NO NONSENSE November 2023
baconslave
Posts: 7,018 Member
There's a statistic that goes around: something like over 25% of people will gain weight between Halloween and New Year's. It's Holiday season. We're busy with work, school, get-togethers, and shopping. We all have a lot on us, including whatever crisis is after us at the moment! 
It's easy to just say "to heck with it" and cave. And wake up on New Year's Day and looking in the mirror, unhappy with what extra weight we've gained. It happens to the best of us.
During my first LCHF holiday, I checked the weight chart, and I had lost 13lb (almost 6kg) between Oct 31st and my birthday (New Year's Day.) It's possible to not only NOT gain but to LOSE weight during the holiday season.
Planning ahead and keeping an eye on the basics are two of the most important focal points if we want to keep on the up and up in the face of all the junk, goodies, and other nonsense rampant this type of year.
Some people choose to handle this time of year completely on-plan, supplementing low-carb recipes for all our bad-ol' favorites.
What I've done in the past is to pick 1 or 2 events that were most important. For me it was Christmas Eve and New Year's Day (my birthday). I enjoyed those celebrations. Once the day was over, the indulgence was OVER. I brought home no leftovers to continue the nonsense. I picked specific things I was going to have, not ALL THE FOODS. I told myself that at bedtime, the day was over and when I woke in the morning, it was back to the routine. The rest of the days during that period, I planned ahead to stay on-plan. For those other events I didn't select, I either ate before-hand, or brought on-plan dishes to them. The 1st year, I lost 13lb between Halloween and New Year's. The 2nd year, I was very close to goal and lost the 2lb needed to reach my goal weight.
Hey, this time of year can be A LOT. But we can make it work. Together we'll figure this out.
But this challenge is also about monitoring our plan Basics. Focusing on nailing the Basics is what makes the difference.
Consistency + Persistence + Time = Success
Any low-carb plan is welcome. Just post your monthly goals and beginning weight (if you are just planning to maintain through the month, like me, that's cool, too) and check-in daily or weekly with how well you did. Alternately, if you are focusing on keeping to fitness goals instead, that's certainly welcome. After all, this is YOUR challenge.
The Basics:
Staying under carbs
Staying under calories
Logging and measuring
Getting in exercise/movement if that's one of your goals
Keeping an eye on electrolyte levels
Getting enough water
Planning ahead
Share recipes, problems, thoughts.
Fight back against all the NONSENSE life throws at us this time of year. Especially this year!
It's easy to just say "to heck with it" and cave. And wake up on New Year's Day and looking in the mirror, unhappy with what extra weight we've gained. It happens to the best of us.During my first LCHF holiday, I checked the weight chart, and I had lost 13lb (almost 6kg) between Oct 31st and my birthday (New Year's Day.) It's possible to not only NOT gain but to LOSE weight during the holiday season.
Planning ahead and keeping an eye on the basics are two of the most important focal points if we want to keep on the up and up in the face of all the junk, goodies, and other nonsense rampant this type of year.
Some people choose to handle this time of year completely on-plan, supplementing low-carb recipes for all our bad-ol' favorites.
What I've done in the past is to pick 1 or 2 events that were most important. For me it was Christmas Eve and New Year's Day (my birthday). I enjoyed those celebrations. Once the day was over, the indulgence was OVER. I brought home no leftovers to continue the nonsense. I picked specific things I was going to have, not ALL THE FOODS. I told myself that at bedtime, the day was over and when I woke in the morning, it was back to the routine. The rest of the days during that period, I planned ahead to stay on-plan. For those other events I didn't select, I either ate before-hand, or brought on-plan dishes to them. The 1st year, I lost 13lb between Halloween and New Year's. The 2nd year, I was very close to goal and lost the 2lb needed to reach my goal weight.
Hey, this time of year can be A LOT. But we can make it work. Together we'll figure this out.
But this challenge is also about monitoring our plan Basics. Focusing on nailing the Basics is what makes the difference.
Consistency + Persistence + Time = Success
Any low-carb plan is welcome. Just post your monthly goals and beginning weight (if you are just planning to maintain through the month, like me, that's cool, too) and check-in daily or weekly with how well you did. Alternately, if you are focusing on keeping to fitness goals instead, that's certainly welcome. After all, this is YOUR challenge.
The Basics:
Staying under carbs
Staying under calories
Logging and measuring
Getting in exercise/movement if that's one of your goals
Keeping an eye on electrolyte levels
Getting enough water
Planning ahead
Share recipes, problems, thoughts.
Fight back against all the NONSENSE life throws at us this time of year. Especially this year!
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Replies
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I am guessing doing Keto I will do better than I have in the past. On special occasions I do eat freely, but even then I try to focus more on meats and low carb foods to fill me up so I indulge in far less high carb options. On days like when we celebrated all our family birthdays in one meal out or on Canadian Thanksgiving I found even eating high carb stuff, I could get back to eating keto macros the next day because I really like the food that I eat while sticking to my macros, and since I will intentionally make a keto friendly desert, I get the leftovers of it to eat in the days following if a craving for sweets comes because of that day of free eating. I am hoping the same happens with the various events that will be coming up in the next two months.1
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I'll be increasing my vitamin D to help me get in a better mindset for the next two months.
