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c_arapolu
c_arapolu Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
Who tracks their calories on Christmas? I'm worried it will just make me feel bad. I think I probably don't want to know, and I'll just stay off the scales for a week or so after.
I have not taken a rest day in over 8 weeks, and have had great calorie deficits that whole time as well.
I've decided to take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off from working out, (mostly b/c I have a young daughter and so much to do), and while I KNOW I will have a set back from this, people in my life are telling me that I need some time off and may be overdoing it.
What do you all think?
How do you handle Christmas?

Replies

  • c_arapolu
    c_arapolu Posts: 6
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    I'm not planning to gorge myself, but will be drinking and eating carbs for the first time in 2 months.....
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    Take a break from working out and enjoy your family over the holidays!
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    I track my calories every day of the year- holiday or not. I like to know how many calories I'm consuming. I also need to watch my carbohydrate intake because I'm insulin resistant and hypoglycemic. Due to the holiday sweets that are high in carbs, it's even more important that I track calories during this time of year.

    If you think it's going to stress you out, don't log on Christmas. It's one day of the year. Not logging for one day won't ruin your weight loss.

    Enjoy yourself.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    Holiday calories don't count! :smiley:

    Seriously though, allow yourself to take a break once and a while. Enjoy the time and don't think about the food. Come to the darkside this christmas season......we have cookies!
  • c_arapolu
    c_arapolu Posts: 6
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    Thanks! I am on 1200 calories/day, total, not net, with about 1000/day workout burn.
    I really do feel like I need a break. I don't care about desserts so much as wine, bread, and cheese. Those are the things I miss the most, so the only ones I plan to splurge on.
    I used to have eating disorders in my teenage years, so I just don't want to bug out at the difference of this ONE day compared to my others.
    I managed to meet my weekly burn goal in the last 2 days, preparing for Christmas, (which is tomorrow b/c I live in Australia), so I feel sort of consoled by that, and we are even doing a beach walk on Christmas Day. Minimum burn, I know, but still not totally sedentary.
    This is my first post, despite being a long time member, but I think my friends are getting sick of my constant interest in nutrition and exercise, so I thought I would turn to this forum.
    All advice is greatly appreciated. :-)
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    c_arapolu wrote: »
    Thanks! I am on 1200 calories/day, total, not net, with about 1000/day workout burn.
    I really do feel like I need a break. I don't care about desserts so much as wine, bread, and cheese. Those are the things I miss the most, so the only ones I plan to splurge on.
    I used to have eating disorders in my teenage years, so I just don't want to bug out at the difference of this ONE day compared to my others.
    I managed to meet my weekly burn goal in the last 2 days, preparing for Christmas, (which is tomorrow b/c I live in Australia), so I feel sort of consoled by that, and we are even doing a beach walk on Christmas Day. Minimum burn, I know, but still not totally sedentary.
    This is my first post, despite being a long time member, but I think my friends are getting sick of my constant interest in nutrition and exercise, so I thought I would turn to this forum.
    All advice is greatly appreciated. :-)

    You eat back your exercise calories, correct? If you don't, you are netting 200 calories per day which is not good!
  • desirail
    desirail Posts: 49 Member
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    I think it's a good idea to track, but I wouldn't worry about how many calories I ended up eating at the end of the day. It's a holiday. Enjoy yourself. Christmas only comes once a year.

    I'm planning on walking in the morning and evening and tracking everything I eat. Nothing different from my normal routine. If I want the pie, I'm going to have it! If I don't, I won't.
  • samantha1242
    samantha1242 Posts: 816 Member
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    I might track for fun, but not until boxing day.
  • c_arapolu
    c_arapolu Posts: 6
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    Honestly, occasionally I do, but often, I do not. :/
    I've built So Much muscle mass that I am l losing inches/cm's, but not weight. The first few weeks, I was making sure that I was getting 1200 net calories, but when I wasn't dropping any weight that way, I started to panic a little.
    My back story is that I was on hormone supplements for a year preceding a hysterectomy to remove cancerous tumours. I gained 30 kilos, (over 60 lbs), in that time, and am going home to Florida in 2 months, and have just been hitting it hard.
    B/c of my previous issues with eating disorders, I have been too scared to discuss this with my friends and people who know me, so if I need to be called out on something, I'd rather it be here.
    I appreciate your input!
    I never know the line between being too hard or too soft on myself, and am having a hard time w/ my metabolism changing and it being so much harder to drop weight at 36.
  • c_arapolu
    c_arapolu Posts: 6
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    samantha1242 wrote: »
    I might track for fun, but not until boxing day.

