. They don't support exercise, other than walking my dog or light yoga, and I will have to take the chocolate. I could always re-gift it to people when I get back I guess but they will expect me to eat some. I guess I will just have to be careful with my meals I eat on my own, control my snacking and watch the portion sizes they try to force on me.

Lizzy622

Remember what is truly important about the holidays which is spending time with the people you love. Enjoy and don't stress.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Ya don't say.. hmm.. I bet your maintenance is higher than 1600.. and you probably won't gain 1 lb in 4 days unless your constantly eating food (or eating large amounts of fast food) everyday of those 4..


Now water weight.. that will be in full force.

Beat me to it. OP, you could probably lose weight eating more than 1200 calories too, and should probably be eating more anyway since you're close to goal.

ovi212

MFP says that I need...
Maintenance- 1590
+ 1lb/week - 2090
+0.5 lb/week- 1840
-0.5lb/week- 1340

that's without exercise and sedentary (which I mostly am)

Holly_Roman_Empire

MFP says that I need...
Maintenance- 1590
+ 1lb/week - 2090
+0.5 lb/week- 1840
-0.5lb/week- 1340

that's without exercise and sedentary (which I mostly am)

I'd bump up to 1340 if I were you. You only have 3 pounds to go.

Francl27

Yeah, I have a small deficit and I calculated that I would even out my 4000 calorie binge from yesterday in like 7 days.

It's totally not the end of the world.

_lyndseybrooke_

I agree that people shouldn't stress about holidays. When it really comes down to it, what are the big "eating" holidays in the US?

Easter
Thanksgiving
Christmas

That's it! Let's throw in New Years (liquid calories!) and Fourth of July (burgers and hotdogs, baby!). That's five days out of the year; the other 360 are just normal days. The holidays should NOT make you gain weight. The trouble people get into is eating a lot during the days surrounding a holiday. I know the time between Thanksgiving and New Years are filled with temptation - goodies brought into work, leftovers from large meals, snacking, candy, homemade treats, etc. However, attempting to "eat clean" during these holidays because you don't want to gain weight is ridiculous.

On Easter, I plan on eating a ton of deviled eggs, a heaping serving of fat-filled baked macaroni and cheese, a ton of ham, mashed potatoes filled with butter, and as many pieces of chocolate I can get my hands on. But come April 21, it's back to business as usual. And no, I won't be trying to "make up" for Easter by restricting my diet even more or exercising more either before or after this holiday. I'm going to eat as I normally do the week before and the week after. It's just ONE DAY! The most important part is to enjoy yourself during the holidays and spend quality time with your loved ones. Be present and don't log! Don't worry about how many calories are in what you're eating.

This may not be a popular way of thinking, but oh well...

shortntall1

THANK YOU!! I was wondering how I was going to handle Easter

wilsoje74

My family is very much against the diet industry. They expect me to eat like them and if they think I am not eating enough and losing weight then they worry and watch my intake. They are very set on the whole natural set point, eat whatever you want theory. My whole family tends to have a thin body type without diet or exercise. They don't support exercise, other than walking my dog or light yoga, and I will have to take the chocolate. I could always re-gift it to people when I get back I guess but they will expect me to eat some. I guess I will just have to be careful with my meals I eat on my own, control my snacking and watch the portion sizes they try to force on me.

So they force feed you? How old are you? They won't let you go for a walk or jog? Sound very controlling