How not to over-indulge in yummy holiday treats?

lmcgrad
lmcgrad Posts: 28
in Food and Nutrition
My mom made fudge the other day and I wasn't sure if I had a big sweet tooth o if it was out of boredom but I definitely ate my share of the chocolatey goodness! THEN last night I helped her make pretzel bark (I can include the recipe if you want!) and I have had like six pieces already! How do you survive the holidays when everyone brings you treats?

Replies

  • athenaheim
    athenaheim Posts: 496 Member
    Drink a lot of water. I have read that if you drink 2 8oz glasses of water before a meal you will eat less. Good luck hun.
  • NanzyBoek
    NanzyBoek Posts: 151 Member
    Throw them out as soon as they leave. I know that sounds waistfull but its your health we are talking about being more important.
    Go strait to nieghbours and give them away.
  • PaulDoesKeto
    PaulDoesKeto Posts: 2 Member
    self control / responsibility
  • Alexandria1213
    Alexandria1213 Posts: 152 Member
    When I am craving chocolate, I'll get Hershey kisses instead of a whole chocolate bar. I also notice I will eat when I am bored, so I started eating more pomegranates because they gives me something to do and they arent that bad for you either. As for the holiday treats, allow yourself to have some but remind yourself why you aren't going to eat them. I also give a lot of mine away to friends so that it is out of site out of mind.
  • hellraisedfire
    hellraisedfire Posts: 403 Member
    it's the holidays. it doens't hurt to indulge a little bit. save a piece of something yummy that you love and throw an extra workout in your day. and take the rest to work/school as treats for everyone else.
  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
    Moderation is a big word in this journey. I baked two different kind of cookies early this morning. I had one cookie. Then just now I had two oatmeal cookies. Far cry from what I used to do. 6- 7 cookies when cooking and another as many with tea once done was the way it used to be.

    No more eating just because there good let someone else have them and take the compliments there calorie free. LOL.

    Linda
  • MyPaperBleedsInk
    MyPaperBleedsInk Posts: 240 Member
    Definitely self control
    Make sure you're well aware as you make the treats, or when you first see them, that you CAN have a few, but that's it... a few. It's better than constantly telling yourself "I can't have any. They're unhealthy. I'll add calories. Can't have any." Because that will just lead to you eventually eating all of the treats in site. At least that's my experience. So I set my limits beforehand.
  • jadesign19
    jadesign19 Posts: 512 Member
    I feel your pain! I've committed myself to log everything! The good, the bad and the ugly! My goal is to just be aware and not gain my usual 10 lbs from Halloween til new years!
    Just keep logging! Good luck to us!
  • lovechicagobears
    lovechicagobears Posts: 289 Member
    I just don't eat them. It's as simple as that.

    I might have one or two small things so I can try them, but then that's it. If I feel like I want more, I think about having to log it and how much extra exercise I'll have to do (or how it will slow my weight loss), and that's enough to keep me from grabbing another piece. Slowing my weight loss isn't worth it, no matter how tasty those cookies may be.
  • lovechicagobears
    lovechicagobears Posts: 289 Member
    Also, someone made a really good point in a Christmas thread the other day.

    There are some things, like pumpkin pie, that are holiday-specific, so she eats those but avoids everything else. She figures she can have sugar cookies, fudge, and all those other things any time of year, so they aren't "special". Candy canes, pumpkin pie, and things like that are holiday-specific, though, so she saves her calories for those special treats. I thought that was a really good way to look at it.
  • HeatherSanto
    HeatherSanto Posts: 138 Member
    Being a Baker and Cake Decorator, I FEEL your pain! I have found ways to transform it or eat a portion that will fit in my diary. If I don't do the workout and make room for a piece of Peppermint Bark, I have to wait til tomorrow and it will still be in that container waiting for me.
    EVERY calorie counts. If you look at it like that, you will feel guilty logging what you ate. This article may really help too:
    http://santofitlife.com/calorie-counts/
  • tashaa1992
    tashaa1992 Posts: 658 Member
    self control / responsibility
    This, and moderation, I have toast everynight and I know I'll have more tomorrow night so there's no need to binge, I'm slowly learning.
  • ronitabur
    ronitabur Posts: 178 Member
    Tell them not to bring you treats and tell them why. This is setting yourself up for success. Sometimes, letting go of tradition and old habits, especially during the holidays is hard. But if you want to be successful, you have to make changes that involve how you interact with your friends and family. For instance, my friends and I rarely go out for dinner or drinks any more. We usually get together to do something active, like go to the gym, take a walk, snowshoe, etc...

    Also, Extra has a "Dessert Delights" gum line that is really good. My favorite is the Appple Pie flavor. You have to try it out! It's Willy Wonka-esque.

    Roni
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Add up the calories of all that stuff you ate and go burn it off, doing whatever you do to exercise. Not that you shouldn't EVER have treats, you should! That thought just makes it easier for me to 'walk away'.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It's called willpower and self control. If you want A piece have it, count it and move on. No one is shoving food in your mouth but you.
  • SToast
    SToast Posts: 255 Member
    Burn more calories = eat more treats :)

    Seriously though, I try to plan ahead each day for holiday treats if I know I'm going to a party or something. I also don't tell myself I "can't" eat them. I make a choice not to eat them, or to just have a small piece and quit there. It's about taking control of your life IMO. It's easy to say "Well someone brought me treats and I had to eat them, they were staring at me". It's a lot harder to say that you choose to eat in moderation. I can't cut sweets out completely because I'd prob go crazy one day and end up looking like the Mayor in the movie "Chocolate".
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I think what finally worked for me was learning to look at those foods differently. Instead of associating all those sugary/carby "treats" with feeling happy, I now associate them with feeling lousy because I understand how they affect my blood sugar, fat storage, cholesterol levels, and inflammation throughout my body. Yuck!!!
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I'm finding lately that if I know the calories in something I'm much more inclined to make a wiser decision.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Better in the waste bin that on your waist.

    Give them away before you even start to get tempted or throw them out to the birds - sure they would appreciate the winter rations.
  • ebr250
    ebr250 Posts: 199 Member
    I'm finding lately that if I know the calories in something I'm much more inclined to make a wiser decision.

    ^^^ I agree!!

    I also think about how I will feel later on if I over-indulge, which is really crappy! Avoiding a stomachache and being lethargic and grumpy are good motivators for not over-indulging!
  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
    Some things I do:
    - Give it away (neighbor, church, your kid's teachers, etc)
    - Throw away the rest of anything you've bitten into that isn't as good as you wish it was
    - Freeze it
    - Wrap lots of rubber bands or tape around the container so that you have to work really hard to get to the treats
    - Decide to eat a certain number of treats (or calories just from treats) a day. Then choose carefully and thoughtfully.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Luckily most people know not to give me chocolates and treats! They know I like to avoid things like that, plus I don't want my kids eating too much chocolate either. I also avoid buying anything myself.

    I'll allow myself a couple of treats over xmas, but there's no need to go mad.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    I always save out a bit to eat and freeze the rest...

    I just went in and looked at a nice hunk of strawberry cheesecake my mother made me that I had put in the freezer.... and it's going to take too long to thaw to satisfy my craving.... so it will have to wait for some other time. :)

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