What's your plan to stay on track through the holidays?

2

Replies

  • newmooon56
    newmooon56 Posts: 347 Member
    Plan - or actual life style approach is:

    Keep workouts steady- now is not the time for excuses. My workouts are set appts that cant be broken.

    Have indulging meals (thanksgiving, xmas, new years eve) and not DAYS of indulging.

    Eat lighter and more carefully a few days before and after

    Say no to most treats I dont love- yes to the true few that are only seasonal that can not be passed up.

    Enjoy get togethers for the sake of the company and only eat if hungry.

    This is also how I would treat a night out or special occasion. I think if your lifestyle is such that you eat well normally and get your workouts done- you can have an over the top meal once in a while.
  • jmeyer925
    jmeyer925 Posts: 326 Member
    I can tell you from experience that letting myself "enjoy" the day makes me feel awful the next day, and never worth it (for me at least, I'm more hard on myself than others).

    Now, I'm also not going to completely deprive myself. I'll enjoy the foods and wil be willing to l go over my limit by NO more than 400 calories. I could EASILY eat an entire pecan pie, a full dinner, a full bottle of wine, and then go back to the frige a couple hours later. I've learned most of the time it's all or nothing (again, that's me, not every one is like that).

    The bad thing about hosting is that I won't get the time to exercise the day before and of (because we're constantly cleaning). But the good thing is, that I can make a big salad to share, and maybe make some good side dishes.

    This is my first holiday I'm going to attempt to be in control... I'm so worried. Yet it's going to happen, so I'm preparing myself now!
  • honeybee1036
    honeybee1036 Posts: 147 Member
    My plan is to enjoy the holidays, but not so much as to overindulge. And I am planning on walking a little extra before and after.
  • Takarameri
    Takarameri Posts: 152 Member
    Portion control and maintaining my workout schedule. I probably won't log on the day my family does Thanksgiving but I won't eat three-five servings of anything either. I'll eat a little of everything and stop when I am full. That last part will be the key step here.
  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
    I am going to partake in ALL the goodies offered ( it's only once a year!) and run, run, run, run! My treadmill is going to start smoking.....
  • jeanmoreno
    jeanmoreno Posts: 139 Member
    What holiday???? lol
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    When you say "through the holidays" you mkean from Thanksgiving to Christmas, right? So, that's two days. I say, enjoy those two days, and stick to your plan the rest of the time. I don't find it THAT hard. I don't really have a problem at parties. It's when I'm alone at home at night that gets me. So, I try to not have stuff at the house.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    I'm pretty much going to eat whatever I want for Christmas (we don't do thanksgiving here in Aus). I'm going to still be aware of what I am eating especially snacking. Mindless snacking is a big thing for me. I probably won't count calories at all but will ask myself whether I really want something before I have it - if I do then fine, I can eat it. If I don't them I won't eat it. I'm trying to make a change in my attitude from being on here but I'm not 100% there yet. I want to make sure I enjoy everything I eat on the day
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
    Thanksgiving I will be working out but I will eat in moderation, its one day and my husband, myself, and our child will know whats going in our mouths...we don't celebrate turkey day with the family, but rather the 3 of us!!!!!

    Christmas is a bit of messed upness because we have 3 to go to, 4 if you count the one that we have ourselves. The first one comes early in the month because my husband's dads side of the family celebrates it early and goes out to Ole Zims (hopefully i can pre log it, if not then i will be working out and trying to avoid the fried stuff), after that comes my moms side of the family on Christmas Eve, and they make everything themselves so the trick will be to have a sample, not plate. Then Christmas morning, we usually don't eat in the morning anyways, and then will be my husband's moms side of the family, who is the one that makes fun of me for not eating 3 plates of food. I eat a quarter plate of food, so even though they home make everything too, we will only be there for one meal and not two. Trick there is to not participate in wine (which i never do but most of the rest does) and to pick out to the best of my abilities what is healthy that doesn't have tons of gravy and salt piled on top, or bread crumbs. :huh:

    I will be working out a lot especially before each and well that is about all i can do. Also not eat when I am full and ask for both water and soda!!!! (diet of course, regular soda makes me nauseous) :drinker: :flowerforyou: :laugh:
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Will power?...nah stretch pants!!

