Is it true? Gaining vs Losing

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
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    Bump

    Bless your heart.
  • OspreyVista
    OspreyVista Posts: 464 Member
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    Idk. I ate a lot over thanksgiving week... Sunday-Friday, especially on Thanksgiving, and I only gained 1lb, and it came off quickly. I ate in moderation for the most part, except for appetizers on thanksgiving. But I never over-ate on any day except for Thanksgiving day. I just listened to my body and didn't worry about counting calories during that week as I had absolutely no control over it anyway.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    I gained four pounds over Thanksgiving week and by the following Friday I had lost it. I have been terrible this month, and I've fluctuated about 4 pounds up and down. SO...I stopped logging today, I will start again on Thursday, and whatever happens in between will be between God, me and the tray of cookies I'll be taking to my MILs. :laugh:

    Listen, it's the holiday season. Try to relax a little bit, then get back to your routine of healthful eating and exercising on the 26th or 27th. Life's too short to stress out about this time of year. I've read many, many articles about holiday weight gain and how most people return to their pre-holiday weight when they resume their pre-holiday habits. You'll be just fine. Happy Holidays! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    ETA: I still do my workouts, though. I'm sure that's helping my case.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    Don’t do it……

    Honestly, I went through the same thing in October and November with My daughter's Birthday, Halloween Parties and Thanksgiving. I put on weight rapidly and it feels like its taking forever to get it off. I have several dinner parties coming up and I am totally porting my digital food scale with me (I don't care how crazy I look) and logging everything I put in my mouth. In some cases I will be bring my own food. INDULGENCE IS NOT WORTH THE SELF LOATHING that comes with it. It takes hard work to get weight off and maintain it......don't throw it away!

    :huh:
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    ...Listen, it's the holiday season. Try to relax a little bit, then get back to your routine of healthful eating and exercising on the 26th or 27th. Life's too short to stress out about this time of year. I've read many, many articles about holiday weight gain and how most people return to their pre-holiday weight when they resume their pre-holiday habits. You'll be just fine. Happy Holidays! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
    Or as I've heard it said: "It's not what you do between November and January that matters most; it's what you do between January and November."
  • SugafreeNsweet
    SugafreeNsweet Posts: 21 Member
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    I will still have plenty of parties because my friends and family support my choice to live a healthier lifestyle and want me to succeed. Most people who have had to lose a tremendous amount of weight and keep it off would understand where I am coming.

    Happy Holidays!
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
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    Is it true that u can gain weight much quicker than losing it??? Cuz I REALLY don't wanna gain weight over the holidays but I do want to eat and enjoy myself and not worry about cal counting or watching what I eat. It's only gonna be Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and New Years Eve that I indulge. Then I will be having cake on January 6th for my sons 1st bday so... What do you guys think? Am I doomed or what?

    I went on a 2 week cruise and came back 17 lbs heavier - the same amount which took 6 months to lose. So yes!
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    Is it true that u can gain weight much quicker than losing it??? Cuz I REALLY don't wanna gain weight over the holidays but I do want to eat and enjoy myself and not worry about cal counting or watching what I eat. It's only gonna be Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and New Years Eve that I indulge. Then I will be having cake on January 6th for my sons 1st bday so... What do you guys think? Am I doomed or what?

    I went on a 2 week cruise and came back 17 lbs heavier - the same amount which took 6 months to lose. So yes!

    Wow you ate 4250 more calories than you TDEE a day over two weeks, that's crazy!
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
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    It is easier to over eat on the holidays. It is also possible to lose whatever weight you gain within a week afterward. Chillax. It's the holidays. Enjoy without all this self-imposed agony.




    This
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    No, it just seems like it is harder to lose than it is to gain. Ask any body builder how hard it is to gain weight, and they'll tell you losing is much easier.

    It is probably about the same either way.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Is it true that u can gain weight much quicker than losing it??? Cuz I REALLY don't wanna gain weight over the holidays but I do want to eat and enjoy myself and not worry about cal counting or watching what I eat. It's only gonna be Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and New Years Eve that I indulge. Then I will be having cake on January 6th for my sons 1st bday so... What do you guys think? Am I doomed or what?

    I went on a 2 week cruise and came back 17 lbs heavier - the same amount which took 6 months to lose. So yes!

    Wow you ate 4250 more calories than you TDEE a day over two weeks, that's crazy!

    Actually, that is pretty easy to do on a cruise. Especially when you consider alcohol consumption along with the over-abundance of foods. There is food everywhere, all the time on cruise ships. Most people gain an average of 10 pounds in a week of cruising.
  • SStrauss79
    SStrauss79 Posts: 124 Member
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    This is a lifestyle change. With that is knowing there is going to be more holidays, parties, etc. This needs to come from within you to enjoy in moderation and stuff yourself so full of crap that you feel like you are going to explode or have a major belly ache because you are not use to all that food. Just my little food for thought. Self control is pretty powerful in itself.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Well, for me it's easier to eat 1000 calories over my maintenance, than it is for me to be in a 1000 calorie deficit. So in that sense, I suppose I would gain faster than I lose.

