So the Holidays.....And Eating

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  • The_New_Christina
    The_New_Christina Posts: 818 Member
    My family is Mexican so we dnt do thanksgiving. thank gawd!

    Umm....ok...My family is Mexican too. We do Thanksgiving. Its called "el dia del pavo" or "el dia de dar gracias"
  • tyrantduck
    tyrantduck Posts: 387 Member
    i do free, no log days on special holidays like that. i still keep my portions small but i'll eat what i want. boneless turkey breast, mashed potatoes, tons of veggies, and we always make food to snack on throughout the day, start off with a big breakfast, etc. it's one special occasion to enjoy yourself and your family, so why worry so much about one day? all you have to do is put yourself back on track the day after, or exercise more that week to make up for the extra calories :)
  • amymichelle1226
    amymichelle1226 Posts: 150 Member
    I'm not worried....for Thanksgiving we have a big meal with my husbands family on Thursday, then that Friday we do it a 2nd time with my family. Christmas we do a big meal on Christmas eve, big breakfast on Christmas and then another dinner that day too. They are offering a Zumba class on Thanksgiving morning, I might try to do it before we leave but if not, it's not the end of the world. Worst case, I won't lose any those weeks but that's okay with me! I'm not concerned about gaining because it's only a day or two out of the whole week. I think it's good to let yourself indulge every once and awhile, especially for a special occasion! :)
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    I take full breaks at Christmas, not limiting myself and not logging. But I also travel to visit relatives. I try not to needlessly gorge though. Mom made a big pile of various cookies, I'm definitely not saying no. It worked fine last Christmas. Gained a few pounds of glycogen, burned it up fast in the few days after I got home, actually ended up a few pounds lighter.

    Full diet breaks are a good thing anyway.

    I'll log Thanksgiving. We don't make a silly amount of stuff. Turkey is pretty low cal, you can pretty much eat all the Turkey you want and still meet your calorie goals unless you're on a leaf of lettuce a day type diet.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I plan on continuing my exercise regimen (which may be a little awkward, as I'm working out five days a week) and generally not counting on those days. If I could count caloires, I might just for the sake of having a reference. However, it tends to be a day where portions aren't even or measured and most things are homemade to the point it's nearly impossible to get a good count, anyway.

    I'm going to also use a strategy that usually works for me: Taking small portions at a time and eating slowly. The slower pace gives more time for me to realize I'm full, and the smaller portions mean I can get more later, rather than feeling compelled to clean an excess that's already on my plate.

    The big threats, in my mind, are the leftovers. They're just as fatty, sugary, and wonderful as they were on the holiday, but that makes them more problematic in the case of "eating bored" because my usual defense is not having much convenient, prepared food just sitting around where I can easily eat it on a whim.
  • BlackKat75
    BlackKat75 Posts: 210 Member
    I will definitely log, even if it is simply an estimate of quick cals, and then I'll describe what I ate in my food notes. I'm not that worried about Thanksgiving itself - my mother-in-law, bless her, is not the greatest cook, so there's never any real temptation to overeat. (We'll be flying in that day, so it's not like I can make something to bring.) I'm more worried about the daily temptations of the general 'holiday season,' - i.e., December!
  • sandra152
    sandra152 Posts: 77
    I am dreading xmas hols as I have only just started losing weight and don't want to undo all the hard worek but matbee I mighnt go to the gym more befor the hols thank goodness we don't celebrate thanksgiving as well:smile:
  • gracieabem
    gracieabem Posts: 211
    I'm Australian, so I really just have the Christmas/New Year Period to contend with. Honestly, I'm just going to enjoy it. We normally have cold roast meats and salads - some really healthy ones and some down-right calorific ones. But nothing that I wouldn't feel comfortably eating anyway. It's just really nice home cooked food. We have fruit and nuts and chocolate on a platter and some christmas pudding. We eat leftovers for the next couple of days. I'm just going to eat until I'm satisfied and then eat again when I'm hungry. I have just started Hal Higdon's novice 1 half marathon plan and I worked out that my long run for Week 9 will fall on Xmas day (Tuesday) - 8 miles. :D How perfect. I'm really not going to give a stuff about indulging a bit.
  • Lissa_M
    Lissa_M Posts: 131
    I have been wondering this myself actually, since this is my first set of holidays since my RNY. Holidays in the past for me were always a binge-fest without much regard for what I was eating. Guess my plan is to just make the most sensible choices and if I eat it I log it.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    Been on mfp for a total of 2 years.