    Hahha This^^^^
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Oh yeah, I forgot, I'm running a 10K tahnksgiving morning. So, that will add about 600 calories or so top my alotment.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Double my workouts and eat back those calories.
  • cowgirlashlee
    cowgirlashlee Posts: 301 Member
    I am planning to enjoy my food :) Healthy or not, it's one day for Thanksgiving and two days for Christmas. I'll obviously keep working out, but I won't worry about it too much. A few splurges aren't going to undo a year's worth of work.
  • NBabi91
    NBabi91 Posts: 270 Member
    Go to the gym or go running in the morning.
  • JenniBaby85
    JenniBaby85 Posts: 855 Member
    My plan to stay on track through the Holidays, is to stay on track through the Holidays :huh: .

    I just plan to eat healthier options, and should less healthy options seem more appealing, to make sure there is enough in my allotted calories to indulge a little. If not, wait until the next day, or exercise more.
  • TommiEgan
    TommiEgan Posts: 256 Member
    My plan is to swap sweets for fruits and up my monthly kms from 500 to anywhere from 600-700 as I have heaps of time off. Not to mention afternoon walks!
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    I'm lifting heavier weights with fewer reps to take advantage of the extra calories I will eat in treats. Hopefully, I will add a little lean mass.

    I am increasing my calories a little (100-200/day) to factor in some treats, because I love baking and eating cookies and want to enjoy the holiday season.

    I am planning on monitoring my weight and not gaining more than 2 or 3 pounds.

    I am planning on keeping the majority of my food during the weekdays healthy and watching my portions.

    I will be dropping my calories and cranking up my cardio (in addition to weights) after New Years and will hopefully drop 10 pounds or so between January and my planned beach vacation in March.

    It's all about having a plan and moderation. This is truly a lifestyle and not a diet for me, and I love the holidays -- especially holiday food!
  • skcardiog
    skcardiog Posts: 316 Member
    My plan is to make it 2 bad days, rather than a "season."
    ^^this

    This x 10 !
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    I agree I don't want to "fall off the wagon" this season. I restarted my journey about a month ago and I have been taking it VERY slow. I have not weighed myself since the initial weigh in and plan on maybe doing it once before the New Year. After that, 2013 will have monthly weigh ins.

    For the holidays, I will eat what I want, especially the main ones of Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. My only goal for these holidays is to record the best I can, even if it means making some outrageous Quick Calories number.
  • writemusic4him
    writemusic4him Posts: 312 Member
    Since I only eat Thanksgiving food and Christmas food once a year, just a taste of it on one day just doesn't cut it for me. So in recent years I have planned out a healthier version of the meal and pack a mini Thanksgiving meal in my lunch for the following week after. That seems to satisfy my craving and not gorge down on leftovers.
  • CDG1013
    CDG1013 Posts: 106 Member
    Eat and drink whatever I want, but in smaller portions. Enjoy the cookies, pies, cakes, etc...but won't over indulge. Work out on my normal workout days (M,T,TH,F), and maybe add in a Saturday or Sunday morning run. I usually have a splurge day per week, so Thanksgiving, Christmas eve/day, New Years eve/day shouldn't have much impact to my progress.
  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
    I choose one meal each week that I can satisfy my cravings from the week. I eat 6 meals a day and a total 42 each week, one isn't going to derail me! So my plan for the holidays is the same that I am currently employing...have my cheat once a week and don't worry about it!
  • I still don't have a plan. But i'm working on one. I'm going to my fathers for the week of Thanksgiving and he's one of those 'race to see who finishes their plate first' and 'there's always room for dessert.' However, he was super supportive when I became a vegetarian (now I'm a pescetarian) so I hope he'll understand when I go out for walks after dinner or runs in the morning. I'll try to at least log most of my food and my portions.

