I don't see why some people find holidays so difficult.

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  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    People who are overweight did not get there by only overeating on a handful of holidays a year during an otherwise healthy diet.

    People get there by not understanding what a "lifestyle" is and what "aggregate" means, and not taking the long view.
  • Sunnydale14
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    I think like a lot of people, for me food is often connected with socialibilty. Holidays, with a big meal round the table with the family, are a difficult thing to say no to. Not everyone has family or friends who are super understanding about your diet, and may be hurt if you're turning down their food, or just encouraging to relax for the day and just eat "because it's Christmas/Thanksgiving/a birthday".

    If it was as easy as just saying no, none of us would be here in the first place.
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
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    Or, you know, you could binge and just get back on track the next day. I'm planning on eating a ton of food on Thanksgiving, because it's awesome. What's the worst that could happen? I gain half a pound of fat at most, and then a couple pounds of water weight? I can get rid of that in a week or two. No big. Just don't take leftovers home!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Edited to add: Op's age and sex have no bearing on it. His thoughts are valid. Period.

    hm. which of my three points about its relevance do you dispute?
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    I don't have to address the three reasons. I'm not on your uni debating team.

    This is a forum filled with people's opinions. You've had mine.

    He could have lost a ****-tonne of weight already and then started another account. Or not. Or, he may be an extremely sedentary light weight individual and have an extremely low TDEE (lower than yours) despite his young age. Or not. In fact the list of things you don't know about the OP is massive.

    lol. that's longhand for 'yeah you're right' isn't it? your post entirely fails to address my points.

    but whatever. if you don't want to discuss it properly and want to continue to assert your view without supporting it, that is of course your prerogative.

    go you.

    nice selfie, too.
  • AccioFitness
    AccioFitness Posts: 244 Member
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    This is supposed to be a place of support and encouragement and your post doesn't sound like either of those two things. If anything, it's condescending and makes me believe you're a bit out of touch with how food addiction and overeating works.

    This. Yikes. The holidays are super stressful for me. Being around my extended family is stressful for me. Money is tight and that's stressful for me. The obligatory "we are collecting for X" is stressful for me. Stress = eating. I wish I knew how to "just not do it" like the OP apparently does. It's not that easy. I really wish people would stop being so judgmental. Worry about yourself. Try to be a POSITIVE influence.

    Yes, to all of this. I'm an emotional/stress eater and the holidays are like an amplifier for everything I experience. I don't have the best family dynamic with several relatives, but I have to be around them during the holidays. There expectations that exceed reality and it's the perfect storm for me to just say eff the rules and to let food be my comfort again.
  • cheninmatthews21
    cheninmatthews21 Posts: 33 Member
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    People hype up holidays like they are the apocalypse for diets. Why not just...make sure you don't binge eat on a holiday. It's not like you have to. It's not that complicated. I think even if you go to somebody's house and they serve you a three-course meal, it's not hard to not binge. And if you do feel obligated to eat their high-calorie dessert, it doesn't matter that much if you're overboard by five hundred calories for one day.

    If you're spending a week or two visiting somebody else's house, you could explain that you are limiting your food intake and you shouldn't have much trouble if they are nice people.

    Seriously. Enough. About. The holidays. Or is there somebody who insists that holidays like thanksgiving or christmas really are the harbingers of ham?

    You're not going to put an end to the holiday food conversation with one condescending post. This is a site dedicated to the fitness & weight loss community, and many of us who are looking to get healthier have unhealthy habits that particularly flare up during this season. So yeah, people are going to talk about it, and you know what? At least when they're talking about it, they're forcing themselves to be aware of the problem, which is always the first step towards making a change. I'm sorry that other people's attempts to progress gets under your skin so much, maybe you should avoid the forums until Christmas is over.
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
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    Humblebrag.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    LOL! oh lord to be young and know everything. I miss those days.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Edited to add: Op's age and sex have no bearing on it. His thoughts are valid. Period.

    hm. which of my three points about its relevance do you dispute?

    Hate to break it to you but no one is accountable to you and you aren't the ultimate arbiter of relevance. Sorry.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    [

    Anyway, I did tackle a few of your points, actually. Perhaps you should re-read my post. He may be light and sedentary and burn less calories than an older, less sedentary person. He may have lost a lot of weight. He may have left home at 16 (some of us did, you know) and have 5+ years of experience of going home for the holidays already. He may have knocked someone up at 16 (or 15 or 14: I've seen those stories in the Sun!) and have a couple of kids by now at 21. Maybe he's inviting over his in-laws and family as we speak?

