Holiday eating and fitness strategies

kmccrom
kmccrom Posts: 74 Member
edited December 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I’d like to hear what approaches people are taking to eating during the holidays. What has helped you stay on track in the past? Do you still log your food on a day like Christmas Day? How do you deal with the holiday mentality around eating and still maintain a balance?

What about fitness? Do you work out more during vacations to compensate for increased calorie intake?
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Replies

  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    As luck would have it Christmas is pretty much cancelled in the UK so I am going to be having a normal day food wise.

    And I am actually quite pleased about this, on the quiet.
  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
    I decided a long time ago that I do not need to eat everything in sight just because it is Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or whatever. I didn't like the feeling of being stuffed to the point my stomach hurt and felt like I could throw up. I eat a normal sized plate of food, and only eat the food I truly enjoy. I skip dressing/stuffing, rolls, etc, because to me that's just filler.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    In an ordinary year "the holidays" includes parties and extra food temptations at work and otherwise and other events that are hard to log (I also have a December birthday). Most of that isn't true this year, so I don't see the holidays posing the same temptations, at least not where I am.

    However, even in an ordinary year, if I'm logging otherwise (I don't usually log at maintenance), I will log when possible or otherwise estimate those days and make sure to compensate for them (i.e., eat less earlier in the day). I don't exercise more during the holidays, but I do make sure not to exercise less (which can be a temptation more because of weather in that I do a lot outside).

    I usually cook much of Christmas dinner, etc., so will log if it's easy, or estimate, again if I'm logging, but won't bother worrying about a day or two that are unusual. This year will be pretty low key, and I likely will log (I'm working on losing some covid lbs), but won't be concerned if I go over on Christmas day. Even with a very small number of folks at dinner, I still think it's worth having holiday food (for me that's going to be savory stuff), just not as much or as many dishes as usual. NYE isn't really a big calorie day for me normally, and certainly won't be this year, as I expect there will be no party, so it will be exciting if I manage to stay awake until midnight. I plan to do a virtual race on 1/1/21.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kmccrom wrote: »
    Hi everyone! I’d like to hear what approaches people are taking to eating during the holidays. What has helped you stay on track in the past? Do you still log your food on a day like Christmas Day? How do you deal with the holiday mentality around eating and still maintain a balance?

    What about fitness? Do you work out more during vacations to compensate for increased calorie intake?

    When I am responsible for putting on a big meal like Christmas or Thanksgiving I don't log. I spent more than 8 hours cooking for Thanksgiving, so that's extra exercise :)

    If I weren't hosting I would indeed workout more.

    Normally I make a lot of cookies and ship them to friends out of state, but I've been struggling with emotional eating this year so limited that to a family member who is serving in the Middle East. Plus the first batch of cookies always went to my company for Thanksgiving, and I lost that job in June, so that cast a pall over the whole endeavor.

    Yes!! And to boot, when I finish I usually don't want to eat it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,551 Member
    kmccrom wrote: »
    Hi everyone! I’d like to hear what approaches people are taking to eating during the holidays. What has helped you stay on track in the past? Do you still log your food on a day like Christmas Day? How do you deal with the holiday mentality around eating and still maintain a balance?

    What about fitness? Do you work out more during vacations to compensate for increased calorie intake?

    First, let me say that I 100% agree with others' observations that a holiDAY (or two or three) has a very different impact from a holiMONTH (full of parties and treats, off and on, but cumulatively lots, and small bits over goal rather frequently). For me, the best way to regain is that "hundred or two extra calories 4 days out of 7 for a month" kind of thing, not "one day at 2-3 X TDEE" . . . even, I suspect, if the calories are similar).

    But, about the holiDAY part:

    When I was losing weight, and IIRC maybe the first year in maintenance, I logged the holiday meals, even though I knew it was very approximate (because someone else cooked it). Back then, I wanted to have the more complete data for estimating my calorie needs, because I'd already learned that MFP's goal estimate was waaaayyy off, for me, so that understanding my experiential data was more important. I also logged other indulgent days, for that reason, and also as a way to understand how my own individual body responds in the days after a big day of X magnitude (I'm a daily weigher/trend app user, too).

    The first year or two, I did eat quite indulgently on the holidays, but tried to stay reasonable without being restrictive (a whole slice of pie, say, and with the ice cream on it . . . but not *2* slices). In more recent years, still maintaining a healthy weight, I really haven't worried about it at all. If I feel like having 2 slices of pie, I have them. If I don't, I don't.

    As long as it's a rare thing, my body seems to under-store excess calories from a single big meal/day (or even 2). I'm not saying there's zero fat gain (if I've eaten enough to see some on the scale, in theory). It's just less than I might anticipate, from raw math.

    At the holiday, which usually is more about Christmas eve dinner in my family, I'm routinely wrapping up the Concept 2 Holiday challenge (machine row 200 km, which is around 124 mi, between US Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Eve.) I don't explicitly save up those calories, but my last row is usually Christmas Eve morning, so I have an extra 300-ish calories on the day from that, and I usually eat lightly earlier in the day, more to leave appetite capacity for all the yummies than to save calories. I'd say I usually end up eating at least 2X TDEE on the holiday.

