How to avoid gaining weight during the holiday

im stuck in the same boat, once i start eating bad food i cant stop , and 2 weeks away from home and routine is gonna put me off track. i said ill just eat my solid 3 meals a day and keep them as balanced and healthy as possible eg: order whole wheat over white , grilled instead of fried, cut carbs before bed , allow for something bad every day or 2 ... basically you just have to think healthy but remember you still on holiday so enjoy it and expect to gain a few pounds its not the end of the world

sorry my definition of holiday is different to yours LOL

I just went to a pot-luck at our Church, I had a light breakfast and stuck with veggies and more meat and still manage to eat 1/4 of cheesecake and pumkin pie but NO dinner since that was a lunch pot-luck. I just kept drinking water n 1 coffee for the evening I made it under my 1,200 Calorie

I carry a small notebook and write down everything that goes in my mouth. If you have a smart phone I think you can do the same on it. Track track track and workout BUT remember to enjoy the holiday season too.

Figure out the calories you need to maintain your current weight, then stay under that number. Log everything and excercise.

I workout. Then sprinkle my swag across the couch and hook a gravy iv to meh bodeh.

Plan for the calories, keep track of what you are eating, don't beat yourself up about it. Try to get in some extra cardio.

Counting calories for the week works out better than for the day, so if you overdo it on Thanksgiving or Christmas (or Drinking on New Years) try to get in some extra exercise or build a larger deficit on other days.

"don't worry about what you eat from Christmas to new years...worry about what you eat from new years to Christmas.."

I like this...although I've also found once I start making exceptions its a slippery slope. Suddenly there are more exceptions than there are good days. For me it starts with, just the day of the holiday, than its, ok just this holiday party, than its just this one special birthday party of a friend, then its every random kid's birthday party, then its anytime I'm celebrating, then anytime I'm stressed.

One thing I find important for me is to write down every morsel even if its a "cheat day". That way bad days have a number and I know just how bad they were.

BTW - since I've been using MFP, I've only had 1 bad day (my birthday), which unfortunately led to my only week not losing weight. Go MFP!

You certainly don't want to deprive yourself of the holiday deliciousness! So I'd suggest that you watch your portion sizes more than anything else...halve that slice of cake! And carry on exercising

I try to stick with my plan and keep tracking right through the holidays. I know some days will just be a disaster from a calorie point of view. And it will show up on the scale. But If I stick with it I know any extra pounds will come right back off.

I mean, if you maintain healthy eating habits and overeat on Thanksgiving, I doubt you'll gain all your weight back. Take an offday and enjoy life. You're going to have to maintain your weight anyway for the rest of your life so that does not mean no more Thanksgivings for you. Make sure to get back to your healthy lifestyle afterwards.

There will be lots of holiday parties/dinners in the upcoming months. If I do exercise twice a day (morning and evening), would that help to avoid gaining weight from the party or big dinner? I usually maintain 1,200 calories/day but I know it's hard when eating at restaurant. I just recently lost over 10 lbs and certainly don't want to gain back the weigh. Any suggestions?

Twice a day is not suggested. People have trouble losing weight if they "over train"