    I am going back at it with my workouts on Boxing Day, and with normal nutrition!
    (I was planning on running an extra 5 k's to sort of compensate for Christmas!)

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited December 2014
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    c_arapolu wrote: »
    Who tracks their calories on Christmas? I'm worried it will just make me feel bad. I think I probably don't want to know, and I'll just stay off the scales for a week or so after.
    I have not taken a rest day in over 8 weeks, and have had great calorie deficits that whole time as well.
    I've decided to take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off from working out, (mostly b/c I have a young daughter and so much to do), and while I KNOW I will have a set back from this, people in my life are telling me that I need some time off and may be overdoing it.
    What do you all think?
    How do you handle Christmas?

    I do not track on Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, birthday, Easter and a few other events when I am with the people I love. What is far more important at that time is enjoying them and the time you have together rather than worrying about how much you are eating. That handful of days out of a 365 day year will not significantly effect your long term goals. Starting tomorrow, I will likely not log again until the 26th. Depending on what we end up doing on New Years, I may not log that day either, but I do plan to log the days between.

    I do intend to keep working out since I do that at home, and that half hour to 45 minutes will happen outside of the time visiting.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Eat 1200, burn off 1000? That's classic eating disorder territory. Extremely worrying.

    As for my plans? On holidays I enjoy myself. One day makes no difference compared to the other 364.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    c_arapolu wrote: »
    Honestly, occasionally I do, but often, I do not. :/
    I've built So Much muscle mass that I am l losing inches/cm's, but not weight. The first few weeks, I was making sure that I was getting 1200 net calories, but when I wasn't dropping any weight that way, I started to panic a little.
    My back story is that I was on hormone supplements for a year preceding a hysterectomy to remove cancerous tumours. I gained 30 kilos, (over 60 lbs), in that time, and am going home to Florida in 2 months, and have just been hitting it hard.
    B/c of my previous issues with eating disorders, I have been too scared to discuss this with my friends and people who know me, so if I need to be called out on something, I'd rather it be here.
    I appreciate your input!
    I never know the line between being too hard or too soft on myself, and am having a hard time w/ my metabolism changing and it being so much harder to drop weight at 36.

    You aren't building muscle netting 1200 calories or 200 calories (it may look like you are, but that's because you are losing fat which is making your muscle more visible). Netting 200 cals means you are basically starving yourself. It's no surprise you are run down and feel as though you need a break. Start eating at least 1200 calories and eat back your exercise calories! Depending on your weight & height you should probably be eating even more than 1200 calories. People in recovery from ED's typically eat 2000+ calories daily. I know you want to lose weight but perhaps wait until you see a doctor.

    Because you have a history of ED's, I'm worried about you. I think it would be best to see a therapist and discuss this with them. Losing weight with a history of ED's is very risky and it seems as though you might be slipping into old habits. Get help before you spiral down that tunnel again!

  • c_arapolu
    c_arapolu Posts: 6
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    [/quote] You aren't building muscle netting 1200 calories or 200 calories (it may look like you are, but that's because you are losing fat which is making your muscle more visible). Netting 200 cals means you are basically starving yourself. It's no surprise you are run down and feel as though you need a break. Start eating at least 1200 calories and eat back your exercise calories! Depending on your weight & height you should probably be eating even more than 1200 calories. People in recovery from ED's typically eat 2000+ calories daily. I know you want to lose weight but perhaps wait until you see a doctor.

    Because you have a history of ED's, I'm worried about you. I think it would be best to see a therapist and discuss this with them. Losing weight with a history of ED's is very risky and it seems as though you might be slipping into old habits. Get help before you spiral down that tunnel again!

    [/quote]


    You are right....I just looked at my last 90 days and was below 1200 net on 72 of them.
    I've been supplementing with high quality protein shakes, kangaroo steaks, and kale salads, and thought I was doing pretty well, but hadn't looked at any of my reports. Thanks for calling my attention to this!
    Time to regroup!

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