I'm worried Christmas will send me off course
TrueAsGod
Posts: 15 Member
I've been logging my food for over a month now and things are going better then ever but I am very concerned that Christmas will set me back. I have a real problem with binge eating and I have only just started feeling like I am in control of it and with Christmas just on the horizon that usually equals a lot of junk food in my house. I live with family and they initially said they would be supportive of my new lifestyle at Christmas time as I am in a real need for change because I am 300+ pounds. Now that Christmas is here, they don't want to hear it and look at me like I'm the Grinch trying to steal Christmas. So in the end they basically went back on their word and told me they don't care what I say they are having junk food and I mean a whole table full of lollies, chocolate, chips and dip. I feel like I'm at the point were if I lose control again I may get diabetes or have a heart attack and that scares me. How do you guys stay the course through Christmas?
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Replies
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That food is not rare
So what if you don't eat it now you can eat it another time ..it's not going to disappear it's not your only ever chance. You can eat it another time you just choose not to right now
Or you can take a small weighed out portion that fits within your calorie goal
You are in control of you so just commit to your goal
Even if you get off track one meal or one snack get back your control log it and move on
It's not all or nothing
It's this decision that counts ...stick yo your calories with this decision and use that to bolster your next decision
This is for life this is your change in attitude20 -
I know exactly how you feel. My grandmother is exactly like this and it was so hard to live with her because she was always baking cookies and had candies galore during the holidays. Thankfully you don't live with them, so it's easier to manage if it's just for a day or two.
I'd suggest while you're there to find something to occupy your mind. Bring gum so you're less tempted to eat candies and chocolates. Fill up on the fruit and vegetable trays if there are any. Peanuts have healthier fats, and they're better than the candies so snack on those. When you have dinner, put more vegetables and protein (turkey or chicken) on your plate. If you feel you're unable to resist something, maybe serve yourself three bites worth to get rid of the craving and then move on.
Sometimes brushing your teeth in-between meals helps too.
Honestly, during the holidays, especially with a family that doesn't understand, moderation really is the only answer.
If you need to, bring your own snacks. Seriously. Or even bring some of your own food so you're less hungry and less likely to binge. It may seem rude, but it also makes a statement to your family that you're taking charge of your life and your decisions. It's never easy, but even the smallest steps can be your greatest achievements.
Good luck out there.
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I know it's really really hard to stay away from the goodies, but you also have to remember it's their Christmas too. Asking them to not have treats because YOU are on a diet probably seems harsh to them. I'm sure they want to support you, but they also want to enjoy their holidays. You can't rely on others to make you stick to this, you need to do it yourself. Allow yourself a little room to enjoy a FEW treats, without losing control, and then put the rest aside and focus on your progress. I was vegetarian for years, but never asked my family to forgo the Turkey at Christmas, just cos I couldn't have any. Sorry if I seem harsh, Merry Christmas!7
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Its just one day, maybe even just one celebratory meal. Thats what I keep in mind. So I enjoy it, log it and get on with the next day as usual. Happy Christmas to you.
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Bwwah!, I eat it all, drink it all ,and work it off! Have fun!, its a holiday!0
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Christmas is not what caused you (or me) to weigh 300+ pounds. What you did on the other 364 days is what did it. Similarly, you will only be sent off course if you continue eating like it's Christmas the whole year.
I have celebrated every single birthday, holiday, wedding, event, going out with friends, and sometimes a "just because" day in the book in the past couple of years. It has not sent me off course. In fact I managed to lose a lot of weight.
It's not reasonable to expect people to put their food traditions on hold just because you decided to lose weight. In fact, you don't need to give up those traditions yourself if you don't want to, as long as you recognize them as occasional and once Christmas is done, it's done.
For perspective, we purchased 1800 grams of butter for Christmas cookies and goodies yesterday. That's about 4 pounds of butter and nearly 13000 calories in butter alone sitting in the house not counting all the chocolate, mayo, chips, fried things and other high calorie dishes. I'm not stressing about it. Why? Because I know to look at the year as a whole, not just the holidays, and because I have a plan to only gain a specific amount of weight that will take no more than a month to get rid of. The more you stress about it the more likely you are to consume more. Just enjoy your favorite dishes and have a plan to be strict on the days that don't involve a lot of festive foods.