@baconslave you are a younger version of me (bday 12/30) so I truly get your holiday history and vibe. I also share my bday with our oldest so I try my best to carve out some me time during all the hoopla.
For November I must make my health a priority and that means movement every day and increasing NEAT to help with that. My meal planning is good but prep is severely lacking. Working on it!!!0 -
Stress at work is trying to derail me but I’m trying really hard to keep fat and protein up. I opted for cauliflower crust pizza over the weekend and did have some toast yesterday but am trying to stick to the basics and focus on what is going in my mouth. I’m also sticking with fasting but based on my cycle, I’ve struggled to go 24 hours so have been more in the 17-20 hour range most days. I’ve had sugar cravings but have fought those off- it helps not having much at home to splurge on. Here’s to a new month!!2
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Saturday post (didn't remember to hit submit...ooopsie): I'm here I'm here. Nov 1st and 2nd were on plan and perfect. Friday was planned nonsense. My oldest dauther turned 21. I took her out and enjoyed Mexican but kept the carbs as low as possible and fasted until the meal. So I think I did alright. My second nonsense is Thanksgiving. Already making plans to indulge to appetite but no leftovers after that day. PERIOD!
My problem though currently is that I've been unable to incorporate exercise. My exercise days used to be M-F, 3:30-5:00 every day, but kid events keep intruding now. And in the evening I am too tired to workout after dinner. But I may just have to force myself to do that or figure out how to workout on the weekends. Which is difficult because the Saboteur (hubby) makes that difficult. But today I might get a hike in since Eldest is visiting the fam and her bf wants to hike in the woods behind the house. So at least I'll get to do that.
Today: Managed to get walks in both Saturday and Sunday. I'd planned to do strength yesterday but managed to tweak my lower back out of nowhere.
So I walked again. My weekend wasn't great. But it was better. So I'll keep working on it. Those who know me know that is ever my struggle.
No wins on the scale yet. Time is going to pass anyway. Hopefully it will cooperate soon.0 -
baconslave wrote: »Saturday post (didn't remember to hit submit...ooopsie): I'm here I'm here. Nov 1st and 2nd were on plan and perfect. Friday was planned nonsense. My oldest dauther turned 21. I took her out and enjoyed Mexican but kept the carbs as low as possible and fasted until the meal. So I think I did alright. My second nonsense is Thanksgiving. Already making plans to indulge to appetite but no leftovers after that day. PERIOD!
That sounds like my plan for the Canadian Thanksgiving which is already past. I did make one keto desert so I could enjoy some leftovers while going back to keto the next day.
Way to go with getting some exercise.
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Participated in the end of a fitness challenge at my trainer's on Sunday. Sore today but worth it. Food has been good this month for the most part. Still working on getting meal prep done. Like everything else in my life, I will have to add it to a list if it's going to get done.1
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Add a mid month new goal. Finally, I started working out again. The spur for it was being away for the weekend and having a nice gym at the hotel we were staying at. Since Monday to Friday I need to be up around 6, but can go to the living room and watch some TV, I usually don't work out in the morning. By evening, I am tired from work and have little desire to exercise, not to mention all the chores around the house. However, while away, I couldn't wake up everyone in the room just because I was awake, so I figured I would get in a workout. It went great, and I decided that I would continue with it since I now was going to be sore anyway. That leads to the goal of doing my planned workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next 4-6 weeks, then update the program. I have a number to choose from some are 3 days a week, some are 4 or even 5. Hopefully, I can stick with it, as I do need to get more fit. I also need to get a regular habit of exercise started so I can build some muscle.2
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I'm here and still struggling. I'm getting the workouts in consistently. Working on paying more attention to hunger and satiety clues because I'm still having issues making myself log my food. And I'm working on better weekends. Still no scale movement but then the exercise and soreness is bound to mask anything anyway from water retention for a bit.2
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baconslave wrote: »I'm here and still struggling. I'm getting the workouts in consistently. Working on paying more attention to hunger and satiety clues because I'm still having issues making myself log my food. And I'm working on better weekends. Still no scale movement but then the exercise and soreness is bound to mask anything anyway from water retention for a bit.
