First Christmas since weight loss.

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Bella77007
Bella77007 Posts: 78 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
As the title says this will be the first Christmas since I lost all the weight I wanted to lose and I am trying to prepare.

Currently I am maintaining on 14-1500 depending on how busy I am, I got sick recently and through no choice of my own was only managing 12-1300 calories, I lost 1.8 pounds that week.

Anyway I know that I am going to go over my maintenence calories on Christmas day, I could try not to but taking into account a light breakfast, a decent dinner, a moderate serving of dessert and a light evening snack I am going to be way over even 1500, in fact I will probably be over 2000.

Now I have a choice, I can accept that and say what the heck, it is one day or I could let it bug me and cut back but can I be honest? It's Christmas and I don't want to.

Last year I was eating everything in sight before, during and after the day but I wont do that now, it will be one single day in a whole year.

So to those with experience what is the worst that is going to happen if I eat 500-700 over maintenence for one day and then return to my 14-1500 that I currently maintain on?

Replies

  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    What's the worst that will happen? Honestly, probably not a whole lot. You would have to eat 3500 over maintenance to actually gain a pound. Enjoy yourself, don't go too crazy, but don't ruin your christmas over it. You are at maintenance so it won't be hard to indulge a little. I've noticed in maintenance that I can indulge and after a little bloat, the extra calories now and then don't do anything. Especially since I go right back to eating right.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    The worst that could happen is feeling restricted and miserable.
    It's one day out of 365.

    Just don't weigh yourself on Boxing Day and freak out that a few hundred calories has caused a temporary (and mostly just water related) blip.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    It's my first Christmas since my weight loss, too, and I plan to eat all the things. <nods>

    It's just one or two days.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    I have about ten days per year where I don't have a calorie goal, including Christmas.

    I didn't get obese because of how I ate 10 days per year, I got obese because of how I ate on the other 355.
  • Bella77007
    Bella77007 Posts: 78 Member
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    Thanks everyone, it really is just one day and I want to be able to enjoy it so I'm just going to forget the calories for that day and say what the heck, if I go over by 500-700 it wont have any lasting effects, I'm not going to be eating crazy amounts, I'm so adapted to smaller portions now and I couldn't eat huge ones if I tried.

    Boxing day falls on what would be my weekly weight check day so I'll skip it that week and give the water weight a chance to flush out whilst I'm back on my normal amounts, have a great Christmas everyone :)
  • steph2strong
    steph2strong Posts: 426 Member
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    Eating over calories on one day means nothing, even if it's like 1000 calories over (that's usually the amount I go over maintenance, and I also don't usually exercise on big holidays). If you go back to your normal eating habits after, nothing will happen to your overall weight. You might have some bloat for a few days though, personally I don't care about that, I'm used to the fact that the scale weight jumps up about 3 lbs after a big event, it always goes back to my normal weight after 2-3 days. There is only a problem if the one day of excessive eating leads to multiple days of excessive eating and abandoning all good eating and exercising habits. Trust in yourself that things will go back to normal after the holidays, enjoy the festive celebrations so that you have no regrets later and can happily go back to your normal eating and exercising routine knowing you got a fun break, and also know that there are other holidays and events to look forward to in the future to have treats and a break again. Although I always eat way over my maintenance on holidays I don't "binge", eating everything in site, because I find that makes me feel like crap.
  • cparsons_60
    cparsons_60 Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm not saying you should work out the day after Christmas; not saying that at all. But I predict that if you do, you'll have a great workout. A few months ago I went out for a great Italian restaurant meal -- two glasses of wine, meat lasagna, dessert. It must've been 2000 calories. I was at a deficit then (maintenance now) and it just felt so good to eat that much. I thought I'd be sluggish and miserable the next morning, but I had one of the best morning rows and evening TRX classes I've ever had. The body likes fuel, and knows how to use it.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    The worst that could happen is feeling restricted and miserable.
    It's one day out of 365.

    Just don't weigh yourself on Boxing Day and freak out that a few hundred calories has caused a temporary (and mostly just water related) blip.

    ^^this

    You enjoy Christmas then you go back to eating maintenance cals.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    cparsons_60 wrote: »
    I'm not saying you should work out the day after Christmas; not saying that at all. But I predict that if you do, you'll have a great workout. A few months ago I went out for a great Italian restaurant meal -- two glasses of wine, meat lasagna, dessert. It must've been 2000 calories. I was at a deficit then (maintenance now) and it just felt so good to eat that much. I thought I'd be sluggish and miserable the next morning, but I had one of the best morning rows and evening TRX classes I've ever had. The body likes fuel, and knows how to use it.

