Holidays!?

It can be a very stressful time when you're new to counting calories and/or you're an emotional eater. You just have to do the best you can. Log all your food here, as best you can. That will go some way to stopping you from overdoing things. Otherwise, just try to be mindful of what you're eating. Just because food is there and available, doesn't mean you have to indulge. You don't have to be completely restrictive either. Enjoy the holiday food, but try to practise moderation.

On Christmas Day, I will indulge, and I won't count calories. I know for a fact I will be way over my goal, but it's just one day. One day won't make me fat. The rest of the time, I will enjoy Christmas treats, but try to stay within my goals as much as possible. And when I don't, I won't beat myself up about it. What matters is how you eat most of the time, not on a few isolated occasions. Just don't make Christmas indulgences last from now until January. One cookie won't derail you. Even 6 cookies won't derail you. Using the holiday as an excuse to just go crazy though - that could put a serious dent in your weight loss endeavours. Eat, drink, be merry, be aware of what you're putting in your mouth, log your calories, and be as active as you can. It'll be over in a couple of weeks.

However, I do not categorize foods as healthy/unhealthy, good/bad. I eat foods I love all the time and have ice cream everyday. What matters is creating a calorie deficit, ideally while meeting your protein, fat and fiber goals.

This is how I approach things too, and this attitude has really helped me I think. For example, chocolate is pretty much a daily thing for me, so I don't feel like I need to splurge just because there's more of it around now. Food is food; some of it just has more nutrients than others. Just don't eat too much of any of it, try and hit your targets, and you'll be fine.