It's coming! Holiday weight gain...!

2

Replies

  • Kait_Dee
    Kait_Dee Posts: 176 Member
    25lbsorbust wrote: »
    Surprisingly my holidays aren't too bad? My roommates and I are cooking Thanksgiving together, and all three of us are trying to watch our weight. Halloween I can generally avoid the candy, or only have a piece or 2 a day. The real challenge comes at Christmas..

    But in order to deal with that,I'm sending myself a care package with my typical foods here. What you buy in Austin, Texas isn't what you can buy in the suburbs of Connecticut, so I figure the cost to ship some of my favs might keep me eating healthy and prevent against a milanos-and-pretzels binge week

    What a neat idea..!
  • Kellyfitness128
    Kellyfitness128 Posts: 194 Member
    Eat whatever baked goods, sweets, and rich foods that I want while staying within my daily caloric intake. :) No restriction over here, I ain't missin out! But it's all about mindful eating; naturally, I pick foods that make my body feel good, aka healthy foods, but sometimes I feel like a pumpkin spice latte or eggnog or a slice of pie. So, I'll incorporate it in, enjoy every bite, and stop when I'm satisfied. And I'll be keeping up with my workouts, so I plan on continuing losing weight over the holidays.
  • Kellyfitness128
    Kellyfitness128 Posts: 194 Member
    mfurgiuele90 wrote: »
    It's funny, I always stop logging and gain weight in the summer time!

    I LOVE to bake but I am more of a salt lover than sweets. Holiday food and candy I can resist. I enjoy preparing the meals than indulging.

    Take this girl to a amusement park, fair, sporting event, ect and I cant say no to the deep fryer.

    I am so happy the Holidays are upon us. Back to getting in gear!

    Haha, me too! I don't know what it is. I'm kind of thinking it's because: winter, I can't overeat or my jeans are no longer going to button. Summer, I'm in loose clothing so bring on the beer and bbq, I don't have to worry about my clothes not fitting! Or, maybe it's because I'm just so happy around the holidays I don't overeat, since lots of my overeating is attributed to emotional/binge eating.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    I was just listening to a video by a woman who does PT for a living, and she says that she makes her clients make lists of things that would hinder their goals for this time of year, so things like holiday food, kids are back in school so time is more limited, sickness, depression due to lack of sun, etc. She tells them to make a plan to help combat those issues before it happens so that when it does happen you already know what to do. I thought it was a great idea.

    For me:

    Fatigue: October - April is the busiest time of the year for my job. So I need to make a point of making sure I'm getting enough rest.

    Sickness: try to get rest to avoid it as much as possible, take the appropriate medicine if I do get sick, and get plenty of rest if I do get sick. Keep vitamin c drops around at all times!

    Winter blues: there's something about it being dark at 5pm that makes me want to hibernate, lol. I can only think that rest will help, and making sure that I'm treating my workouts like appointments that if I miss them, I'll get fired and have no way to pay my bills.

    Yummy holiday food: just try to ramp up the workouts, indulge on the actual holidays, and then get back to normal the next day. Keep my tracking tight.

    I really do just try to make up new reasons for why I can't let myself gain weight. One that made my friends laugh at me is because my nephew is due in December, and I said "well I can't let my nephew meet me looking all extra chubby. What will he tell the other babies in the nursery?" So I have to stay in shape to avoid being laughed at by those newborns, lol.

    You know what. The cold itself. It gets very cold in my apartment and you can either roast or freeze. There is no in between. When it's freezing in here I have found myself seeking out things like hot cocoa. I actually have taken a liking to an unsweetened version. I just put a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into a cup of boiling water. Sometimes I add creamer. It helps to have some kind of plan in place for these types of situations.
  • ItsyBitsy246
    ItsyBitsy246 Posts: 307 Member
    I saw that article but I don't get it, having never gained weight over the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years... that's only three days of potential over eating in my case, and I can't imagine stuffing my face in three meals with enough cals over maintenance to gain anything.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    williams969 wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Yass.. this is the best time of the year to be bulking. All the foods are belong to me ;)

    Agreed! Since 2014, I've used these months for a purposeful bulking season. I typically gain 5-7lbs total over the holidays, then shed it in Jan/Feb. Because of this, I'm at the same weight as Oct 2014, but with 5lbs more LBM.

    Even if I did not track the muscle gains, I'm still content to accept that I'm going to indulge (moderately, not daily) and gain a few pounds. To me, that's a manageable 5lbs.

