Tips for not gaining over the holidays

lkelly0402
lkelly0402 Posts: 11 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there!

I wanted to see if anyone had some good tips for continuing to lose weight or at least maintain over the holidays. Last year I put on a solid few pounds from Thanksgiving to New Years and I don't want to repeat that. My biggest problem will be trying to say no to all the Christmas cookies and sweets!

Happy early thanksgiving to all! Thanks in advance!
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Replies

  • mommazach
    mommazach Posts: 384 Member
    My goal is to lose 10 more lbs during Nov/Dec. The plan is to NOT gain my traditional 10 this year. I've stuck to a keto eating plan and have found some great recipes on Pinterest! Best part, I have a support team who shares recipes. Best plan for success is to pre plan it. Don't take the sweets off the plate, don't sabotage your success for constant indulgence. Find low cal/carb solutions. One of my favorites is currently whipped cream with pecans. A little pumpkin pie spice, and 60 calories of delight. Best of luck to you.
  • SamMarriottPT
    SamMarriottPT Posts: 33 Member
    1 - Reduce Calorie Intake throughout the day to allow more calories for thanskgiving / christmas treats, that way you can stay on track

    2 - Add additional volume to your workouts (extra sets, reps, exercises or sessions) to increase your daily calorie burn, giving you extra room for additional snacks or treats

    3 - Increase your Calorie Intake to maintenance or just below, to give you extra macros for treats

    Hope this helps!
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Practice the principle of holiDAYS, not holiMONTHS. There are specific foods I want to eat during the holidays, so I eat those and avoid the calorie-dense stuff that doesn't matter as much to me. On Thanksgiving, I love mashed potatoes and I just like rolls, so I will probably skip the rolls. I love pumpkin pie, but I just like Christmas cookies, so those are easier to pass up. Don't eat things just because they look tasty -- be mindful of the stuff that matters the most to you and you will find it easier to meet your calorie goals.

    you know i really like this actually. So easy to think "well i ate this mise will eat this to..." But just prioritizing what you want the most your satisfied and likely to remain in your limits
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,110 Member
    Last year we did a large family hike on black friday. It was a great way to burn through some of the Thanksgiving extras and spend quality time together. My best advice is to try and find activities you enjoy to balance out time eating. Not only will you burn more but you arent snacking when you are up moving. Also, when you see all of the treat choose one instead of sampling them all. I'm a sucker for dessert but I don't let myself try every pie or cookie. Instead I pick one and thoroughly enjoy that one.
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    Whatever not eaten at my house the day after the holiday is sent with my dad and put out in the break room. No matter how much it's always gone before the first break. No temptation if it's not in the house.
  • carpe_vinum
    carpe_vinum Posts: 53 Member
    I have also made a personal goal to drop 10 from mid-Nov through Jan 1. I know that if I keep my goal centered in my mind, it will happen. The focus keeps me from going off diet. If you do, however, log it and move forward. Really, we all need a Christmas cookie; however, just one. =)
  • Laurakay2012
    Laurakay2012 Posts: 2 Member
    We run a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, that burns off a piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Holiday food should come - not with a calorie count - but with a miles per bite count.

    Seriously use the time during the holidays to focus on activity instead of eating. Take a family walk/hike, play some flag football, organize a family plank or push-up challenge.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Portion control for both food and drink AND learning how to say: "No, thank-you" and mean it. :)
  • RebekahAnn88
    RebekahAnn88 Posts: 46 Member
    What if no thank you doesn't work? I have a sweet and very sensitive Mexican mother in law who will be devistated if I cut back from my used to be norm quantities of everything. She will be staying with us (along with all his family) for two full weeks and always does the cooking while in town... I've been stressing on what to do about it and figured it fits well in this thread
  • laurens47
    laurens47 Posts: 117 Member
    RebekahAnn88 wrote: »
    What if no thank you doesn't work? I have a sweet and very sensitive Mexican mother in law who will be devistated if I cut back from my used to be norm quantities of everything. She will be staying with us (along with all his family) for two full weeks and always does the cooking while in town... I've been stressing on what to do about it and figured it fits well in this thread

    You have to decide what is more important to you. Two weeks of not following your daily deficit....or your MIL's feelings. Sometimes you just have to sit someone down and tell them why you are not going to indulge as much or why you have/are making life-style changes for yourself. You can also "bank" calories over the course of each week to save up for a meal/day of higher calories.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2016
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Don't treat the whole damned two to three months as some reason to just eat...enjoy the actual holidays themselves. Stay active. If you're attending holiday parties, strategize just as you would for any other party...I attend some kind of party or another a couple of times a month pretty much year 'round...I eat lighter on those days so that I can enjoy myself that evening.