    Every year I eat anything I want on the holidays. Those few days don't make a difference in the long run
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
    The year before I was on MFP I went home for Christmas and gained 5 lb in one week. I thought that was impossible, but in fact it took me 6 months to take it back off.

    I joined MFP in October 2 years ago. I had Thanksgiving dinner that year with friends, NOT my mom's dinner, and I thought I didn't eat much- but when I logged it just for grins it was, in fact, over 3000 calories. Just one meal. Yikes!!

    Best advice I have had I read a while back in a newspaper article- and I have been sticking to it. Remember "the holidays" are each just one day. I can eat whatever I want on Thanksgiving DAY or Christmas DAY- but not for the whole month. THat works for me. The first year on MFP, 2010, I turned my calorie goal up to "maintain" during the time I was away- and stuck to it on a weekly basis- so if I ate over one day, i made up for it another day (before or after). And yes- I try not to skip the gym...
  • ripemango
    ripemango Posts: 534 Member
    i'm Southern too and this is what I like to do. Thanksgiving rarely starts at noon...it's more like 1-2ish so I like to wake up and work out. It serves as reminder to me what Is important. I then have a very healthy breakfast. I don't know about your family's Thanksgiving, but there is usu just no way to get everything on 1 trip. I don't allow myself a second or third trip. I decide what I want the most and stick to it. If it can't fit it in on the 1st plate of food, I don't need it. Besides, I don't NEED more than 1 plate of food. I know me and this is what I look for to fill my plate: turkey and ham depending on if they both look good and they usu do, collards (omg yummmy collards), lima beans, green beans, squash casserole, baked sweet potato or sweet potato casserole and cornbread dressing. Seriously, that is one plate of food that will fill me up. I don't need any other kind of potato or roll with this meal. Rolls aren't special, but that dressing is! For dessert I'll have 1 brownie or 1 cookie or 1 serving of pumpkin casserole. Note the 1.
    I think it's important to log the meal. It keeps me honest and on track.
    For dinner I have a healthy soup.
  • mhaight85
    mhaight85 Posts: 68
    Our family usually does a potluck type thing, even if that's not how your dinners normally roll you could still bring a healthier option dish. Be it a desert, salad, or veggie tray, whatever. I read an article on yahoo that said it's better to indulge on a couple favorites than it is to "sample" everything.

    I'm not sure what I am going to do personally. My son is 3 and a little finicky, so I am planning on making some healthy kid friendly options to bring for him and maybe I'll end up eating that too! I know I'm not going to fill out my food diary those days, but I still don't want to go overboard.
  • booboo68
    booboo68 Posts: 302 Member
    I will run an extra 2-3 miles that day and the day before but will also eat in moderation.
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    We have 3 seperate family dinners the same day. i get about 5 minutes to inhale whatever i can grab before running to the car for a 2 hour drive to the next one.

    I dont even care anymore.
  • whitherbalife
    whitherbalife Posts: 1
    I will take my Thermobond from Herbalife. Youtub this product!!! It's truly a cheaters delight! Last year I ate everything I wanted on Thanksgiving day and still lost weight that week!!!
  • aqua_marine_light
    aqua_marine_light Posts: 52
    I'm going to log, and try my best to stay under my calorie/carb goals. I've got too much weight to lose. I don't want to be put off track by the holidays. At the present moment, I'm more tired of being fat than I am wanting to indulge and mess up my weight loss. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going through the New Year.....I made it through Halloween without cheating! :wink:
  • melissa5604
    melissa5604 Posts: 43
    I am southern as well, luckily my family is not the best at cooking (my mom anyways) she burns everything LOL...I will sample whatever I want. I love the savory dishes...can do without the sweets. I used to make turkey and dressing for my birthday in July:tongue:
    Anyway, just enjoy yourself, log what you eat and then workout ...don't beat yourself up over it..but also do not take home alot of leftovers to raid the fridge with at all hours.:wink:

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