    Sorry but a female is not going to gain 5 pounds of lean body mass in a couple of months, even with chemical assistance.
  • Gena575
    Gena575 Posts: 224 Member
    My plan, since there will be 50.hundred events going on, is to take a break the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas but to be mindful of what I'm eating. Eat what I love best and leave the rest. There will likely be 3 or 4 other maintenance days sprinkled in...work potluck, cookie exchange day with family etc. But I'm not going to nibble random break room treats. They almost always disappoint. Now when Betty brings zucchini brownies? Yeah, in my belly lol! But in general, day to day will be business as usual.
  • austinsneeze
    austinsneeze Posts: 220 Member
    I always lose weight in November and gain it back starting in March :/ Weird cycle for me
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    I won't eat most of the treats people bring to work because frankly they're usually not worth the calories. If it's something special, I'll have some. If I have a party or dinner to go to in the evening (like Thanksgiving), I'll eat light during the day. And I eat reasonably at parties and dinners. As a consequence, I enjoy myself over the holidays butI don't put on weight.
  • hollygirl101
    hollygirl101 Posts: 93 Member
    Others have said something to this effect, but it's not like every day of the entire three months is a holiday. The week of Thanksgiving or Christmas or a party coming up or whatever I'll just cut myself short a little on calories the other days to allow for the extra I'll be taking in later that week. Creating a calorie deficit might not offset everything I eat or drink but it's better than doing nothing at all.
  • PaulaS1220
    PaulaS1220 Posts: 61 Member
    rileysowner wrote: »
    So lets look at this and see what the real issue is. Since you mention October to January 1st we will cover that whole stretch. In those 3 months there are 92 days. If we consider the days where there are special events we come to say 10 days where there are Thankgiving Meals, Halloween Parties, Christmas Parties, etc. This would include extra days since there are office Christmas parties and the like since if we only include the actual days it would only be 5 or 6 days. That means 82 days where you could eat at your calorie goal and 10 where you would or might not. Notice something, the issue is not the 5-10 days where you have special events where food abounds, it is the 82-87 days where you could eat at your calorie goal, but don't. The weight gain is not the special events, it is all the other days that mess people up.

    Yes, this! In the past, I gained lots of weight between November and February. Then spent most of the spring and summer losing it, only to regain again during the holidays. Same cycle for years!

    Now, I'm currently at my lowest adult weight ever and loving to run. I swear I will not fall victim to the "holiday eating" this year! So, I'm looking at just like you mentioned... days of indulgence, not months. I will eat what I want on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, New Years Day (lots of "football food" with my hubby), and Super Bowl, but that's it. I'm not giving myself free rein for the entire season.
  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
    I'm not going to gain weight. I will continue to fit my special foods in with my every day calorie goals :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Not only am I inclined to eat more over the holidays, but my NEAT generally goes down outside gardening season. So last year I committed to walking everyday at lunchtime as long as it wasn't pouring rain, despite the snow and cold. I also lifted weights a few times per week.

    I managed to lose a few pounds, and not feel deprived.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Same thing I have been doing for the past 5 "eating" seasons since I have been on MFP.
    All foods in moderation, nothing completely off limits. Some things will just be a taste.
    Nov 3rd will mark my 3rd anniversary on maintenance, and it is working so far.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    edited October 2016
    I'll just stay in my deficit through the holidays. I'll be cooking most everything so I'll know the calories and weigh my portions. It's like the Texas State Fair. I can eat the funnel cake and the fried fabulousness, but I'm also going to walk 8-10 miles.
  • RachaelRenk
    RachaelRenk Posts: 116 Member
    It's that darn green bean casserole that always gets me. Well, let's be honest, any casserole made with a "cream of" soup and cheese. *drool*

    I'm competing in a Biggest Loser contest at work right now and it's actually the fastest I've seen my weight drop, ever. My husband and I are also making some great changes/habits regarding what we eat. The contest ends the day before Halloween, so I guess worst case scenario, I've already lost some weight before all the holidays hit. I just hope that my better eating habits stick throughout.

    I'm the type of person who does want to indulge on the day of the holiday, but I think I'll have to tell everyone I'm not allowed to bring leftovers home with me.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    This year, I actually plan on portioning out the leftovers into manageable meals in Tupperware. One, so I can grab and go. Two, so I don't pick on cold ham and turkey after the day of the celebration.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I gained 3 pounds last year and it took me forever to lose them, but we also had a wedding between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so ugh.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    I say bring it on!
    It's a great time to take a break and enjoy the free food. I break the whole Thanksgiving weekend and then Christmas Eve through New Years. I expect to gain 5-10lbs but I know from experience that I lose all of it by the end of January.
    No head games or guilt, simply enjoy life.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    I usually cook the holiday dinners, so when I cook I don't want to eat much of it... But if I go to someone else's event, I'm looking for the wine, the appetizers and the dessert. So guess I'll be cooking this year too..
  • llbrixon
    llbrixon Posts: 964 Member
    I will eat in moderation on rhe day of the holidays. The trouble are the days after the holidays. So.. if possible, I will eat within calories on the holidays. I did gain weight after Thanksgiving to Christmas. I lost the weight in January and I had 2 birthdays in January. PORTION CONTROL! I am in maintenance now, so I will try my best to get my weight on the very low end of my 5 pound weight range goal.

  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,235 Member
    I just looked at my "records" for Halloween to New Year's from last year. I went to two Halloween parties, a Thanksgiving gathering, a Christmas gathering and a New Year's Party. I ate/drank what I wanted on those *five* occasions. I also averaged my calories per week and not by the day (still do), so I was able rearranged/shift my calories around for the parties. I was 18 lbs lighter at the beginning of the new year than I was at Halloween and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. It's all in the planning. As someone else pointed out, it's not every single day of those few months that you are having to deal with parties/food being thrown at you. Just a handful spread out. Easily balanced if you are just aware and take a moment to plan.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    Unless EVERYDAY is Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, there's plenty of room (days in between) for cutback.

    The problem I see with daily counters is that they have to meet their daily quota or close to it. That's tough.
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