    From December 19th to January 7th I'll be in Chicago. That's going to be tough. Last time I was in Chicago was September for 2 weeks and I gained 10 lbs. Hoping not to make this one a repeater. Going to try to limit eating all that awesome food and find ways to burn calories in my sisters apartment. Also limiting alcohol! I think that's what completely screwed me last time. However, January 5th, on my birthday, expect no logging. I plan on going off the rails that day for sure.
  • sirabe
    sirabe Posts: 294 Member
    My plan is to make it 2 bad days, rather than a "season."

    My plan as well. Besides this is my first G-free Holiday season ( per Dr orders) so that cuts out a lot of the junk unless I cook it. And I am not cooking it.
  • Will power?...nah stretch pants!!

    Love it!

    My plan to stay on track is to......wait I HAVE NO PLAN to stay on track. Thanksgiving and Christmas are two days out of the year. Three if I count Christmas Eve. I fully intent to enjoy it as much as I can on those days. I will work out and eat clean the next day, and resume normal operations. My stepson and I usually go to three different places for each holiday. My mom's family, my dad's family, and my husband's family. So our joke each year is to hold out for one particular Aunt's house. She always has the best food! You have to go there last because if you go there first, you will never leave the couch.

    And tights/leggings are super cute for the holidays. Close enough to stretch pants for me =)
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,280 Member
    I will fill up on turkey mostly...and a few veggies. Will allow myself some dessert too. I think I can handle it. It will probably only be 3 days...Thanksgiving, one Christmas party and Christmas day.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
    then take my dog out to poop like i always do!

    Why does the dog need to go with you when you poop?


    :tongue:

    I plan on switching to maintenance for the week and getting back to work the next week.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    Plan - or actual life style approach is:

    Keep workouts steady- now is not the time for excuses. My workouts are set appts that cant be broken.

    Have indulging meals (thanksgiving, xmas, new years eve) and not DAYS of indulging.

    Eat lighter and more carefully a few days before and after

    Say no to most treats I dont love- yes to the true few that are only seasonal that can not be passed up.

    Enjoy get togethers for the sake of the company and only eat if hungry.

    This is also how I would treat a night out or special occasion. I think if your lifestyle is such that you eat well normally and get your workouts done- you can have an over the top meal once in a while.

    This may be the best-said plan of attack so far. I like that there are simple rules to stick to, such as don't love it, don't have it, and don't eat if not truly hungry. I find I operate and stick to goals better if I have a few "Golden Rules" that are not too restrictive, versus a vague "eh, just don't go crazy" approach.
  • Tsunami79
    Tsunami79 Posts: 122 Member
    Going to my brothers Thanksgiving, and not eating more than one plate of food, and no more than one piece of dessert.

    Going to my parents Christmas Day, and not eating more than one plate of food, and no more than one dessert.

    Will be a challenge, I usually eat two plates and two or more desserts, on both days.

    Trying to be good with what i eat before I end up at those parties, i e, breakfast & lunch, maybe no lunch just breakfast, depends on my mood.
  • mbk830
    mbk830 Posts: 164 Member
    This is a good reminder that I need a plan. Many of you see the holidays as two or three days. Maybe I'll feel that way one day - right now I see it as an uphill battle for the next month and a half.

    Thanksgiving is at my house and I'll do most of the cooking. It will be a challenge because with my parents there will be little exercise, but the food is (mostly) under my control and already planned.

    The next weekend is Christmas with the girls in town. Should be easy since they are encouraging about being healthy and we'll be doing plenty of walking.

    The weekend after is Christmas with the girls from college. Much more of a challenge since they are less likely to agree to walks and we are more likely to eat less than healthy food.

    10 days with my parents, oh my. My plan is to hit the gym every day. I'll be logging every day. Christmas Eve is seafood so should be reasonable, and I am going to try to change Christmas day from lasagna to protein. Some days food will not be an issue, but especially when we go see extended family I expect a challenge. I so want to encourage and be a role model for a healthy lifestyle.

    That doesn't even count all the work parties and other social events in between. I think the sweets will be the hardest to resist. I'm hoping the logging will help keep me accountable.