Holiday eating and fitness strategies
kmccrom
Posts: 74 Member
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?
What about fitness? Do you work out more during vacations to compensate for increased calorie intake?
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Replies
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I treat the holidays like 2 days Christmas and New year's, eat, drink what i want. Now if you consider the holidays 6 weeks may have to modify this.10
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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.4 -
There are 365 days in the year...Christmas day is only 1 of 365...
I exercise regularly for my overall health and well being...I don't do unplanned exercise to compensate for anything.13 -
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.3
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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 1/1/21.3 -
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.7 -
kshama2001 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.0 -
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.3 -
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.3 -
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.
I think I agree...that’s the only teeny tiny silver lining to the unholy mess that is Christmas in Tier 4 UK!
I don’t have the heart to cook or eat anything at all, never mind anything resembling celebration food when there’s nothing to celebrate and nobody to eat it.
As my 64 calorie dinner tonight will bear witness! 😂 Maybe I’ll hit my goal weight before Christmas (4lbs to go)! 😟5 -
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.1 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »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.
I think I agree...that’s the only teeny tiny silver lining to the unholy mess that is Christmas in Tier 4 UK!
I don’t have the heart to cook or eat anything at all, never mind anything resembling celebration food when there’s nothing to celebrate and nobody to eat it.
As my 64 calorie dinner tonight will bear witness! 😂 Maybe I’ll hit my goal weight before Christmas (4lbs to go)! 😟
Given lemons, make lemonade, metaphorically speaking.
I try to take that approach, when I can. I'm having solo Christmas (just as I had solo US Thanksgiving) home cooked by me.
This is the first time in my 65 year life that I've spent those holidays entirely alone. I will miss my extended family.
However, for me, the silver lining I'm looking at is making and eating *exactly what I personally want*, whether it's a traditional holiday food or not, and then enjoying the heck out of it (in whatever quantity I feel like eating at the time).
It's not being with my family or even seeing friends (except via Zoom), but it will have to do. It will be fine.
As an aside: A group I belong to, with lots of other single people, is doing a Christmas dinner Zoom, where we'll gather on Zoom for an hour or so to chat, either eating our dinner at the time or before/after, as we choose. THat should add some sociability to an otherwise solo day.5 -
Thanks to everyone for their input! I appreciate it.0
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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.1
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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 concerned2 -
Do sport every day to get out and helps maintain and not increase weight (so much).0
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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 :-)1 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »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.
I think I agree...that’s the only teeny tiny silver lining to the unholy mess that is Christmas in Tier 4 UK!
I don’t have the heart to cook or eat anything at all, never mind anything resembling celebration food when there’s nothing to celebrate and nobody to eat it.
As my 64 calorie dinner tonight will bear witness! 😂 Maybe I’ll hit my goal weight before Christmas (4lbs to go)! 😟
64 calories dinner???? That's.... interesting.
We had booked a meal out for Christmas day, as we do every year, but decided to cancel before full payment was due at the beginning of December. Just did not seem worth it given we were just coming out of another lockdown and history suggested that would result in another rise in C-19 cases.
So we had already called 'Christmas' off.
I have just 10 pounds to go to get into the 'normal' weight range, so close given I have lost over 8 stone so far, and while I was sort of looking forward to a treat meal I know it would have knocked me back a week or more - so am pretty happy with how things have worked out.
What I am now looking forward to is a meal at Easter if I can get vaccinated by then, my birthday, a meal that was also cancelled last year at the very start of the first lockdown here. Three months away so I should be able to enjoy it as a person with a normal BMI. That has never happened before as I have been fat all my life.7 -
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.2
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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.3
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I swear, we need some virtual Christmas dinner/ cocktail parties for all of our friends around the world who have to spend it alone due to? well?.. Dong what they have to do right now.
I vote for decorating for Christmas and making exactly what you want to eat be it on or off plan.... and arrange a zoom party with your loved ones.. get dressed up for it.. it can be different and fun in its own way.
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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.1 -
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.2 -
cwolfman13 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.1 -
Personally exersise won't change, but I have maintained the month of December, will prob go over maintenance by a few hundred over the Xmas week, then will go under a few hundred the week after. So all in all looking to maintain not lose in December! I am hoping the extra fuel with help my weight training : )5
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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!2 -
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...2 -
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.4 -
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.3
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First strategy: not expecting perfection and knowing that what I do most days is more important than what happens in one or two days.
I have my hardest time on my off days because my work days: have a routine. And after tomorrow I am off work until Jan 4. I have an under desk Walkingpad treadmill at work, and I'm going to take it home. Hubs and I have a tendency to sit in bed at night and watch tv - which is normally fine because I get my activity goals met before then. But for my time off, I figure I can do some slow walking beside the bed instead. Burn some extra calories, without being anti-social and needing to spend time in the basement (alone) on the regular treadmill.5
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