I planned, I failed, looking to improve

mbk830

I planned every meal for my parents trip here for the Thanksgiving weekend in excruciating detail. I knew my meal plans weren't perfect, but they were a balance between what I "should eat", reducing my number of meals, and what they will eat. Between the changes, additions, and the Italian Market (in Philly, bakeries, cheese shop, etc), I feel like I failed, but I would probably call it minimally successful. Also, I thought I would log everything, but I didn't log a thing for 5 days because the number of ingredients felt overwhelming. The good news is the scale on Saturday morning showed no change. I will be purging my refrigerator & cabinets this evening of all things that just need to go.

I will be spending 12 days with family over Christmas, including 4 days in the car traveling. I thought Thanksgiving would be easy, but it wasn't, and the truth is that I'm concerned. My parents are supportive of the weight loss, but not necessarily of the lifestyle I've created to create the loss. Yes, I'm a big girl and should be able to control what goes in my mouth, but I still struggle in that area.

If you all have suggestions, tips, or even just encouraging words, I would appreciate your thoughts.

tigerlily8045

The holidays can be rough when you are not in charge of the food or must have SOMETHING that others will eat. You must have done alright if the scale didn't move. Take that to heart. For christmas, if you can pack some of your own snacks and eat minimally the "not new you food" you should do ok. Get in some excercise and just enjoy life and get back on the wagon as soon as you get home.

Vailara

If it was me, I'd probably just try to avoid snacking between meals and I'd eat smallish portions. Then I could be eating the same things as everybody else but in moderation. Just aim to maintain for a couple of weeks. Good luck, and have a lovely time!

JesterMFP

I read your post twice, and to be honest, I don't see any failure. You spent time with your family. You enjoyed (I hope? A little?) the holiday, and you didn't gain any weight. I don't see the problem. Holidays are part of life, and unless you plan on avoiding celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas for the rest of your life, then you need to find a way to enjoy them without panicking and feeling guilty about it.

Even if you had gained a little weight, 5 days worth of eating is not going to undo all the hard work you've put in already. You've lost 53 lbs! That's a fantastic achievement and there's absolutely no reason why you won't continue and reach your goal. You didn't gain all your weight over a week, you didn't lose 53 lbs over a week, and you're not going to regain it all over a week. Try to look at the bigger picture.

We don't have Thanksgiving here, but when Christmas comes, I have every intention of relaxing and enjoying the holiday, including the food. It will only be a few days. I hope I don't gain, and I intend to try my best to eat sensible portion sizes, but if I end up gaining a little, then so be it. I know I can lose it again. I know it may be easy for me to say as I don't have as much to lose, and I'm nearly at my goal, but even if I had 100 lbs left, I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way.

Thanksgiving's over now. You didn't gain, and you can get right back on track with your healthy eating. Just try not to let this weight loss process suck all the joy out of the things that really matter. (I'm referring to enjoying holidays with family, not necessarily consuming tons of food!) :flowerforyou:

yoovie

Stop looking to improve and just do it.

Stop overthinking - or thinking at all - and just do it.

mbk830

Thanks ladies. You're right I didn't fail. I'm going to look forward to the holidays and be reasonable. Moving forward!

Poorgirls_Diet

I agree with everyone, you didn't fail at all and stop putting yourself down. You had a lovely time with your family! We are allowed to have fun even if we are losing weight. You keep going hun as for the holidays coming up I would swap dinner plate for a smaller plate and eat what you can on that. Don't snack inbetween meals and try and exercise as much as you can. Jogging on the one spot while washing dishes is just as good as walking outside any every little bit helps! Keep going hun