Beat the Holiday Blues Challenge

alf1163

Hello MFPers!!! :drinker:

The temptations are starting to show all over the place!!! I am talking about Halloween candy, Thanksgiving goodies and Christmas treats. If you are like me, I like them all. :noway: This is the time of the year that I start overeating so the pounds start creeping up slowly. Last year I gained 9 lbs from Oct to Dec. I am determined not to gain any weight this year but I am going to need some motivation and support.

WHO IS WITH ME????

If you tend to gain a few pounds during the Holidays due to overeating and/or exercising less, this might be the thread for you. Let's hold each other accountable, motivate and support one another!

This is the plan:

1. Set your goals. For some it might be lose some weight (set a specific amount), for others it might be to maintain your weight.
2. Weigh in or measure on Fridays. You may report it on the thread.
3. Continue with your exercise program, no matter what is going on around you.
4. Eat healthy at least 80% of the time. Plan your meals ahead of time. Eat Holiday goodies in moderation. A small slice of pumpkin pie at a gathering is not bad, buying a whole pie or having seconds is overdoing it. :laugh:
5. If you fall, pick yourself up as soon as possible. Let's say you overeat at your work's luncheon, eat a healthy dinner at home.
6. Consistency is the key!!!!

This is a new thread/challenge in progress. Feel free to add your ideas. This is not my thread and the plan is not set in stone. What do you think? I cant wait to hear from all of you!!!! :flowerforyou:

zebras

Count me in! I need all the help I can get during the holidays!

singfree

Hey, you look familiar! :laugh: Count me in...heaven knows I need it!!!!

I really must think this through as I have SOOO many holiday vices!

Mostly, I want to eat clean - within reason over the holidays. I want to exercise normally, which means daily, no matter what is going on around me. I want to maintain or even decrease my body fat level. I have a possessed scale that growls and grunts every time I step on it, so that's out. I can't read the small numbers on my ancient tape measure. The only thing left is my trusty full-length mirror and clothing to mark my progress!!!

Good luck to all!

mkwood10

Count me in too - I need all the motivation I can get these days!!! :laugh: :laugh:

I do want to say that I have NOT bought any Halloween candy, which is amazing for me in the middle of October.......usually I've gone thru a bag or two of candy corn/pumpkins by now with dry roasted peanuts mixed in - awesome snack, but calories add up waaaaaaaaayyy too fast, so haven't bought any and don't plan to:noway: :noway: :noway: .

tron3002

I want in too!!!!
The holidays are a struggle and I DONT want to gain any weight!!!!:grumble:
I'm not planning on buying any Halloween candy this year. Not even gonna decorate for the season. Maybe if I leave that night the one or two trick or treaters wont even miss my house. I know that sounds mean but I just dont want the temptation in my house. Either that or I could always just buy the "yucky" stuff. :laugh:

alf1163

Yeah Yeah!!!! :drinker: For some reason you all look familiar...:noway: :laugh:

Glad you want to join!!!! We WILL succeed this time around!!! :drinker:

MK, you devil you!! :devil: I was salivating reading your post, candy corn is my absolute favorite but I have managed so far to not buy any. :drinker: And I will not!!!

Tron, I actually read somewhere that it is a good idea to buy the candy you dont like to give to trick or treaters.

Ok, weigh in tomorrow...the goal is to go under or maintain. But if you fail, remember, pick yourself back up and move on!!! As Tony Horton says, "Do your best and forget the rest".

Gotta go to a CPR/AED/First Aid class. Talk to you tomorrow!!!! :flowerforyou:

singfree

I'm still going to check in daily on the 40+ Club thread! Don't give up on that one. I hope we get some people of all ages here who are motivated to beat the holiday weight gain.

singfree

Not a good week for me. Too many landmines to dodge. A few got me. I've been shot with sugar. Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!

sunlover67

I would love to join! I have been looking for a thread that wasn't necessarily about weight loss, as I have reached my goal and am just trying to maintain. But we all know, we can't stop doing all the things we learned to do that helped us lose the weight in the first place. Especially during the holidays!
My goals are:
to maintain my weight and still be the same Jan 1, 2010
to exercise 5-6 days a week even when things start to get crazy
to enjoy some "treats" now and then during gatherings with family and friends
and most importantly...to look and feel great for our xmas trip to Florida! :happy: (I'm from Maine, so that's a biggie for me!)

