Well here we go again...

jdb3388
jdb3388 Posts: 239 Member
edited September 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
So I've had weight problems my whole life, I've been back and forth, several times, between 150 and 275 for 2 decades. I'm 275 now and trying to get back down under 200, maybe lower, but for now the goal is just to get under 200. I'm only 5'5" so you can imagine how morbidly obese I am at 275. I'm on an 80 fast start plan to cut 50lbs by Thanksgiving. My problem is that I ALWAYS get jammed up during the holidays, I'm terrified that I'll meet my 50lb goal, and have a nice big Thanksgiving dinner, and I'll just be derailed from there. It's like a curse, it happens to me every time. In the past I've tried to start somewhere in January to February because I knew there were no big eating holidays for a long time. I am planning to go on vacation in April and would like to not be to embarrassed to take my shirt off like I usually am. So the question is, how do you guys get over having a splurge meal without it derailing you?

Replies

  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    skip breakfast the next day and move on.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Plan for it. I try to moderate my intake for the week or so leading up to it. Then I just enjoy the day, but reminding myself that I'm back to logging the next day. I also refuse to take leftovers home, because that prolongs everything. If for all of November, you have one free day (Thanksgiving), that shouldn't even cause a blip in your weight loss progress. (Other than the possible sodium bloat, two to five pounds, that will be gone within a week.)
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    When you forget to brush your teeth, how long do you wait before trying to get back into the habit of brushing again?

    Log it. Move on. Get right back on track the next meal. A surplus or binge is no excuse to make additional bad choices.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited September 2016
    We all get jammed up over the holidays. Even us that have been doing this for quite awhile.

    If you want to make it through the holiday somewhat unscathed, you gotta plan your day that day. Think mental preparation ahead of time, but also make sure you enjoy the festivities with your family and friends. Its a time for celebration and not not guilt. You can do it, just plan for it!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I get the "I blew it yesterday so why bother today" attitude. I don't have it anymore. Not sure why. Might be the cognitive behavioral tricks I used to stop abusing alcohol - learning to recognize my Addictive Voice. Might be just committing to log in MFP and wanting to keep my calories in the black, with exceptions for days like Thanksgiving.

    I'm a concerned that your overly aggressive weight loss goal - 50lbs by Thanksgiving - will indeed lead you to fall off the wagon. I get 10 weeks so that's 5 pounds per week? That will set you up for binging or burnout. Please consider setting your weight loss goal to a more sustainable 2 pounds per week.
  • Skyblueyellow
    Skyblueyellow Posts: 225 Member
    I pout. I log it. And then I do better the next day!

    Seriously...don't let it derail you. I let that happen to me and I watched 6 months of hard work go down the drain.
  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
    edited September 2016
    I think something important to note is that there will always be holidays, every single year, and you need to form lasting habits if you want to lose and keep the weight off. Rather than trying to strategize how to justify "splurge meals" it might be more prudent to consider how to work things like Thanksgiving into your calorie goal in a reasonable way rather than assuming you have to go overboard because you have in the past.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    I repeatedly see this trapping of counting/logging that a "splurge" meal makes one feel that everything is derailed. Isn't this psychology interesting?

    OP, I don't count/log so I do not have the concept of splurge meals or being constantly on the wire, thus, no feeling of being derailed.

    I have an approach that everything, including unplanned, unforeseen -- birthdays, weddings, holidays etc. happen, is accounted for!

    Basically I have a general understanding of my weekly amount of activities, then I work out (prioritize) the number of meals I can have, and eat light with the rest. Include a margin for both the gain and the loss. A special day is usually where this margin comes into play.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Run a 5 mile Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning to bank some calories for the day -- and make it that -- A DAY!! Not a week, or a month.

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