    Great advice.

    If you search holidays, Thanksgiving or Christmas you should find tons of different strategies people use. But I personally think the above is the best advice. If you're going to splurge and not track and just have fun, don't do it from Thanksgiving Day through New Year's Day or for a "big celebration" or two a week during this time as so many people seem to do (everything's a celebration or a food gift or an office-whatever at this time of year).

    Otherwise, many people track and stay within calorie goals; track and overeat but make a note of that; or "bank" in advance/restrict later and track. You need to know yourself really well and choose the strategy that works the best for you.

    Happy holidays!
  • Meghanebk
    Meghanebk Posts: 321 Member
    edited November 2016
    I'm eating at a slightly higher deficit this week to "bank" some calories for Thanksgiving.

    I do treat each holiday as a DAY, not a week. Also, portion control - I won't say no to pie, but I'll have one regular size piece, not half a pie over 2 days. If I have family who want to feed me old family recipes, I take a small serving of whatever and enjoy it loudly in their direction. As long as I try some, they're much less pushy about getting me to eat more. I fill up spaces on my plate with less calorie-dense options so it looks like I have plenty of food.

    I won't log on Thanksgiving or Christmas, it's a hassle, I just try to be mindful of portions. I am not spending 20 minutes listing all the ingredients in my aunt's bacon green bean casserole and figuring out the estimated number of grams I ate.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    RebekahAnn88 wrote: »
    What if no thank you doesn't work? I have a sweet and very sensitive Mexican mother in law who will be devistated if I cut back from my used to be norm quantities of everything. She will be staying with us (along with all his family) for two full weeks and always does the cooking while in town... I've been stressing on what to do about it and figured it fits well in this thread

    You are an adult. You control what you put in your mouth.

    If you know you "need" to eat then increase your calorie deficit the week before to bank some calories.
  • lauracups
    lauracups Posts: 533 Member
    I'm not the example of moderation and control, it's something I'm still struggling with despite 60lbs gone. My reason for overeating at the holidays aren't because of celebration, rather grief and stress (2 significant deaths at Thanksgiving and Xmas ) So my plan is exercise, which I always do, no problems there, meditation and practice moderation when I feel it's possible, otherwise avoid the treats, if I don't have the 1 I don't have the dozen. I also look at pics of me when I was obese...that does the trick.
    Enjoy the people in your life, food is the after thought.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    RebekahAnn88 wrote: »
    What if no thank you doesn't work? I have a sweet and very sensitive Mexican mother in law who will be devistated if I cut back from my used to be norm quantities of everything. She will be staying with us (along with all his family) for two full weeks and always does the cooking while in town... I've been stressing on what to do about it and figured it fits well in this thread

    How to Do Sleight-of-Hand Techniques:
    wikihow.com/Do-a-Basic-Sleight-of-Hand-Magic-Trick
    :+1:
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    Laurakay2012 wrote: »
    We run a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, that burns off a piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Holiday food should come - not with a calorie count - but with a miles per bite count.

    Seriously use the time during the holidays to focus on activity instead of eating. Take a family walk/hike, play some flag football, organize a family plank or push-up challenge.

    I'm trying to envision all my obese relatives doing any of this and I think it would end up in trips to the ER :p My grandma and one uncle can barely walk because of their obesity, though they manage to get themselves back up to the buffet table for thirds sigh....
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,155 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    Easier said than done, but only eat the really good stuff that you can't get any other time of year. Pass on all the crap from gift baskets left in the break room, store bought desserts at pot lucks, etc. But, indulge in the stuff that is meaningful -- like your grandmas beautifully decorated cookies, or Mom's hot apple pie.

    This is really what I do. I am not going to worry about it too much. I really only have a couple of days that I indulge. But I do try to only eat things that I really love. I will eat as much of my mom's sweet potato casserole as I want. She only makes it 3 times a year. I will probably skip the dinner rolls and the mashed potatoes since those aren't really special. There is one lady who gives me some pecan praline stuff every year. It is ok, but I don't really like it that much so I regift it to my mother in law. I'll do the same with candies and stuff like that that I receive. If they are special once a year things then I will have a moderate portion. If not then I will pass on it.
  • lkelly0402
    lkelly0402 Posts: 11 Member
    Thank you everyone!! These are wonderful ideas!!

    I feel like the struggle for me is we end up with 5-6 Christmas parties between family and friends. I have to make my mind up that I can only indulge on Christmas Day. Other wise it's too many days of over doing it.
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