    The days after, if the extra intake gives me a burst of energy (sometimes does), I might work out a little more or harder than a usual day; and if I don't feel as hungry as a normal day, after that feast, I might eat a little less. (therwise, I just go back to normal routine. (Normal routine: I undereat maintenance calories by maybe 100-150 most days, but eat those back relatively soon, so that tiny deficit is maybe in play.) It usually takes my body around a week to stop playing games with the water weight & digestive contents, and give me a scale result that realistically reflects any actual fat gain. If there is some, I can decide what to do. There usually isn't some, if it's truly a rare thing. 🤷‍♀️

    A bunch of stuff in that previous paragraph is stuff I learned from logging big-eating days earlier in the loss/maintenance process, and watching the daily weigh-ins thereafter, so there's that. (I've been maintaining for a little over 5 years, still logging/counting most days.)

    FWIW, it wasn't a holiday, but I did a sort of case study report here on a weekend of big eating: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10603949/big-overfeed-ruins-everything-nope/p1

    That's an example of how/why I've logged big days in the past: Results are good to know, in my world. YMMV.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    1. I've been eating more lean and fewer carbs these days leading up to Christmas Eve.

    2. I've also really thought about what foods do I want to truly enjoy on Christmas Eve and day.. Also..what can I give up that I just eat to eat because it is "tradition" or always there. ( a lot really)

    3. I'm going to eat some delicious food.. but I do think I am not going to gain weight just by going off one evening and one day.
  • mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12
    mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12 Posts: 204 Member
    On Christmas Day I will eat what I want and just log it. I won’t eat everything in sight just because it happens to be there though. I’ve already made a plan in my head of what I’ll be aiming for. For example, I’ll eat my regular bowl of porridge for breakfast. I will eat a piece of Christmas cake, but only one. I’ll probably eat 2 or 3 times my usual daily calorie goal, but I’m doing so intentionally. I will go fir a short run on Christmas morning, but that won’t make a dent in the extra calories I plan to eat.

    For me planning ahead helps me to stay on track. That way I won’t wake up in the morning decide to skip my morning jog because it’s Christmas and then take the opportunity to eat an entire Christmas cake for breakfast!

    A lot if people are struggling with the idea if lockdown at Christmas. It’s tough, especially for people who live alone. I’m trying to look at the positives and be mindful of my many blessings - I can connect with family and friends remotely and because I won’t have a houseful I don’t need cupboards full of unhealthy treats that I’ll be tempted to eat.
  • kmccrom
    kmccrom Posts: 74 Member
    Thanks to everyone for their input! I appreciate it.
  • ExpressoLove11
    ExpressoLove11 Posts: 337 Member
    I dont track from Christmas eve through to Boxing day, not when I was losing and not now in maintenance. Its only 3 days out of the year and it has minimal impact - in fact I love the superpowered workouts that come after a special occasion dinner 😊 I think the trick is to not adopt the mentality of eating everything in sight for those few days - just eat what you enjoy and appreciate it. No need to stuff yourself or binge, then get back on track ASAP.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    I planned my maintenance week for this!

    I am in maintenance this week which gives me 500 glorious extra calories a day. I am banking some of them for Christmas at the end of the week.

    I personally take a maintenance break every 8 weeks, so 8 week deficit, 1 week maintenance, repeat. This time I went 9 weeks deficit so that I could correspond the maintenance week with Christmas to make my life easier.

    I don’t go nuts though for the holidays (I used to make 10 different types of candy, 6 different cookies, and 4 different cakes and now I make 2 kinds of cookies and that’s IT). I eat a little more junk and I certainly “sample” cookies and cookie dough while baking it, so that’s why I don’t consider it a single day, but everything in moderation means no huge shocks after the holiday as far as the weight is concerned
  • Healthy_Body_46
    Healthy_Body_46 Posts: 17 Member
    Do sport every day to get out and helps maintain and not increase weight (so much).
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I have already made my lap lane reservations for the next two weeks, and have planned what I'm going to cook on Christmas and New Years. I'll "save" a few hundred calories earlier in the week so I can "spend" them on Christmas day, and I'll log whatever I eat like any other day

    It helps that I'm the only herbivore in my household, and I'm used to avoiding the sweet treats and traditional fatty sides made with dairy and/or eggs the others will eat . . . and they're used to me not eating what they eat :-)
  • Gr8nurs1271
    Gr8nurs1271 Posts: 25 Member
    I get my workout in early during holidays. I work everyday in healthcare but I happen to be off Christmas Day and the weekend. I will get up my regular time and do my workout. I don’t have little kids anymore. We’re not doing anything for the holiday because covid. Nothing different. Just another day this year.
  • sakurablossoms82
    sakurablossoms82 Posts: 62 Member
    My plan is exercise more during these weeks and maybe eat a bit less unless I'm hungry and then for Christmas or New Year enjoy all the yummy food in moderation. I don't want to limit myself on those days. And a few weeks ago I had the idea of maybe it's cool to aim for 20kg weight loss in 2020 but I'm still 1,5KG away and I decided to just let the idea go.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    In the past I would indulge way too much but as I have gotten older I hate that overly full feeling I used to get when eating too much heavy food.

