"How to pig out and not gain weight during the holidays"

Orphia · December 2015

I love James Fell, and feel I must share this.

HOW TO PIG OUT AND NOT GAIN WEIGHT DURING THE HOLIDAYS

http://www.bodyforwife.com/how-to-pig-out-and-not-gain-weight-during-the-holidays/

The clincher:

"I will pig out this holiday season. I mean Christmas. Don’t want people accusing me being on the wrong side of the war on Christmas.

Anyway, I will eat. And I will drink.

But I will not be spending my day in front of a computer. I will be on vacation.

I will make sure my house is clean for guests. I will run. I will shop. I will lift weights. I will play with my kids. I will go for walks. I will cook. I will wrap presents and put up dead trees in the living room and bright colored lights around the house and shovel snow and go sledding and dammit I just cleaned the house two days ago how did it get messy again and wow that’s a lot of snow to be shoveled and hey baby you’re looking fine wanna head upstairs?

What I won’t do is trade one screen for another. I’m not going to trade my desk chair for the couch. I won’t trade a computer screen for a TV.

Yeah, there will be TV, in moderation, but there will be a lot of movement.

THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN TRAINING FOR!

I’m in good shape. I can handle the extra physical activity. Exercise should never be used as a punishment for indulgence, but it can be a strategy for attaining caloric balance."

middlehaitch · December 2015

Oh yes.
We do all this so we can live the life we love. Merry Christmas.

Cheers, h.

walk2health4me · December 2015

Wow love the post...if i see one more person on the news poo poo going to a party or family event and saying eat before you go blah blah blah...Christmas feast come once a year so do those rare family food dishes grandma only makes am i going to be eating tofu or sprouts or a green smoothie hell no..but now when i eat my Italian food on Christmas day i will have worked out more on my tai chi, my resistance bands, my yoga stretches, my gazelle glider and so i say bring on the feast with roasted who beast in whoville grin..i am working out more now today and will be also working out more for that one last New Years Eve sip of cider and hot appetizer then January 1st 2016 I shall be drinking the green tea green smoothies eating nothing but salads and tofu and sprouts but now lets make merry and enjoy this wonderful time of love laughter and light..blessings to all and to all a good night

Machka9 · December 2015

That's along the line of the approach I'm taking.

It's summer here. We're finally starting to get some decent weather. I have 10 days off over Christmas, and I plan to spend each and every one of them exercising my butt off! Not to punish myself ... nope! But because I love being active. I love cycling. I love walking. I love weightlifting. And 10 days off is a gift to me because it means for 10 days I can be active rather than sitting at a desk at work.

So, yes, I plan to eat whatever I want ... and there will be lots of good stuff consumed (pavlova, fruit cake, halva, Christmas pudding, crisps and crumbles, pies and cakes ...). I plan to thoroughly enjoy baking and eating the food of the season for about 2 weeks.

And if the amount of exercising isn't quite enough and I happen to gain a kilogram or two ... that's OK. I'll lose it in January.

Interestingly ... early last December (a year ago) I went to my Dr who suggested that I should lose 10 kg in order for my health to improve. I lost 2 kg in December because of all the exercise I did approaching Christmas and during my 10 days off. I didn't lose 2 kg because I reduced the amount I ate, because I can assure you I did not! I lost it because of the amount of exercise I was doing.

Unfortunately, I gained it back in January because a pair of surgeries sidelined me for about 6 weeks ... but that's not on the schedule this year. And I've lost 25 kg throughout 2015, so I'm in a great position to start the new year.

Lucille4444 · December 2015

I'm one of those who isn't going to pig out. I can enjoy the same dishes, and simply take a smaller portion.
I still get to enjoy the fun, the gatherings, the season.
Every person is different, do what works for you.

Yi5hedr3 · December 2015

Yes, and you will gain 8-12 lbs, mostly fat.

spzjlb · December 2015

Lucille4444 wrote: »

I'm one of those who isn't going to pig out. I can enjoy the same dishes, and simply take a smaller portion.
I still get to enjoy the fun, the gatherings, the season.
Every person is different, do what works for you.

Me too. Eating huge portion sizes is what made me fat in the first place. I'll eat a bit of everything, but try to be mindful of the amounts. I've worked hard to adjust my perception of feeling satiated and don't want to get re-accustomed with being stuffed full and thinking that's a normal feeling. We each have different strategies and issues. Happy holidays.

queenliz99 · December 2015

We are talking about one, two or three days or even a week out of an entire year. This OP is about perspective. Live a little, you only get one chance at this life so have some fun. After the parties get bag your plan.

Thank you for posting this!

tmn2016 · December 2015

Studies show that a person can gain 2 lbs in one (1) meal alone during the holidays. Knowing how hard it is to lose just one pound I have learned not to deprive myself but eat in moderation even during the holidays. Sure if there is chocolate around I will eat but not like I used to. For me it's too hard to get back to eating in smaller portions if I let myself go during the next 2 weeks. It is easy to gain but too hard to lose. That's my mind set anyway....letting myself go last year is what got me to gain 5 lbs during the holidays

krmsotherhalf68 · December 2015

Lucille4444 wrote: »

I'm one of those who isn't going to pig out. I can enjoy the same dishes, and simply take a smaller portion.
I still get to enjoy the fun, the gatherings, the season.
Every person is different, do what works for you.