You won't become diabetic from one indulgent day (that kind of dramatic thinking will do more harm than good), but you likely will if that one day turns into years of overeating.19 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Christmas is not what caused you (or me) to weigh 300+ pounds. What you did on the other 364 days is what did it. Similarly, you will only be sent off course if you continue eating like it's Christmas the whole year.
I have celebrated every single birthday, holiday, wedding, event, going out with friends, and sometimes a "just because" day in the book in the past couple of years. It has not sent me off course. In fact I managed to lose a lot of weight.
It's not reasonable to expect people to put their food traditions on hold just because you decided to lose weight. In fact, you don't need to give up those traditions yourself if you don't want to, as long as you recognize them as occasional and once Christmas is done, it's done.
For perspective, we purchased 1800 grams of butter for Christmas cookies and goodies yesterday. That's about 4 pounds of butter and nearly 13000 calories in butter alone sitting in the house not counting all the chocolate, mayo, chips, fried things and other high calorie dishes. I'm not stressing about it. Why? Because I know to look at the year as a whole, not just the holidays, and because I have a plan to only gain a specific amount of weight that will take no more than a month to get rid of. The more you stress about it the more likely you are to consume more. Just enjoy your favorite dishes and have a plan to be strict on the days that don't involve a lot of festive foods.
You won't become diabetic in one day (that kind of dramatic thinking will do more harm than good), but you likely will if that one day turns into years of overeating.
Very insightful! OP I suggest you read and absorb this.2 -
You can't dictate how others eat because you are on a diet. Complaining that others are not "respecting" your new lifestyle is redundant, because they don't HAVE to. It's your health, your body, your problem. Like a previous poster said, eat small portions and log it. If you have a slip up don't let it turn into an all day binge. Add an extra cardio
Session. You control this. Not your family, not the food. Own your behaviour and take responsibility. If you mess up just get back on it ASAP and move ahead.3 -
I've been logging my food for over a month now and things are going better then ever but I am very concerned that Christmas will set me back. I have a real problem with binge eating and I have only just started feeling like I am in control of it and with Christmas just on the horizon that usually equals a lot of junk food in my house. I live with family and they initially said they would be supportive of my new lifestyle at Christmas time as I am in a real need for change because I am 300+ pounds. Now that Christmas is here, they don't want to hear it and look at me like I'm the Grinch trying to steal Christmas. So in the end they basically went back on their word and told me they don't care what I say they are having junk food and I mean a whole table full of lollies, chocolate, chips and dip. I feel like I'm at the point were if I lose control again I may get diabetes or have a heart attack and that scares me. How do you guys stay the course through Christmas?
1. In my house we divide things like candy or cookies into baggies with our names on them. I will eat out of my bag and make it stretch out over days or weeks. I don't eat other people's food.
2. I prelog my whole day. Planning and priorities.
3. I eat food I like every single day. My family has not changed their eating habits. I eat smaller portions of the food I always ate.
4. We store food away out of sight in the kitchen.
5. If I don't want to eat I might chew mint gum and get busy with something else.
6. I am doing a bit more exercise.
7. I can eat at maintenance level for a day or two. Even going over my maintenance calories one day may only result in a 1 lb gain. That isn't that big of a deal. I get back to normal eating and activity asap.2 -
JoyMaillet wrote: »You can't dictate how others eat because you are on a diet. Complaining that others are not "respecting" your new lifestyle is redundant, because they don't HAVE to. It's your health, your body, your problem. Like a previous poster said, eat small portions and log it. If you have a slip up don't let it turn into an all day binge. Add an extra cardio
Session. You control this. Not your family, not the food. Own your behaviour and take responsibility. If you mess up just get back on it ASAP and move ahead.
I hear what you're saying but to be fair I'm not dictating anything to anyone, I was only holding them to their word. I also didn't say anything about them "respecting" my new lifestyle so I'm not sure how to respond to that. But perhaps that's how they also view my request so I think I will just apologise to them and get through this myself.2 -
I've been logging my food for over a month now and things are going better then ever but I am very concerned that Christmas will set me back. I have a real problem with binge eating and I have only just started feeling like I am in control of it and with Christmas just on the horizon that usually equals a lot of junk food in my house. I live with family and they initially said they would be supportive of my new lifestyle at Christmas time as I am in a real need for change because I am 300+ pounds. Now that Christmas is here, they don't want to hear it and look at me like I'm the Grinch trying to steal Christmas. So in the end they basically went back on their word and told me they don't care what I say they are having junk food and I mean a whole table full of lollies, chocolate, chips and dip. I feel like I'm at the point were if I lose control again I may get diabetes or have a heart attack and that scares me. How do you guys stay the course through Christmas?