    Truth is, you don't know. I don't know. Which makes your whole "debate me!" schtick kinda meaningless. You know zero about the OP. And even if you're right about all the assumptions you've made about him, he could still be right in his assertions. But still internet wank!ng (*ahem* I mean "debating") is fun! We're putting to bed a whole host of the world's problems tonight! What's next, world peace?

    And the statistical likelihood of him fitting the description in your first paragraph is.... ? Of course, since the OP is giving every indication of being a troll we may never know. (sob sob) 33% of adults under 30 live with their parents, though. Average age of first marriage is 31. So, you know, the chances are...

    You also didn't address the metabolism point, which I'd see as key, and indisputable.

    I'm puzzled by your antipathy to debate. You appear to want to make your points, but don't want to defend or argue them. How are we supposed to receive them? Asking you to defend your view, or to bother to engage points that have been made to you in dispute don't appear to me to be unreasonable requests.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Edited to add: Op's age and sex have no bearing on it. His thoughts are valid. Period.

    hm. which of my three points about its relevance do you dispute?

    Hate to break it to you but no one is accountable to you and you aren't the ultimate arbiter of relevance. Sorry.

    See points in my previous post regarding antipathy to debate.

    I didn't claim to arbitrate anything. I merely pointed out your discourtesy in reiterating a point without bothering to address previously stated challenges to it.

    But of course, that might be because I'm expecting actual discussion, rather than people standing in a circle yelling without listening to each other.

    Obviously my gib is differently cut.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Fried Turkey. Where to acquire one. THAT is the extent of my holiday angst. Luckily, Bojangles saved the day.

    WHEW!
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    LOL at the people who think it matters that the OP's ticker say 0 Lbs lost or that he's 21...it doesn't make him wrong. The holidays are just one day of many days over the course of a lifetime. It seems people like to talk about "lifestyle" but truly don't understand that concept...

    Health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...you're really missing the boat if you're worried about a handful of days...they are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

    Also, who knows...maybe the OP has lost 100 Lbs...you know, there is weightloss that happens outside of MFP. I've lost 40 Lbs all told but my ticker doesn't reflect that...I'm sure I'm not the only one.

    I think you need to think this one through a little more. of course age and sex matter. as a 21 year old male he can likely metabolise twice the cals i can in a day. as an individual with little to lose, it is very unlikely he has experienced the complex relationship with food that so often make holidays fraught for those with food issues. and i seriously doubt he has a lot if experience of being a parent through yhe holidays, or even of going 'home' to family, or hosting family at his home.

    so in this case, actually i would say age and sex matter a great deal.

    Honestly, I agree with the op

    I am 28 years old, female and have lost (and maintained) 125lbs. I used to be a binge eater/over eater, I claimed to be "addicted" to food. I was wrong. I was using it as an excuse to continue down the path. When I stopped claiming "addiction" and I took resposibility for my issues with food, I was able to lose weight. I am now losing on 2700 calories.

    I love the holidays myself. I eat in moderation and enjoy myself. It hasn't hindered me at all.
  • MartiCat70
    MartiCat70 Posts: 59 Member
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    Holidays are just like any other day as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who uses the excuse to binge or whatever just cause it's a holiday has no willpower or self control at all.

    Snarky "moral" superiority like this has no place in a forum designed to help people.

    Holidays are rife with family time which often creates massive amounts of stress for people; even if they *want* to stay on track, it can be very difficult. Add some booze in the mix, a lack of food scale, and piles of carb-intensive Xmas baking, and you could just have a very volatile situation. So, unless all the naysayers know *everyone* else's background, you can just keep the superiority bullsh*t in your own camp.

    ^^^This!
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    LOL at the people who think it matters that the OP's ticker say 0 Lbs lost or that he's 21...it doesn't make him wrong. The holidays are just one day of many days over the course of a lifetime. It seems people like to talk about "lifestyle" but truly don't understand that concept...

    Health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...you're really missing the boat if you're worried about a handful of days...they are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

    Also, who knows...maybe the OP has lost 100 Lbs...you know, there is weightloss that happens outside of MFP. I've lost 40 Lbs all told but my ticker doesn't reflect that...I'm sure I'm not the only one.

    Just folks way of trying to invalidate info that points to their own dysfunction instead of facing it. I especially like the bolded part of your post. Very true.

    I like the cut of your gib. Both of you.

    People need to face up to their weaknesses and overcome them. Or else they will always have those weaknesses.

    No point hating on the OP for telling some home truths. Or being young. Or not having lost enough weight. Or whatever.

    Sure life can be hard. No one disputes this. But sometimes you've got to pony up and deal with it.

