How do you plan to handle the holidays?

I made it through the holidays last year, enjoyed every single food and treat I wanted, and didn't gain a single pound. :bigsmile: On New Year's Day, I was not making resolutions to start over or get back to anything, I just planned to carry on as I had been and continue enjoying my results.

My "secret weapon"? Knowing my BMR and my TDEE - my high and low calorie limits. And logging everything, absolutely everything as best I can, and stick to the regular exercise as best I can. I know as long as I stay close to TDEE, I won't gain.

As far as staying in control - planning ahead as much as possible helps me, and pre-logging when possible helps as well. If I've logged on slice of pumpkin pie and three pieces of fudge, and see how my estimated numbers are stacked up, I'm more likely to stick with the plan.

Another good one is to remember how terrible I feel when I do overindulge and end up feeling all bloated and yucky. I want to feel good and satisfied at the end of my meal, not like a busted can of biscuits all spread out on the sofa. So I take small portions, even if I think I can go bigger - take the small portions, and go back for the favorite thing if I've still got room. This makes dessert time much more enjoyable too - a treat tastes much better if I'm not stuffing it down because I already overate at dinner.

And through it all, remember, it's just a season - all the goodies are going to go away with all the festivities and parties, and normal meals and snacks will resume.

I plan to relax and give myself a break! Seriously, part of learning learning to maintain a healthy lifestyle is learning to enjoy the holidays still. Being in "diet mode" ALL the time is tiring and honestly, no fun!

So, my plan is to allow myself 5 (and only 5!) days off: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years. On each of those days, I'm not going to count, I'm not even going to keep a general idea of where I am in my head. I'm going to eat what I want, when I want, but just not overdo it (as in, making myself feel sick). I'm going to take a complete BREAK on those days. I'll also do extra cardio during the week surrounding each of those days. All other days during the holiday season though, I'll be on track and in diet mode! I may make a couple exceptions and allow myself a half-day break for a party or something though. We'll see.

No, No, NO!!
It is too soon for these threads.
Forum rules state you must wait until at least 72 hrs prior to any holiday before freaking out and worrying about nothing!


Just log food, exercise and keep moving forward and enjoy the new life you have chosen for yourself.:flowerforyou:
You got this!!:drinker:

I'm skipping Halloween this year and not planning on eating but a piece or two. I decided last year it's not like it's Easter or Christmas where there are things you don't the rest of the year (my hometown's candy store jelly beans/Christmas candy/cherry cordials) the things I'd eat on Halloween are available year round. The Easter/Christmas candies I make last months.

As for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

Thanksgiving, I'll make a plate that has everything I love on it in smaller portions. If I am eating at home I'll keep some leftovers and if I'm eating at my mom's I'll take some left overs and I'll have Thanksgiving all weekend. Not just massive portions on one day. I only love pumpkin pie and I hate whipped cream so I'm saving myself calories with dessert having one piece.

For Christmas I'll have three gatherings to deal with, Christmas Eve dinner that will be the hardest to deal with. There will be turkey sandwiches, many kinds of potatoes, casseroles, dressing, many desserts and so many other foods. I'll try to be sensible, but if I don't succeed I'll just try not to go completely crazy, the problem is that every item gets made by different people every year, you never know what will be there or how much. It's a do your best as you go kind of meal and guesstimate log when you get home. The next two meals will be pretty easy Christmas Day breakfast and dinner, I've been having both in the same place for so long with the same menu I can plan to the calorie exactly what I'll eat on those days tonight if I wanted to.

I've been doing this for two years and have had a harder time with impromptu dinner parties, banquets, and such than I've had for holidays. If you're doing the same thing you always do try and guesstimate before hand if you're doing something that is never the same try to implement calorie saving ideas, drink only water, eat loads of vegetables (without dips, butter, sauce...etc.) pick lower fat meats (simply because they have less calories) go light on dessert. Try to get in extra exercise or rework your calories 3 days before and 3 days after the holiday meal. Take a little from each of the 6 other days (say 50 cals each) and add that to the holiday meal gives you 300 extra calories. Assume you are eating more calories than you'd think when you guesstimate.

And I always have to remind myself 1,000 times, holiday gatherings have little to do with the actual food--they're about the people and what you share outside of the food.

What you eat on a couple of days of the year are not going to make you or break you in either direction.

Take a little of everything. Try to be moderate, but don't sweat it if you aren't.

Life, it's for enjoying.

I plan on enjoying all the yummy food!

I do plan on exercising both mornings (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and then from there enjoy everything in moderation....little bites of everything. Most importantly I plan to stop when I get full. That's usually my biggest obstacle....all the food is so good that I eat just because.

I think that as long as you have some sort of plan, you are on the right track. That might at least help not go completely off the rails and continue the celebrations through January. I'm planning on "fitting it all in" and continuing to log and exercise as normal.

Meh, it's two days. I'll just try not to go nuts and only indulge on what I really want. I could make plans but I'm sure it won't work out because family will show up or something. I'm more worried about how I'll work out if we have guests staying in the guest room, which is my workout room.

Im buying/making everything so ill know what will be on the table and will buy enough for 4 people with no leftovers
My family is in california and i dont speak to my inlaws
So no surprise food will be around.

well i start with a drink...early in the afternoon it will likely be a dirty martini. as i sip on that and enjoy it, we'll start to get the cheese and crackers ready, and my wife will get going on the spinach artichoke dip. shoot....i need another drink. this will go on throughout the afternoon as we enjoy hanging out in our pajamas watching a horror movie marathon. sometime around 3 the turkey (laticed in bacon) will be ready, and we'll crack open the wine. at this point, my wife and i differ....she's a jarred gravy girl, and im a drippings and wondra kinda guy, so i'll make my gravy while she opens hers. load up the plates and wine glasses (milk for junior) and feast on bird, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, crescent rolls and cheddar bacon biscuits. now that we've hit the wine, we'll stick to it until dessert. whew! got through 2 plates...its best to load the dishwasher now, because i sure as hell aint gonna do it later. dishes in the dishwasher means it must be time for pie, and ice cream, and cookies. well that goes really well with irish coffee, so maybe ill make one of those. i might wander in to the kitchen shortly thereafter and start to pick like a vulture at the carcass. this is an indicator that its time for a sandwich. out comes the bread and mayo so i can load up a thanksgiving sub. wash that down with another glass of wine.....head up stairs and make sweet sweet love to my woman like 2 polar bears wrestling in slow motion. pass out, belching and farting out the days festivities while dreaming of turkey omeletts in the morning.

thats typically how i handle thanksgiving.


ETA: TL;DR - i eat all the food and drink all the booze.