How to NOT Gain Weight During the Holidays

Capt_Apollo

How about double jeopardy, all married people know what I am talking about. Dinner at her parents place, dinner at your parents house . Same at Christmas, and you can bet there will be food for 40 when only 12 are showing up. All the bad food choices, sweets, bad carbs, you feel like a alcoholic in a bar with open bar.

I just accept its going to be a bad month, and look forward to January so I can resume my diet. I figure it won't be so bad when I reach my target weight, then falling off the wagon won't feel so bad.

it sounds like you are okay with failing, and you don't even want to try.

i know i'll probably put on a pound or two due to holidays, but i'm going to be trying to lose weight every other day. 80% on point, allows me 20% wiggle room.

Try what, eat lettuce while everyone is eatting. I admit I am a food addict, I lose weight by not having the bad food around. So I guess I was trying to comment on having to put up with two bad days of eatting instead of one. And you don't know me, and what I have loss, so don't assume I am a failure, nice way to try and help.

i didn't say that you are a failure.

i said you are okay with failing and not trying.

there are ways to be around bad found and still induldge yourself. we all know that one day of holiday eating isn't going to break you. read the article and maybe take some of it's advice.

thinjustfabulous

I choose to be awesome ^^

dellalyn

Great post! Thank you!!!!

InfoSecChick

bump

jwiley78

Great Article! I'm sure I'll probably go over my calorie count on Thanksgiving but I'm going to log what I eat during the day. I think that will help me keep my self from getting that second or third helping.

My two favorite holidays of the year are 4th of July and Thanksgiving. Both days of good eating. Of course good beer and exploding things on the 4th and good beer and football on Thanksgiving also are partial contributors.

missprincessgina

Most important thing for me is beware of the food pushers. When I worked in an office, I was surrounded by fat office witches pushing food ALL THE TIME! It was a constant struggle. Thank goodness, no more 9-5 for me with the food pushers!

But my family still overeats. I take what food I really love (like the canned cranberry stuff, gross, I know!!!) and turkey, salad, sweet potatoes and don't overeat like some do. I also do the Thanksgiving 5K in my area. Great to get a workout in with other like minded people around the holidays.

Edited: guess you can't swear here! LOL

spade117

There is an angry birds workout?

shelbyfrootcake

Very sounds advice. Thanks for posting!

debbie389

Thanks for the great article. Will be following that!

Snooozie

Bumping for easy referral over the next few weeks.... but absolutely agree about not using the "cheat" word.. I never consider I've cheated at all... I strive to make the best choices I can every day (I often ask myself if something falls into the good, better or best choice daily...and sometimes its just a good, and sometimes its the best.. .I still make poor choices, whether it be on purpose or because I still find myself sometimes falling into an old habit of an emotional dive bomb into a bag of chips....but those times are finally becoming the exception, rather than the rule, and that's my true goal.

But I don't want to be afraid of food for the rest of my life, and being here with all the information and knowledge available from so many people, is helping me learn how what I eat affects everything, and why exercise is so important to my overall being, and that once I lose the excess fat from my body, I will not have to think so much about my choices - they will be habit. I will absolutely always have to pay attention to my calories and my choices - but I'll be damned if I'm going to go the rest of my life freaking out over a piece of pumpkin pie....or someone pushing me to eat their luscious cookies (and yes.. I lie thru my teeth when necessary.. if I don't want something and the person offering keeps insisting, I either lie or suddenly see someone across the room I need to speak to for escape; whatever works, I'll do it. Because I'm worked too freaken hard at changing. :bigsmile:

I am here because of a lifetime of bad habits; and we all know habits are hard to break; but the choice is always mine and mine alone. and I'm not going to berate myself or flog myself when I stumble on the way.... but there's no doubt this time of year can be tough, so if having a great reminder like this to refer to when the going gets tough... bring it on... II will use any resource available to help me along the way.. I may even print a copy and keep it in my purse LOL.

My goal is to make healthy eating my norm. Down the road I fully believe I will NOT need these reminders.... because I will be comfortable with my weight and my fitness and overall health... and my habit!

So thanks for posting this fellow MFP.. much appreciated!

AnnofB

Bumping for easy referral over the next few weeks.... but absolutely agree about not using the "cheat" word.. I never consider I've cheated at all... I strive to make the best choices I can every day (I often ask myself if something falls into the good, better or best choice daily...and sometimes its just a good, and sometimes its the best.. .I still make poor choices, whether it be on purpose or because I still find myself sometimes falling into an old habit of an emotional dive bomb into a bag of chips....but those times are finally becoming the exception, rather than the rule, and that's my true goal.