Weight this morning 135

I look forward to getting to know you all. Great idea for a thread...thanks!
Lisa:flowerforyou:

zebras

Welcome Sunlover!

Treated myself too many times this week, but didn't really gain any weight either!

alf1163

Hello!!!! A hectic morning so I could not post earlier.

Welcome Sunlover!!! Together we can conquer the challenges that the Holidays bring to our health and fitness goals.

Zebras, good job on not gaining weight. Exercise also helps when we over indulge.

Weight this morning 126lbs. Up 3lbs from last week. :grumble: This week I was snacking more than usual and have not been able to exercise as much as I wanted to. It is time to get myself in gear.

Sing, I've also fallen but we can help each other get up. C'mon GET UP!!!!!!!!!!!! :laugh:

It is Friday, this means, the weekend is here. We all know how challenging they can be. Plan ahead to resist temptations. My son is going to camp this weekend so my husband and I have plans to go out tomorrow night. I will make good choices at the restaurant. I will also workout this weekend. I have to do something light because I am still recuperating from oral surgery but I am feeling much better.

Have a great day!! :flowerforyou:

courtneyweiss

Okay all, I'm in! I have SUCH a hard time over the holidays as I bake like a fool (and in the past few years, I've actually become okay at it so it tastes GOOOOOOD ).

Will weigh in tomorrow morning and post the results. I haven't weighed myself since Thanksgiving last weekend because I'm scared. So, if I'm accountable to people, maybe I'll actually get on the scale! Lol.

We can do this! No sense in starting a new year with the weight of holiday guilt! I'd rather make a new year's resolution that doesn't have anything to do with my weight in 2010!

zebras

Welcome Courtney. We're all going to do this together!

StiringWendel

I'd rather make a new year's resolution that doesn't have anything to do with my weight in 2010!

Boy have you nailed a major motivator for me in getting through these holidays without gaining weight. Thank you for spelling it out this way because I have been eyeing up way too much chocolate lately for my own good. But I really don't want to start out another year feeling like I need to lose weight. I'm going to need to remember this over the next couple of months. Thanks again for the reminder. :flowerforyou:

Thanks for starting this thread, alf! Like you, I put on between 5-10 pounds between Halloween and the New Year last year. I was eating with complete abandon during the month of December....and it showed. :noway: My goal this year is to maintain my weight and, no matter what happens, continue to exercise. If I can't find at least 30 minutes to workout 5-6 days a week, I figure I'm doing something wrong with my time management.

I'm going to try to limit my intake of sweets. I learned a valuable lesson this last week since I baked a number of cookies/brownies for my husband's co-workers. And that lesson is....don't bake!! I love to bake, and usually can be pretty good about not eating what I bake. But when baking gets tossed into the holiday timeframe, I'm in trouble. So I am going to seriously limit (or not do it at all) what I bake this holiday and see if that helps me stay more in line with my eating.

I'm not going to buy any Halloween candy this year, and Thanksgiving isn't usually a problem for me. My biggest problem comes in the month of December. One of the things I'm toying with during that month is trying to limit the amount of time I spend in the grocery store. This past weekend, as I was wondering up and down the aisles of the grocery store drooling at all the Christmas/Thanksgiving/Halloween stuff on display, I realized I am just conditioned to want anything that says 'Christmas' on it. So I'm wondering if I can cut back on the amount of time I am exposed to those food items I really shouldn't be eating that are made so easily available this time of the year. Has anybody ever tried to cut back on grocery shopping like this before?

I weighed the same this week as I did last week when I weighed myself this morning. That's really good news since this hasn't been my best week ever when it comes to food. But I feel much more in control of my eating today than I did on Monday. I'll see how I handle the weekend. Weekends are a problem for me.

Great to see so many people here. We can stay strong, healthy AND enjoy the holidays as long as we stick together.....I have no doubt. :drinker:

singfree

For me, the key to weight management is regular exercise and moderation when it comes to holiday treats. I get so busy during the holidays that I neglect regular exercise. It's too easy to let one day, two days, a week pass without exercising. That's a LOT of cals that are wasted not exercising. Couple that with the extra food....it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that a major weight gain is in the offing!

sunlover67

I totally agree singfree. Trying to say NO TREATS period over the holidays is just setting yourself up for failure. Allowing yourself some in moderation, perhaps baking some that are a little healthier (lots of wonderful recipes on this site) and yes most importantly, keeping up the exercise. Those are really the keys to staying on track during the holidays. With all of us sticking together, we CAN have a HAPPY, HEALTHY HOLIDAY!!
With that being said, I'm off for a date with my treadmill. :flowerforyou: It is 21 degrees here this morning, my butt's staying indoors!:laugh:

alf1163

21 degrees????????????? Brrrrrr!!!!! I would definitely stay indoors. I thought it was cold here this morning, high 60's. :laugh:

I am taking my son to camp this morning. My plan today: get on the treadmill this afternoon for at least 30 minutes. I will also make good choices when eating out. wish me luck! :laugh:

Stiring and Courtney, I totally agree with starting the new year with a new resolution other than losing weight!!! :drinker: :drinker: I will focus on that!!! :drinker:

Have a wonderful day!!!! :flowerforyou:

courtneyweiss

Okay, here's my check-in. Weight this morning=165. This is up 3 from the last time I weighed. Sigh.

I'm going for a run this morning, so that should help.

My major goal is to get down to 130. Mini goals: down 7 by October 30 (this may be slightly ambitious); down another 7 by November 20; down another 8 by December 19; down to 130 by June 1, 2010. These dates are each milestones in that I have something special to do. Fish, chicken and vegetables, here I come!

constancemwj

I would love to join your sight,,,,
I know I already missed the first weight-in yesterday,,, but I need lots of help...getting through this winter...... the Holiday are big in my family and always have been growing up... I love them and doing them big. starting the first of Oct. through the frist of Jan......I love these months..... but the first of last year I starting loosing seracerly this time.. and its taken me this long to lose almost 25 lbs....Its been a long slow struggle..... and I dont want to make all my efforts this year go to wast.... But with traditons my family and the weather getting colder and keeping me in doors more....It's becoming harder to stay on track....this week has already been a nightmare.
My daughter who lives out of state came for a visit last week and will be here through Halloween.. The first thing she brought in the house was 3 big bags of chocolate candy,,,, My weakness.... I've already had 4 candy bars today.... Help!!!!!!!!!!!!
My starting weight yesterday was 149..
I'ed like to be to 145 by Halloween
My overall goal is 130,, by sometimes next spring...

I know its late but maybe I'll go get on the treadmill to night anyway,,, I haven't worked out at all this week yet.... Next week is going to be better I promice
Connie

alf1163

Welcome Constance!! :drinker: Congrats on losing 25 lbs! :drinker: Get rid of that candy ASAP!! :laugh: Make specific goals and ways to attain them and GO FOR IT!!! We can help you along the way.

Courtney, great job in setting up mini goals!! :drinker: How was your run?

I did a short workout on the treadmill yesterday. My husband and I ate out twice yesterday and no, I did not make the best choices but I did control myself and did not overdo it. Today it was 100% way better than yesterday and stuck to pretty healthy meals. I also started phase 3 of P90X with chest/back workout and Ab Ripper.

Have a great evening!!! :flowerforyou:

sunlover67

Good morning "beat the blues"ers:flowerforyou:
How was everyone's weekend? I had a pretty good one. Went over my calories yesterday but that happens every Sunday as that's my 'rest' day. I made the flour free pb cookies on the recipe thread yesterday...yum! But I limited myself to 2. I really think that's key, allow yourself some so it doesn't eat at you until you eat the whole batch. :laugh: And they are pretty healthy anyway, no flour or oil in them. Made a turkey meatloaf for dinner....sliced and froze the rest of it for a quick healthy grab later when maybe I won't have time to prepare a healthy meal.

Welcome Connie and Courtney...Connie I completely understand having a hard time getting thru the winter and staying on track. I live in Maine and getting outdoors to exercise from now til April will not be fun. The older I get the more I hate it!:laugh: I go to aerobics at the gym 3 nights a week and I love the class but just going out sometimes when it's below zero with the wind whipping is a chore! I have to make myself do it when I'd much rather be huddled by the fire! And of course we tend to want more "comfort" foods when it's dark and cold out. But being able to talk about it and be accountable on this site is a big help. To know everyone else has their own hurdles to overcome helps.

Hope everyone has a great week!:flowerforyou:

zebras

Happy Monday Everyone:

Was bad yesterday, my mother-in-law's birthday caused me to eat way too much cake, because I made the cake myself. (It was good!)

Sun, we are going to Maine this weekend. We have a little house in Rockland, that we rent out, so we visit twice a year, and stare at it longingly, then stay somewhere else. Our hope is to move when the economy turns around. Are you anywhere near there?

sunlover67

Hey zebras!

