Holidays & Food

tsherm3850

Does anyone have a plan for Thanksgiving and the weeks after through Christmas? I mean a plan to control your eating? With the abundance of parties, food and sweets, my coworker and I are afraid it'll be a downward spiral. I have family members that don't eat healthy. I'm very afraid that I'll just "going with the flow." I want to avoid that trap. What has worked for you?

IronDame

Nope I'm eating whatever I want. A few days of eating amazing fatty foods isn't going to kill me.

ubermensch13

Nope I'm eating whatever I want. A few days of eating amazing fatty foods isn't going to kill me.

EXACTLY!! No one gained their weight by eating a bit more than they should for only a few days.....

dls06

Enjoy in moderation.

Chief_Rocka

I going to eat dessert first this year.

oOMusicBabii

Do my best to enjoy in moderation.

aryehn

I also think you can enjoy your food keep an eye on the portions and maybe try to increase your physical activities...more walks or everything else!

MB_Positif

Pretty much every day I have some kind of treat, so the urge to over indulge during the holidays really isn't there. At parties where there is more of a buffet service I will take tiny portions of everything I want to try and if I am still hungry I might go back for a little more of one or two of my favorite things. Same thing at a big family style meal. No need to load up the plate with everything. Take a normal portion of meat, lots of veggies and tiny bits of the other stuff!

pohlcm08

I'm going to let myself splurge on the day of Thanksgiving and the day of Christmas and Christmas eve when I have family get togethers. As long as we stick with our plans on the days before and after the actual holiday, we will be ok. I also plan on doing a little extra working out the mornings of those days to cancel out a few more of the calories I know I will consume. I don't know about everyone else's family, but mine would be insulted if I didn't eat the meals they prepared to share with me and I guess I would be too if I were them. Happy Holidays!

maryjay52

set yourself up for success with all of that..if im going somewhere i know i want to eat what is there then i work out a little bit extra, cut back from my other meals and drink a ton of water, eat something before i go.. i dont gorge that way and still get to enjoy some of the good stuff

killingtheantagonist

Well since it comes around only once a year, why not live a little.
You're with family having great food, eat up.
These few days won't destroy everything.

MagicalLeopleurodon

I only get pie twice a year-i eat my holiday staples. however, junk like gravy and mashed potatoes? i get those year round, why waste the calories?

TheArmadillo

Xmas day I am in charge of the food (doing all the cooking) and while lunch will be all out, breakfast is usually very light or non-existant, and dinner is just pudding that we never manage at lunchtime. Starter will be smoked salmon, salad and a small amount of salad dressing. So once you look as a whole day it shouldn't be too bad. It helps that my husband and kids aren't huge eaters so food has to be well spaced.

The party season aspect is harder as it isn't just one day, but generally
1) know when you're going out and eat lightly the rest of the day. Lots of light soups and salads to fit in your fruit and veg as well.
2) fit in as much exercise as you can
3) enjoy yourself but don't eat till you're sick.

Don't break into those boxes of chocolates or biscuits/cookies or if you can't resist completely allow yourself one box for the whole festive period. If you get given them put them away to regift.

I'm in the UK so don't have thanksgiving put presume the same kind of things apply :bigsmile:

kbanzhaf

Hi,
Make a "game plan" before you celebrate. If you know you are going to be attending a party in the evening, maybe try to eat "lighter" during the day. Plan some extra exercise time in -- even if it means getting up 30-60 minutes earlier. Burn those calories before you eat them! :-) Nosh on the celery and carrot sticks at a buffet (sans Ranch....lol) before you fill your plate with other stuff.

For the actual holiday, I try to eat as healthy as I can.....lean meats, veggies, try to stay away the gravy, etc. But HONESTLY, it's one day....enjoy yourself!!!!!
Kaye

skinnyforhi

I plan to eat healthy during the day on the holidays (no saving calories so I don't go crazy when I see dinner!) and then eat what I want in moderation on the 3 big dinners that my family has over the holidays--Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. If I'm invited to other parties in December, I will also eat in moderation. I'll try to limit grazing during the cocktail hour and instead focus on the real food that comes out at dinner--if I go over, so be it, as long as I'm not stuffed or mindlessly trying to clean my plate.

I'm going to skip the treats at the office altogether. If there are office parties, I'll bring a travel mug of my favorite tea and just enjoy the company. Usually the food isn't worth the calories at these things!

Finally, I'm going to stick to my exercise plan, no excuses. If I can't get a workout in on the holiday, I'll do an extra one during the week on one of my rest days.

So this is my plan--now it's just a matter of following through!

erinnstreeter

For me, Thanksgiving tends to be the most difficult of the holidays. I'm prepping this year by increasing my exercise in the weeks beforehand; I figure, if I can make my system "run hot" for several days before the indulgence, I'll be able to enjoy the meal(s) along with everyone else without worrying.

I recently went on a Disney vacation, and I was able to test this theory. My Fitbit tracked over 26,000 steps and over 11 miles of walking, and I ate as I pleased; I was up 2.5 lbs when I got home, and it turned out to be all water weight, which I shed over a three day period of normal eating and activity.

This is the first Thanksgiving in a while that I'm actually looking forward to!

LoraF83

I didn't get fat by eating too much on Thanksgiving or Christmas....or any other holiday for that matter. I got fat by eating too much every day of the year.

So, one day of slight over indulgence won't hurt.

That said, I plan to get in a workout that day - mostly because I will need the endorphins when dealing with my extended family the rest of the day :laugh:

Then, at every meal, I'm going to take a little bit of everything I want to eat. If I finish that and still want more of something, I'll have a little more. No big deal.

lasmit4477

I going to eat dessert first this year.

Me too!!!!

weloveourboys

I rarely gain weight over the holidays. I hate that stuffed feeling, so I generally try to stop eating when I feel full, whether that is healthy or unhealthy food. My weakness is wine/champagne and vodka. But since I will continue to train over the holidays, I just have to remember how sh*tty I'll feel if I wake up with a hangover.

lizziebeth1028

Nope I'm eating whatever I want. A few days of eating amazing fatty foods isn't going to kill me.

EXACTLY!! No one gained their weight by eating a bit more than they should for only a few days.....

^^^All of the above! I can't wait to indulge! I work hard all year round...a handful of days indulging is not going to hurt!

magerum

Plan on making it a couple of bad days not a couple of bad months.