Great job continuing to work at this. I can identify with your struggle. You can do this.0 -
Been missing. A little bit off track. Frustrated
But I know it is me and my choices. Not so much trying to lose weight but trying to get my blood sugar level under control without prescriptions. Yesterday I thought I did good until I saw how many carbs was in the Cauliflower pizza. Learned a lesson there. My fault for reading the label after I ate the pizza. It was good though. Just more determinded to eat better. In the morning I am always more determine. It is in the evening where the weakness happens. I have not had an A1C test done in a while. I just check several times a day with a meter. Goal this week is to get an A1C test done to see where I really am. 2 -
Been missing. A little bit off track. Frustrated But I know it is me and my choices. Not so much trying to lose weight but trying to get my blood sugar level under control without prescriptions. Yesterday I thought I did good until I saw how many carbs was in the Cauliflower pizza. Learned a lesson there. My fault for reading the label after I ate the pizza. It was good though. Just more determinded to eat better. In the morning I am always more determine. It is in the evening where the weakness happens. I have not had an A1C test done in a while. I just check several times a day with a meter. Goal this week is to get an A1C test done to see where I really am.
Thankfully, I learned that lesson before eating a so pre-made so called cauliflower pizza. I looked at the ingredients and nutrition information and was astounded by the carb amount. It is far better to make you own even though it takes much more work. More and more I am realising that the biggest strength in eating Keto is found in eating mainly homemade foods based on whole food sources. I started out using a lot of pre-made stuff, but often even when the carb and net carb numbers on them look good they still resulted in a significant blood sugar increase.0 -
My last weekend was sabotaged and atrocious. I have gotten into a good little logging routine since Monday though. Still keeping up with workouts as best I can. Still planning on having a little of the foods I really want tomorrow and no more thanksgiving foods after. Girding myself to make my weekend better. Whatever it is, I WILL log it. Maybe looking at it in black and white will help what I can control at least0
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@baconslave I so feel you! This month hasn’t been great for me either. Weekends are tough. Stress causes me to eat off plan and give in to cravings. I’m still fasting 16-20 hours most days but am listening to my body if I need to eat before then. I have continued my exercise but am prioritizing strength over walks and may just take a break from everything this weekend. I haven’t been logging because I’m just sick of it. I have been cooking more at home but had some cheats this week that I just didn’t need. I’m working on getting my mindset right to dig in and drop some fat. We got this! It’s just a marathon, not a sprint.0
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My DH calls Thanksgiving "National Carb day" I did track what I ate and yes if I track correctly I had over 250 carbs. And yes this morning my blood sugar was 179 which is super high for me. That is a one time picture in the morning and I know in a few hours it will be back in the norm. Darn dawn effect. But thank goodness all my left overs are low carb. I do have 1/2 pies of pumpkin and pecan pie left over, but I also have 5 very activice adult kids who will eat this for me, and seeing my numbers really does keep me honest.0
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Hi everyone , I am also doing low carb eating. My A1C was high been watching my carbs so my doctor will wait to put me on medication. I see her next week for her to review my lab work . I only went down a little now from 7.1 I am 6.9 that is not low I expect a much lower number. I just can’t make myself exercise. I hope she will let me try longer. Does it take you forever in the grocery store to check each item put in your cart to put only low carb items. Last week it took me 1 1/2 hours to shop. Do you have any suggestions?0
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karentroyan327 wrote: »Hi everyone , I am also doing low carb eating. My A1C was high been watching my carbs so my doctor will wait to put me on medication. I see her next week for her to review my lab work . I only went down a little now from 7.1 I am 6.9 that is not low I expect a much lower number. I just can’t make myself exercise. I hope she will let me try longer. Does it take you forever in the grocery store to check each item put in your cart to put only low carb items. Last week it took me 1 1/2 hours to shop. Do you have any suggestions?
My A1C when from pre-diabetic to normal with a keto diet. By keto diet I mean simply one that put me into nutritional ketosis. Not one of the "keto" diets where there is all this focus on "clean" food. I simply want to limit carb intake so I get into and remain in ketosis. When I started I focused on trying to get 20 or less carbs a day, now 7 months in I focus more on getting 20 net carbs or less in a day. I did that all without exercise. Macro breakdown is about 75% fat, usually 6-10% carbs, and the remainder protein. I would suggest that for you starting out, focus on keeping carbs at 20 or less total grams a day. Yes, that is a challenge and will result in eating more meat and fish and far less veggies, but it will lower and stabilize your blood sugar very quickly.2 -
I apologize for not being around ... I have been sick with bronchitis going on 3 weeks now .. November is a wash ... I hope December will be better2
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Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »I apologize for not being around ... I have been sick with bronchitis going on 3 weeks now .. November is a wash ... I hope December will be better
Get well.0 -
rileysowner wrote: »Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »I apologize for not being around ... I have been sick with bronchitis going on 3 weeks now .. November is a wash ... I hope December will be better
Get well.
Thank you @rileysowner0 -
November is a wash for me too! Work will slow down in December and I’m going to focus on wellness.0
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yeah. Well I have come to the realization that under current conditions, I'm not going to lose a thing. Hubs is going through things, which is sabotaging me. And is also hard to deal with, so STRESS.
However, I didn't gain any more. I've increased weights workouts. And so until the first of the year I am DETERMINED to maintain and maybe recomp with my weight workouts.
And on that tack, December's Challenge. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10904419/santa-sprint-december-2023-challenge/p1?new=1
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