    I agree with all of the above!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    LOL at the people who think it matters that the OP's ticker say 0 Lbs lost or that he's 21...it doesn't make him wrong. The holidays are just one day of many days over the course of a lifetime. It seems people like to talk about "lifestyle" but truly don't understand that concept...

    Health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...you're really missing the boat if you're worried about a handful of days...they are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

    Also, who knows...maybe the OP has lost 100 Lbs...you know, there is weightloss that happens outside of MFP. I've lost 40 Lbs all told but my ticker doesn't reflect that...I'm sure I'm not the only one.

    I think you need to think this one through a little more. of course age and sex matter. as a 21 year old male he can likely metabolise twice the cals i can in a day. as an individual with little to lose, it is very unlikely he has experienced the complex relationship with food that so often make holidays fraught for those with food issues. and i seriously doubt he has a lot if experience of being a parent through yhe holidays, or even of going 'home' to family, or hosting family at his home.

    so in this case, actually i would say age and sex matter a great deal.

    Honestly, I agree with the op

    I am 28 years old, female and have lost (and maintained) 125lbs. I used to be a binge eater/over eater, I claimed to be "addicted" to food. I was wrong. I was using it as an excuse to continue down the path. When I stopped claiming "addiction" and I took resposibility for my issues with food, I was able to lose weight. I am now losing on 2700 calories.

    I love the holidays myself. I eat in moderation and enjoy myself. It hasn't hindered me at all.

    Amazing what can happen when we stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for our own choices and actions! :flowerforyou:
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    LOL at the people who think it matters that the OP's ticker say 0 Lbs lost or that he's 21...it doesn't make him wrong. The holidays are just one day of many days over the course of a lifetime. It seems people like to talk about "lifestyle" but truly don't understand that concept...

    Health, nutrition, and fitness are lifetime endeavors...you're really missing the boat if you're worried about a handful of days...they are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

    Also, who knows...maybe the OP has lost 100 Lbs...you know, there is weightloss that happens outside of MFP. I've lost 40 Lbs all told but my ticker doesn't reflect that...I'm sure I'm not the only one.

    I think you need to think this one through a little more. of course age and sex matter. as a 21 year old male he can likely metabolise twice the cals i can in a day. as an individual with little to lose, it is very unlikely he has experienced the complex relationship with food that so often make holidays fraught for those with food issues. and i seriously doubt he has a lot if experience of being a parent through yhe holidays, or even of going 'home' to family, or hosting family at his home.

    so in this case, actually i would say age and sex matter a great deal.

    Honestly, I agree with the op

    I am 28 years old, female and have lost (and maintained) 125lbs. I used to be a binge eater/over eater, I claimed to be "addicted" to food. I was wrong. I was using it as an excuse to continue down the path. When I stopped claiming "addiction" and I took resposibility for my issues with food, I was able to lose weight. I am now losing on 2700 calories.

    I love the holidays myself. I eat in moderation and enjoy myself. It hasn't hindered me at all.

    Amazing what can happen when we stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for our own choices and actions! :flowerforyou:

    It really is! The baby in your profile pic is adorable btw!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    Unfortuately, many of us have difficulty resisting the temptation and eating sensibly and avoiding calorie laden foods that are abundant and traditional at these holidays that are centered around food and eating.

    Well, don't go on "one of those" holidays then...

    Are you serious? You think those holidays are avoidable? They have permeated into our society.

    For freaks sake... just support each other in our weaknesses. This thread is utter BS.

    Wot??????? Are you seriously saying people don't have a choice what kind of holiday you go on??? Surely it's my choice and my choice only if I lie on my behind all day on a cruise and stuff my face or go on a self-catering walking holiday.

    You make that choice. Nobody forces you.

    I think there's a cultural misunderstanding going on. I'm not sure what the OP intended, or if he understood what the threads he was complaining about refer to, but in the U.S. "the holidays" typically refers to Thanksgiving and Christmas and the period between those holidays, filled with parties and visits with family and friends centered around meals and baked goods. Apparently in other English-speaking countries, "holiday" evokes the idea of going somewhere on a vacation.
  • Bobbiezilla
    Bobbiezilla Posts: 157 Member
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    Or, you know, you could binge and just get back on track the next day. I'm planning on eating a ton of food on Thanksgiving, because it's awesome. What's the worst that could happen? I gain half a pound of fat at most, and then a couple pounds of water weight? I can get rid of that in a week or two. No big. Just don't take leftovers home!

    Agree! For me a candy apple and handfuls of my kids Halloween candy was awesome these last 2 weeks.....but it's over now. (As a Canadian I already celebrated Thanksgiving.....lots of healthy soups made out of the leftovers :)