    I always have great workouts when I have a high calorie day!
  • nickatine
    nickatine Posts: 451 Member
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    You should try to eat intuitively and enjoy the time with your loved ones rather than just planning to blow your budget. Listen to your body but make sure to have those treats you look forward to every year.
  • greenfirearm
    greenfirearm Posts: 120 Member
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    This link should take you to a FitnessBlender link, where they show what their bodies looked like post binge eating for Thanksgiving and their bodies a day or two after they returned to their normal, healthy diet:

    https://www.facebook.com/fitnessblender/photos/a.253102011407594.95390.151085874942542/1035932129791241/?type=3

    Hopefully that'll encourage you to just relax, indulge and enjoy yourself. :)
  • spzjlb
    spzjlb Posts: 599 Member
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    It was last year after eating everything in site in large quantities that I finally dared step on the scale and had a significant reality check. I've been very pleased with my weight loss and fitness gains this year. I am on maintenance and have recently stopped logging due to extensive travel (being without wifi or cell and unable to log into MFP). I'm doing OK. I am also concerned about the holidays, especially as I will be away from my home gym. A few tips that might help others:
    1) I will try to get in my workouts as usual - I exercise every day for at least 30 intense minutes. It has served me well during my travel and restaurant meals. These short and regular workouts are easier for me than finding the discipline and time for 90 min trips to the gym 3 times per week.
    2) This is hard for me, but I try to take only half of what I WISH I could eat. For example, I will take half a cookie rather than a whole one. I don't care if I annoy people. I am smaller than the average person, so I have to eat less than the average person. It is difficult, but I try to use this philosophy.
    Happy holidays!
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    I've been thinking about this too, and I'm really just trying to remember how miserable I was last Christmas when I ate soooooo much and felt terrible! I can't treat my body like that this year. I'm not concerned about the calories on holidays (or most days), but I just focus on not getting stuffed.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Bella77007 wrote: »
    As the title says this will be the first Christmas since I lost all the weight I wanted to lose and I am trying to prepare.

    Currently I am maintaining on 14-1500 depending on how busy I am, I got sick recently and through no choice of my own was only managing 12-1300 calories, I lost 1.8 pounds that week.

    Anyway I know that I am going to go over my maintenence calories on Christmas day, I could try not to but taking into account a light breakfast, a decent dinner, a moderate serving of dessert and a light evening snack I am going to be way over even 1500, in fact I will probably be over 2000.

    Now I have a choice, I can accept that and say what the heck, it is one day or I could let it bug me and cut back but can I be honest? It's Christmas and I don't want to.

    Last year I was eating everything in sight before, during and after the day but I wont do that now, it will be one single day in a whole year.

    So to those with experience what is the worst that is going to happen if I eat 500-700 over maintenence for one day and then return to my 14-1500 that I currently maintain on?

    nothing...your body doesn't work that way.

    the human body is very good at managing energy...you don't overeat one day and put on fat...your body will use it. the human body's natural tendency is to maintain the status quot and you have to consistently underfeed or overfeed to override your body's ability to manage energy effectively.

    any overnight type of scale gain or loss is a result of water retention/release and more/less inherent waste in your system. even your loss during your illness can largely be attributable to a drop in you glycogen stores and less water retention and less waste in your system from eating less.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    500 calories over Christmas? Take a long walk the day before or after or just lighten up for the week. I always make my week goals because after a nice splurge I am not hungry the next few days.

    Or enjoy your week (but log everything) and drop down 250 calories for a week or two after New Years if you've gained. You need to be mindful but of course there will be days you go over. This is the rest of your life. You just have to AVERAGE your goals.

  • Bella77007
    Bella77007 Posts: 78 Member
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    Thanks again everyone, I am just going to chill out about it, we went for a meal last week, totally last minute idea and since the restaurant don't list calories I used what I could find on the database here, ate at least 2000 despite ditching dessert because I was too full to eat it and a week later I am 0.8 pounds lighter, I cut a bit off for a few days after but only about 100-150.

    I have started losing weight again, possibly where I have been much busier, I had to see my doctor over another issue a couple of weeks ago and was 110 pounds, apparently I am not 5 ft 1 like I thought either, I am just shy of 5 ft 2, she said my BMI was close to 20 and I shouldn't lose anymore weight, I thought that BMI was fine but she said not to go below 20.

    Well I am now 106 pounds and below 20 BMI! I am eating healthy but fully so I don't know why it's dropping again or why a BMI of under 20 is too low in her opinon, it's a bit confusing but like I said I have been very busy and run off my feet organising for Christmas.

    Anyway Christmas day will be a day to eat as I please, it wont be as much as last year because I couldn't eat that much if I tried but I won't be restricting either, if I gain a pound or two so be it, I was happy around 110 anyway, after that I will see what happens when I go back to maintaining, if I still lose despite being less busy I will reassess my goals then, if not then that's fine too, it's all adjustable.

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