God love you, Lucille! I've never been someone who eats just to live. I've always lived to eat! I have learned that in order to enjoy more of the goodness of Christmas (dishes we only make once a year), I have to move more. Plain and simple for me: if I don't move I won't get to indulge in something everyone else is enjoying. Hope your Summer is wonderful. It's freezing cold here today. Merry Christmas & a happy, healthy New Year to all!

rileysowner · December 2015

My approach this year, which has been working fairly well so far, is to only overeat on that actual days of celebration, so we had our family gathering from my wife's side of the family last week Saturday followed by a friends Christmas party and I ate whatever I wanted, but Sunday I was back to eating my calorie goal. I will do that same Christmas Eve/Day and New Year Eve/Day. Added to that we have a wedding to go to on the 2nd, so that will likely turn into 3 days of eating over my calories at the end/beginning of the year, but all the other days I will eat within my calorie goals.

PeachyCarol · December 2015

I had such plans. I still do, but need to modify them after doing some major foot damage running into a piece of furniture.

I wonder how many calories I burn limping at a brisk pace?

As for my plans for the holiday? I'm going to eat at maintenance and enjoy. I don't like feeling over full, so I know I won't go crazy with the food. It's just a day.

Lucille4444 · December 2015

annem6806 wrote: »

(dishes we only make once a year)

As I said, do what works for you.

For me, part of the problem with 'once a year' is that my subconscious can really run with that. Once a year there are turkey and trimmings at Thanksgiving. Candy on Halloween. Birthday cake. Chocolate eggs and marshmallow bunnies on Easter. I could go on, but you get the point. One could rationalize pigging out for a substantial number of holidays and special occasions.
So I think that what works for me is to have it all, but in small portions.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld · December 2015

tmn2016 wrote: »

Studies show that a person can gain 2 lbs in one (1) meal alone during the holidays. Knowing how hard it is to lose just one pound I have learned not to deprive myself but eat in moderation even during the holidays. Sure if there is chocolate around I will eat but not like I used to. For me it's too hard to get back to eating in smaller portions if I let myself go during the next 2 weeks. It is easy to gain but too hard to lose. That's my mind set anyway....letting myself go last year is what got me to gain 5 lbs during the holidays

7000 calories over in one meal? I'm not sure how that can happen or even be measured without knowing the rest of the day/weeks food.

I gain around 8lbs every Christmas as I over eat all manner of foods in large quantities and I do so for almost two weeks. I lose 4-6 lbs of it within a few days and the rest comes off by the end of January. Life is too short to not enjoy the Christmas the way you like to

BuddhaB0y · December 2015

It's a bit misleading to say "gained 2 pounds in one meal" they may have eaten 2 pounds of food in one meal, which isn't really that bad considering those eating contests you see online often have people eating 5-7pounds of food at a time.

So technically they are 2 pounds heavier at the end of the meal... But by the next day a lot has been used up or excreted. And that 2 pounds of food most likely isn't 2 pounds of butter (although my besties stuffing makes a good attempt at it) so the actual calorie count is much lower.

bpetrosky · December 2015

BuddhaB0y wrote: »

It's a bit misleading to say "gained 2 pounds in one meal" they may have eaten 2 pounds of food in one meal, which isn't really that bad considering those eating contests you see online often have people eating 5-7pounds of food at a time.

So technically they are 2 pounds heavier at the end of the meal... But by the next day a lot has been used up or excreted. And that 2 pounds of food most likely isn't 2 pounds of butter (although my besties stuffing makes a good attempt at it) so the actual calorie count is much lower.

Conservation of mass....it's not just a good idea, it's the law!

BuddhaB0y · December 2015

bpetrosky wrote: »

BuddhaB0y wrote: »

It's a bit misleading to say "gained 2 pounds in one meal" they may have eaten 2 pounds of food in one meal, which isn't really that bad considering those eating contests you see online often have people eating 5-7pounds of food at a time.

So technically they are 2 pounds heavier at the end of the meal... But by the next day a lot has been used up or excreted. And that 2 pounds of food most likely isn't 2 pounds of butter (although my besties stuffing makes a good attempt at it) so the actual calorie count is much lower.

Conservation of mass....it's not just a good idea, it's the law!

I'm not sure what your point is?

fivelongmiles · December 2015

I tend to find it all balances out anyway. After a few days (say, 24th-27th) eating too much heavy food and chocolate, I end up wanting to eat something lighter and do some exercise to feel a bit less icky!

In all seriousness, though - a few days out of the year where you don't eat to a precise calorie goal isn't going to set you back too far. I mean, it might make a difference if your "few days" is a solid month across the holiday period, but a few days is neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.