1. In my house we divide things like candy or cookies into baggies with our names on them. I will eat out of my bag and make it stretch out over days or weeks. I don't eat other people's food.
2. I prelog my whole day. Planning and priorities.
3. I eat food I like every single day. My family has not changed their eating habits. I eat smaller portions of the food I always ate.
4. We store food away out of sight in the kitchen.
5. If I don't want to eat I might chew mint gum and get busy with something else.
6. I am doing a bit more exercise.
7. I can eat at maintenance level for a day or two. Even going over my maintenance calories one day may only result in a 1 lb gain. That isn't that big of a deal. I get back to normal eating and activity asap.
Prelogging is a great idea maybe I will use this to get me through.1 -
JoyMaillet wrote: »You can't dictate how others eat because you are on a diet. Complaining that others are not "respecting" your new lifestyle is redundant, because they don't HAVE to. It's your health, your body, your problem. Like a previous poster said, eat small portions and log it. If you have a slip up don't let it turn into an all day binge. Add an extra cardio
Session. You control this. Not your family, not the food. Own your behaviour and take responsibility. If you mess up just get back on it ASAP and move ahead.
I hear what you're saying but to be fair I'm not dictating anything to anyone, I was only holding them to their word. I also didn't say anything about them "respecting" my new lifestyle so I'm not sure how to respond to that. But perhaps that's how they also view my request so I think I will just apologise to them and get through this myself.
That's how it is with all things. Only you have the power to do this for yourself. I don't think you need to apologize. Stuff like this is a part of life and it will come up over and over. Just do what you do quietly and with perseverance. It's great if you have supportive family and friends who are willing to help, but never EVER rely on it. It's not that they don't care, but they have their own stuff to deal with. You can do this. You've cotton may great tips on this thread. Let us know how it goes!3 -
JoyMaillet wrote: »JoyMaillet wrote: »You can't dictate how others eat because you are on a diet. Complaining that others are not "respecting" your new lifestyle is redundant, because they don't HAVE to. It's your health, your body, your problem. Like a previous poster said, eat small portions and log it. If you have a slip up don't let it turn into an all day binge. Add an extra cardio
Session. You control this. Not your family, not the food. Own your behaviour and take responsibility. If you mess up just get back on it ASAP and move ahead.
I hear what you're saying but to be fair I'm not dictating anything to anyone, I was only holding them to their word. I also didn't say anything about them "respecting" my new lifestyle so I'm not sure how to respond to that. But perhaps that's how they also view my request so I think I will just apologise to them and get through this myself.
That's how it is with all things. Only you have the power to do this for yourself. I don't think you need to apologize. Stuff like this is a part of life and it will come up over and over. Just do what you do quietly and with perseverance. It's great if you have supportive family and friends who are willing to help, but never EVER rely on it. It's not that they don't care, but they have their own stuff to deal with. You can do this. You've cotton may great tips on this thread. Let us know how it goes!
Wise words thank you0 -
JoyMaillet wrote: »You can't dictate how others eat because you are on a diet. Complaining that others are not "respecting" your new lifestyle is redundant, because they don't HAVE to. It's your health, your body, your problem. Like a previous poster said, eat small portions and log it. If you have a slip up don't let it turn into an all day binge. Add an extra cardio
Session. You control this. Not your family, not the food. Own your behaviour and take responsibility. If you mess up just get back on it ASAP and move ahead.
I hear what you're saying but to be fair I'm not dictating anything to anyone, I was only holding them to their word. I also didn't say anything about them "respecting" my new lifestyle so I'm not sure how to respond to that. But perhaps that's how they also view my request so I think I will just apologise to them and get through this myself.
Probably because you are still new to dieting, but this mindset could make things hard for you, so the faster you work on it the easier things will get for you. With time, hopefully, you will learn that you aren't "getting through" anything. The stress associated with trying to survive events instead of just living them and enjoying them will only lead to burnout. You want to avoid that at all costs so you don't quit prematurely.
As for the event itself, I'll try to be a bit more specific how I personally handle it:
1. I pick the dishes I like the most and focus on these (with little regard to calories). The goal is to enjoy, and by eating the things I enjoy the most and skipping the things that are not as enticing I end up saving calories unconsciously. I'll log them, of course, but only for the purpose of keeping a record.