    I will indulge in a few things now but have a small portion of each. The main thing I crave is berry pie but I can usually be satisfied with one slice.

    I tend to exercise less in the winter due to gloomier weather. I’m just less motivated. On days when I go to family’s house, I track as best I can and eat at or slightly above maintenance for just a day or two.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    In the past I would indulge way too much but as I have gotten older I hate that overly full feeling I used to get when eating too much heavy food.

    I will indulge in a few things now but have a small portion of each. The main thing I crave is berry pie but I can usually be satisfied with one slice.

    I tend to exercise less in the winter due to gloomier weather. I’m just less motivated. On days when I go to family’s house, I track as best I can and eat at or slightly above maintenance for just a day or two.

    That's me too. That said, Christmas doesn't tend to be quite the ordeal that something like Thanksgiving is. It's more like a good Sunday dinner. I usually do a rib roast with roasted turnips with some kind of veg side and Yorkshire pudding. It's a nice plate of food, and that's about it...there aren't tons of different dishes to try and sample, and very few leftovers. It's somewhat more indulgent than a regular day for sure as we have tamales with breakfast and usually quite a few appetizers and whatnot are out while dinner is being prepared...but it's nothing crazy. Our Thanksgiving this year was much smaller than usual as we just didn't have as many people and no need for so many dishes...there were a few things we would normally have that I missed, but at the same time it was nice to just have a reasonable amount of food and not be overly full and feeling like I was going to explode.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    In the past I would indulge way too much but as I have gotten older I hate that overly full feeling I used to get when eating too much heavy food.

    I will indulge in a few things now but have a small portion of each. The main thing I crave is berry pie but I can usually be satisfied with one slice.

    I tend to exercise less in the winter due to gloomier weather. I’m just less motivated. On days when I go to family’s house, I track as best I can and eat at or slightly above maintenance for just a day or two.

    That's me too. That said, Christmas doesn't tend to be quite the ordeal that something like Thanksgiving is. It's more like a good Sunday dinner. I usually do a rib roast with roasted turnips with some kind of veg side and Yorkshire pudding. It's a nice plate of food, and that's about it...there aren't tons of different dishes to try and sample, and very few leftovers. It's somewhat more indulgent than a regular day for sure as we have tamales with breakfast and usually quite a few appetizers and whatnot are out while dinner is being prepared...but it's nothing crazy. Our Thanksgiving this year was much smaller than usual as we just didn't have as many people and no need for so many dishes...there were a few things we would normally have that I missed, but at the same time it was nice to just have a reasonable amount of food and not be overly full and feeling like I was going to explode.

    Yes! Agreed.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,640 Member
    sakurablossoms82 wrote: »
    My plan is exercise more during these weeks and maybe eat a bit less unless I'm hungry and then for Christmas or New Year enjoy all the yummy food in moderation. I don't want to limit myself on those days. And a few weeks ago I had the idea of maybe it's cool to aim for 20kg weight loss in 2020 but I'm still 1,5KG away and I decided to just let the idea go.

    That’s a win of almost 41 pounds, though, so still an ah-mazing job there!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,008 Member
    kmccrom wrote: »
    Hi everyone! I’d like to hear what approaches people are taking to eating during the holidays. What has helped you stay on track in the past? Do you still log your food on a day like Christmas Day? How do you deal with the holiday mentality around eating and still maintain a balance?

    What about fitness? Do you work out more during vacations to compensate for increased calorie intake?

    I don't change anything. I eat what I want and train like I always do. If you take care of business from December to November, what you do from November to December is of no consequence...
  • Samand303
    Samand303 Posts: 123 Member
    I have a major sweet-tooth and I love to bake! We can't bring goodies into work to share anymore, though. Luckily I just found a neighborhood family with two teens and two full-time working parents who would LOVE donations of sweets anytime. This has helped me do something I enjoy and still maintain. (I lost 30lb in the first 8 months of 2020...and the end of 2020 isn't going to break me!)
    My mantra lately is "the first bite tastes the same as the last", so I don't feel like I have to finish that sweet on my plate. Leaving 3-4 forkfuls of cheesecake may not make a big difference in the scale, but it makes a big difference in my attitude.
  • saramelie77
    saramelie77 Posts: 50 Member
    I'm treating the holidays as normal days. So I will be sticking to my caloric goal and working out daily. I've struggled with binge eating my whole life and I'm now dealing with a heart condition, which is my first motivation to lose the weight. It's going very well at the moment, I really don't want to jinx myself.

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