    That said, as long as you get back on the wagon after these 3/4 days then you're not going to derail all your efforts until now. It's not like you have to go mad anyway, just have a bit of everything. Eat and drink what you like, but don't stuff yourself until you feel sick. Then, make sure it is just those days. Get back to normal life afterwards. It may seem like you've put on loads, but a lot of this will be food/water weight NOT fat. Only a small portion will be fat.

    Remember, it's approx 3500 calories over your maintenance to gain just 1lb of fat. Say you eat 4000 each of the holidays, 3000 on the birthday, and your maintenance is 2000. This in total is a surplus of 7000. That's 2lbs of fat. To me, that's worth a little relaxation over the holidays. Even then, I doubt you'll have that much food, apart from maybe today (25th)
  • omnisis
    omnisis Posts: 85 Member
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    Unless you have pyschological issues with food 3500 calories is 3500 calories on the gain or lose side. But it's easy to start into a "downward spiral". I gained almost 15 lbs over the course of a month one time because I was constantly finding myself at a drive-in fast-food window around 8:30PM or later due to having to work extra hours at work that month. When your whole life and schedule begin to push concerns for your health down the stack your cummulative bad decisions can average out with very bad consequences. OTOH, if you have a healthy mindset and eating plan say 80% of the time it's nearly impossible to destroy that 20% of the time with poor food choices unless you are being gluttonous.
  • JosieJo2000
    JosieJo2000 Posts: 162 Member
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    When we're trying to lose weight we can get an unhealthy attitude towards food - that it's the enemy, that we will put on weight if we have one bad day. Of course we don't want to to go back to old habits, but you need to look at losing and maintaining weight as a lifelong goal. So, most days you make good choices. You change your lifestyle - eat more fruit and veggies, eat fresh foods, exercise. You do that most days. But enjoyment of food is a part of life and a day off for a birthday or Christmas is no biggie. Enjoy it without the guilt then continue on with your new improved healthy eating. If you do this then in the long term you will lose, then maintain a healthy weight. You won't feel constantly deprived so you're more likely to stick to it.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    I think it is "easier" to gain fat than lose it for a couple of reasons. First, I can easily add 500 or more calories to a day's intake, without blinking an eye. A decadent dessert, some mixed drinks, etc. will up the calorie count by that much or more without a thought if I am not careful. But to shave 500 or more calories off what I need to maintain or lose weight does not happen easily or thoughtlessly. The second reason is related to the first. I have to THINK and PLAN, exercise SELF-CONTROL, to lose. It requires a sincere effort and a firm "no" or at the very least, a calorie compromise, to lose. I have to exercise and be cognizant of what and how I eat.

    Perhaps that is why losing weight and getting fit is so infinitely satisfying to me! I know I worked hard, am continuing to work hard, for my health. It looks better and it feels good, with no comparison. That piece of cheesecake or margarita may taste good for minutes (or seconds!) but how I look and feel gives me a high that lasts far longer...
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
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    :huh: Silly, silly people here.

    Is it easy to gain weight? If you lose all self control for an EXTENDED (again, I repeat, extendedddd) period of time, then of course you will gain weight.

    If you eat some cake, a big christmas dinner and partake in other delicious holiday festivities then it's not even worth regretting or looking back on negatively. Do you plan on sitting out on these things every single year? I doubt it. Eat the food, enjoy it and don't look back.

    Resume regular eating habits the next meal or day. (Or if it's just 1 piece of cake, budget it into your macros for the day)
  • Stewie316
    Stewie316 Posts: 266 Member
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    For me it's really easy to gain weight. My maintenance is 1500 calories, which is nothing. If I enjoy myself for a few days during the holidays and eat 2500 calories, which to me is nothing when eating holiday food, I'll gain 1-2 pounds in a week. But in order to lose that 1-2 pounds, it'll take me a lot longer than a week, unless I wanted to eat 1000 calories a day.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    Is it true that u can gain weight much quicker than losing it??? Cuz I REALLY don't wanna gain weight over the holidays but I do want to eat and enjoy myself and not worry about cal counting or watching what I eat. It's only gonna be Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and New Years Eve that I indulge. Then I will be having cake on January 6th for my sons 1st bday so... What do you guys think? Am I doomed or what?

    I went on a 2 week cruise and came back 17 lbs heavier - the same amount which took 6 months to lose. So yes!

    Wow! I went on a 2 week cruise and gained 6.5 lbs. It was worth climbing the stairs between decks every time we went anywhere, and walking miles in every port :-)
  • Stewie316
    Stewie316 Posts: 266 Member
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    I gained 10 pounds during my one week honeymoon.

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