But I don't want to be afraid of food for the rest of my life, and being here with all the information and knowledge available from so many people, is helping me learn how what I eat affects everything, and why exercise is so important to my overall being, and that once I lose the excess fat from my body, I will not have to think so much about my choices - they will be habit. I will absolutely always have to pay attention to my calories and my choices - but I'll be damned if I'm going to go the rest of my life freaking out over a piece of pumpkin pie....or someone pushing me to eat their luscious cookies (and yes.. I lie thru my teeth when necessary.. if I don't want something and the person offering keeps insisting, I either lie or suddenly see someone across the room I need to speak to for escape; whatever works, I'll do it. Because I'm worked too freaken hard at changing. :bigsmile:

I am here because of a lifetime of bad habits; and we all know habits are hard to break; but the choice is always mine and mine alone. and I'm not going to berate myself or flog myself when I stumble on the way.... but there's no doubt this time of year can be tough, so if having a great reminder like this to refer to when the going gets tough... bring it on... II will use any resource available to help me along the way.. I may even print a copy and keep it in my purse LOL.

My goal is to make healthy eating my norm. Down the road I fully believe I will NOT need these reminders.... because I will be comfortable with my weight and my fitness and overall health... and my habit!

So thanks for posting this fellow MFP.. much appreciated!

This!

Snooozie

:bigsmile:

@ jwiley: just my 2 cents worth.. but i think it's great your planning to log your TG dinner.. I recently went out for a nice steak dinner; took me almost 1/2 hr to LOG everything, and when it went over 2,000 calories and I wasn't done I thought I was going to faint LOL.. (but fortunately a hot flash hit and distracted me from passing out :laugh: !) I enjoyed every bite, but it was also good for me to see the numbers of just how MUCH I had eaten (and about an hour later when my tummy decided to tell me in no uncertain terms what it thought about the huge AMOUNT of food I consumed...:sad:

Yolanda4160

I really needed this article! This will be the first holiday year that I will try to maintain self control!!! Every other year, I fall into the "it's just one day" mindset and it feels like I blow my whole diet Definitely needed to hear this

lvdesertdiva

Great Post!! Thank You :flowerforyou:

DontWeightStartNow

"Now, after that “whatever” meal is done, I immediately go back to my normal healthy eating schedule – not because I was cheating or because I felt guilty, but because that’s just how I operate. No momentum loss, because it’s business as usual! "

I love this, gotta remember that - no cheat days, it's BUSINESS AS USUAL!!! Thanks for the post!

Onesnap

My secret is I load up on extra yoga (just got a Groupon to get me thru the holidays again this year).

As long as I do something active each day I'm fine.

ixap

@ jwiley: just my 2 cents worth.. but i think it's great your planning to log your TG dinner.. I recently went out for a nice steak dinner; took me almost 1/2 hr to LOG everything, and when it went over 2,000 calories and I wasn't done I thought I was going to faint LOL.. (but fortunately a hot flash hit and distracted me from passing out :laugh: !) I enjoyed every bite, but it was also good for me to see the numbers of just how MUCH I had eaten (and about an hour later when my tummy decided to tell me in no uncertain terms what it thought about the huge AMOUNT of food I consumed...:sad:

I agree with this.
Also, interestingly sometimes when I log what felt like a huge meal didn't turn out to be soooo crazy after all -- this is also helpful for me to know, so I don't sink unnecessarily into the mindset of "who cares, I went so far over that now I can't have a good week no matter what."

believe22

Its just 1 or 2 days. Not that big of a deal. Last year I didn't stress over what I was eating at Thanksgiving & Christmas (and birthdays and other special days during that season) and I still lost weight. I went back and looked at my diary fro Thanksgiving last year, I was just under 400 calories over for the day. I enjoyed the food we had but I didn't go crazy.
I really don't understand why everyone goes crazy about overeating on Holidays. What if we put this much thought into binges or 'bad days' any other time of the year??

sunshinesquared

bumping for later

chocolateandpb

Its just 1 or 2 days. Not that big of a deal. Last year I didn't stress over what I was eating at Thanksgiving & Christmas (and birthdays and other special days during that season) and I still lost weight. I went back and looked at my diary fro Thanksgiving last year, I was just under 400 calories over for the day. I enjoyed the food we had but I didn't go crazy.
I really don't understand why everyone goes crazy about overeating on Holidays. What if we put this much thought into binges or 'bad days' any other time of the year??

Because it's not 1 or 2 days when you have family, a career and an active social life--there are parties and events every week for like two months straight. I already have three different holiday office parties on my calendar, there will be celebrations with my immediate family and my extended family, plus parties with my various groups of friends.

Edited for typo.