We live in Guilford, which is about an hour and a half from Rockland. We actually went to the Lobster Festival in Rockland this summer. It is beautiful there! We drove up Mt. Battie in our convertible. Had a great day. The coast of Maine is beautiful anyway. I love it here April thru October. Fall is so pretty here. It's the looooong coooold winters that get me. As you can see by my profile pic...I live in a dream world!:laugh:

So where do you live now?

zebras

sunlover: Currently live in CT

courtneyweiss

Courtney, great job in setting up mini goals!! :drinker: How was your run?

The run was great. I made 50 mins and gained myself 499 extra calories - alright! I always love it when it starts to get cold outside...I find it hard to run when it's hot. Got another one scheduled for today.

alf1163

Courtney, I enjoy running myself. My husband and I ran 7 miles this morning. The weather was perfect, in the 50's.

It has been a pretty good day today as far as eating is concerned. My husband is celebrating his birthday this Wed but he is working. So today we went to our favorite Korean restaurant. I always feel I eat really well when I go there so no problems. I know my dinner will be healthy so good day overall. I really don't have that many issues on regular days. My main concern is some weekends and definitely when we start all the Holiday gatherings. I will be reporting on those before they happen so I remain accountable and get some motivation to stay on track.

Have a great evening!!! :flowerforyou:

constancemwj

OK THIS CANDY HAS GOT TO GO! I have no wilpower with a big bowl of chocloate setting around. and was over my calories today and yesterday because of it.....aagghhh!!! and didn't even exrcise today. I promice tomorrow will be better....I have a busy schudle but am determined to fit something in... I need to, and know I'll feel better for it...

great job alf, 7 miles,,, I cant even imagine... Before husband and kids,, I loved running and went almost every night... but haven't done it in 20 years until this summer... and Its taken most the summer to work up to just a mile..... I'ed porbable be further along if I run more then once or twice a week.. But even with colder weather I'm going to try to stick to it.... I do love fall...
have a good day tomorrow everyone and keep moving..

alf1163

How is everyone doing?? :flowerforyou:

These past 3 days have been really good. I have been able to eat healthy and stayed within my requirements. I have also exercised as planned.

Constance, get rid of that candy!!!! :laugh: Can you give it away? Take it to your workplace. If you are brave enough just throw it in the trash. I say that because I have never been one to throw any food in the trash even if it is junk food. Lately I just share "goodies" with my co-workers. :laugh: How is your day going so far?

Hope to hear from eveyone soon!! :flowerforyou:

courtneyweiss

Things are going well for me. I seem to be stalling on my losses, but I think it's just because this weekend was a bit of a sodium bomb. I'm going to wait for a few more days until I start tweaking anything.

Alf - the run was awesome. Made 45 minutes this time. Was SO tired about half way through :grumble: . Think this may be because I'm just getting back on the running bandwagon and I had such a long one on the weekend. And 7 miles! Wow! I'm lucky if I make it 7 Kilometres. Lol.

Such a good idea about sharing goodies with the co-workers. I did this last Christmas and I'm sure I saved myself a few pounds! Constance: whenever we buy Halloween candy, I hide in our room while my husband hides the candy somewhere in the house. I find that if it's somewhere that I can't see it (he hid it in the crawlspace last year), I'm much less likely to munch. And, we are always home on Halloween to hand out candy, so this year the 31st will be a test of my willpower (especially since we always have friends over to watch bad horror movies).

October 30 will be my next big challenge. My husband coaches football, and his coach, kid and parent wind-up is this day. I'm guessing I won't be able to control what is on my plate, but I'll probably have some success with portion control. Will definitely keep you ladies up to date on this one.

alf1163

courtney, it does feel good to talk about challenges, doesnt it? I am already logging in my foods for tomorrow, trying to play around with them since it is my husband's birthday and we are going to have a marble slab vanilla oreo ice cream cake!! :noway: I looked in their website and the svg sz is 162g, which I will measure, and it is 470calories!!!!! :noway: :grumble: Depending on the size I might not eat the whole svg but I am trying to make room for it. Just one piece...(excuses!!! :laugh: ) My workout for tomorrow is 90mins of yoga X and a run, if it is not raining in the am. So that will give me plenty of calories to eat!! :happy:

Have a great evening!!! :flowerforyou:

zebras

Good Morning Friends!

We are going to Maine for the weekend, and I always find I get the munchies on these long car rides, and of course there is all the eating out! HELP