2. I eat slowly, enjoying the company and conversations.
3. I try not to stress about food. Stress leads to more food intake.
4. I don't treat this day as a "cheat day" where I try to get as much food in as possible before the dreaded dieting starts again. I treat it as "life", since no two days in life are exactly the same and allowing myself to eat more one day and less food on another I'm just being flexible and it doesn't feel as a day far removed from my dieting process, but as a part of it.
5. I have lower calorie days either leading to an event or in between events if I have more than one within a short period of time to mitigate some of the effect of the extra calories.
6. If a small gain happens, I don't stress about it, knowing full well I can just diet it away in a few weeks like nothing happened.
Working on developing this mindset has helped me tremendously because lower calorie days no longer feel like "jumping back on the wagon" so they require less mental effort and motivation to restart. The higher calorie days no longer include shoveling as much food in as possible because when the clock strikes 12 I'll lose the option of enjoying my life.4 -
I go on a diet break over Christmas ... but ...
I try not to go too crazy ... and ...
I exercise a lot!
And then I pick a day in January (NOT January 1) to get back on the diet again.0 -
That food is not rare
So what if you don't eat it now you can eat it another time ..it's not going to disappear it's not your only ever chance. You can eat it another time you just choose not to right now
Or you can take a small weighed out portion that fits within your calorie goal
You are in control of you so just commit to your goal
Even if you get off track one meal or one snack get back your control log it and move on
It's not all or nothing
It's this decision that counts ...stick yo your calories with this decision and use that to bolster your next decision
This is for life this is your change in attitude
So much this! And it cannot be emphasized enough-YOU control food, it does not control you. That was one of the biggest truths I had to learn throughout this process and it makes such a difference in how you interact with food. I can enjoy all the foods that I like, and when it's time to be done eating them, I can walk away. I set the parameters, I am in control, and I am successful.
OP-you've got this, just be mindful of your calorie intake like you have been. Many people also find it helpful to go into a short period of maintenance during the holidays, to give yourself some extra calories to play with. That may be beneficial to you as well.1 -
I understand where you're coming from. I used to suffer with bulimia, and it's been a hard journey for me to control the binges (the reason I put on nearly 100lb is because I stopped the purging side of it but carried on with the mad binges) and I do find it hard to control myself to not eat tonnes of bad stuff when it's literally laid out in front of me.
We're spending Christmas with my fiance's family who are all big eaters and his mum bakes so so many cakes and sweet treats, with minimal vegetables in there. My plan is to run the morning before we travel and have a healthy breakfast, and then to honestly just try my best to be sensible. Log your food if you need to, i'm allowing myself to maintain or gain a lb or two over the period so i'll be a bit more relaxed. I'm going to have a few 'naughty' bits because it's Christmas after all, but just stay mindful.
Go for a walk during the day too. I'll be walking his mums dog first thing Christmas morning and then going for another walk after dinner. Drink plenty of water.2 -
All of the above, but maybe you could make sure that there are some treats that you enjoy, but that are not disastrous to your intake, as well as all the seasonal lardy stuff. So you can join in, not stop others eating what they want, not feel that you are denying yourself, but also not feel you are derailing your weight loss.
For example, if there are chips and dips, you could also cut some veggie batons to dip, instead of the chips.
I do think it's a bit harder for you than for someone who has been at this for a long time - you've only had a month to get used to eating better, and that's not long to ingrain new habits.0 -
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Im sorry your famiky wont support sbd help you. Dont let that stop you from reaching your goals. Even if you eat the cr4p all this week, it's very unlikely that you'll get diabetes or have a heart attack. That could happen even if you eat great (sad but true). I suggest that you get yourself some healthy munchies to have as a replacement. Today's MFP'S blog lists 12 hOliday food hacks. Take a look, you might get a few ideas. Maybe you could even make 1 or 2 for the family table, just don't tell them how you made it!0
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Lives with family, 33 years old. Stamp your feet, hold your breath, and move out.6
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I find it useful to have something planned for the next day that will support my goals. Sign up for a first session with a trainer or make an healthy meal prep date with a friend. Anything that will keep your goals top of mind and will keep any one-day indulgence from sliding into two days, or a week.
I also try to make a policy of eating healthy things first (salads, veggies, etc.). Things to fill you up a little before you hit the dessert table.
Good luck! You can do this!1 -
Survey the table, rate the foods on a scale of 1-10, and only eat the 10s. Also try to drink a couple of glasses of water before you start eating--you will fill up faster.0
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