Christmas excesses and how to keep track of everything
junfanjeetkunedodevon8873
Posts: 9 Member
Christmas is coming very soon now, a time of year where there are lots of excesses typically on the food and drink fronts, I'm dreading how to keep track of every morsel I might be eating as there are so many sharing platters etc and glasses tend to get refilled before you notice... any tips? Do most of you stop tracking altogether and not worry, and get back on it after the holidays? Just curious. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Always track. Do your best to estimate.
I have private food entries for Generic Stuff 20% Protein and Generic Stuff 4% Protein, set as 100 calories each with 20 and 4 respectively from protein. I left the other macros blank because I don't care about those.
If a slice of cake is maybe about 400 calories, as a guess, I add 4 * "Stuff 4%". If it's a home cooked turkey or ham meal with sides, maybe 7 * "Stuff 20%". Etc. etc. If it's a labeled box of chocolates and I know exactly how many calories, I add that amount of "Stuff 4%". It's not perfect ofc, but also I don't want to clutter up my diary with new one-off entries, nor spend the time it takes to find or enter all of those entries accurately. So I just add it as "Stuff".9 -
junfanjeetkunedodevon8873 wrote: »Christmas is coming very soon now, a time of year where there are lots of excesses typically on the food and drink fronts, I'm dreading how to keep track of every morsel I might be eating as there are so many sharing platters etc and glasses tend to get refilled before you notice... any tips? Do most of you stop tracking altogether and not worry, and get back on it after the holidays? Just curious. Merry Christmas everyone!
I don't really bother, but for me and my family it's really just Christmas Eve and Christmas day itself...a couple of days out of 365 is pretty immaterial. We also usually host so I'm busy most of Christmas day moving around in the kitchen. Also, Christmas dinner isn't nearly the feast that Thanksgiving is in my house. This year is a ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted vegetable medley and a salad w/pumpkin pie for desert. I don't like the feeling of being stuffed full either, so my portions are pretty normal.
Christmas Eve is our traditional Tamales and Posole for dinner with flan for desert. It's all high calorie, but again between Christmas Eve and Christmas day, it's two meals and maybe some over indulgence in mulled cider and charcuterie type of things before Christmas dinner.6 -
I've logged food every day since 2016. Before that, I logged food sporadically between 2007 and 2016 only when I was trying to lose a few pounds. I far prefer to log food daily. It keeps my head in the game.
With that said, in the past seven years of course there have been days and weeks when I did a lot of guessing. I may have been off by a thousand or more on my guesses, but the one thing I know is that I didn't throw in the towel and gain a bunch of weight...like I kept doing for years. Logging is important for a lot of reasons.
...and if you aren't keeping an eye on extra drinks and extra desserts, it helps you to start paying closer attention. Truly.4 -
I don't usually log days anymore where I'd be wildly guessing, but that's in year 7+ of maintaining. I try to be moderately sensible (but enjoy the food part of the celebration), and remember that it's holiDAYs not holiMONTHs. As long as it's rare, it's NBD.
I did log holidays during weight loss and early maintenance, since I still wanted at least approximately sound data for decision making about calorie needs and nutrition. .
There are a couple of possible things that might help:
For one, I did try to remember what I'd eaten. My family serves holidays buffet-style, so we serve ourselves. I could pay attention as I plated my food to estimating portion sizes. I didn't log right then, but if I got a spare moment where it wouldn't be socially awkward, I might log or at least note what I'd eaten. (Example: In my crowd, it's not rude to play with one's phone while people are mostly watching football.
)
For drinks, I usually had a drink budget in my head - 2 glasses of wine or whatever - and tried to stick with that. To slow myself down (even now), I make it a point to have water with the meal and maybe at other times, and thankfully that's normal in my family. That put a drink in my hand that was non-caloric, cut down on other drinks being pushed. ("I'll have another wine when I finish this glass of water" . . . by which time people forget.)
For two - and only if it can be done subtly and politely - I would take a quick photo of my plate with my phone (no flash!). Make sure there's something standard-sized on the plate (like a fork). That makes it easy to remember and to estimate portion sizes.
Honestly, I think our own attitude toward this plays a role in accountability, assuming you do decide you want to log the holiday. You say "there are so many sharing platters etc and glasses tend to get refilled before you notice". That sounds like there might be an implicit script in your head telling you that this is going to be impossible, so you might as well not even try.
I'm not saying it's wrong to skip logging that day. It's fine to decide that's your plan.
But if you do decide that you want to log, spend your energy now planning how you can best do that. (I know that's kinda what this thread is about.) Adopt the idea that it is possible, that it's a skill you can develop. It may not be perfect on the first attempt, but since it's a skill, you'll get better at it with practice, right? There's always going to be approximation and estimation in the picture, but you can get in the ballpark, I think.
Happy holidays!
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I track everyday. I used to go off the rails on holidays and felt so sick after.. I finally started to hate the idea of people gorging themselves on holidays.. so I decided holidays I can feast on healthier options, moderate my portions and not go crazy, track and still feel good.
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I am tracking everything and just estimating the best I can when necessary. I think it’s helping be more accountable to myself and probably am being more mindful of what I’m actually eating. All those little cheats really add up and it’s easy to just keep at it and throw in the towel. I’d encourage you to track2
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I've decided to enjoy myself ..but not going crazy and no free for all. I don't like logging calories.. it doesn't work for me. It is what a person does consistenty that matters.. not what they do for two or three days. But, like i said.. i'm not going off the deep end.
Might I suggest.. looking at yourself in the mirror sideways with just your underwear on?... that always keeps me on track.
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If you are doing a lot of nibbles etc and want to track try using coins in your pocket.
Dime = 100 cals. Quarter= 250 cals. Move from right to left as you use your calorie. Pennies for a drink.
Not perfect but it can keep one mindful and may help in recounting what you did actually eat or drink.
Of course it helps if you have pockets. The time I was at a fancy event I was pocketless (posh dress) so I slipped a knitting row counter on a silver bracelet. Not pretty but it worked.
Cheers, h.
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Last year I didn't track for November and December and just "tried" to keep portions under control and gained 6 pounds (real pounds not water or undigested weight). It took me 3 months to relose it. This year I am tracking and being honest and have gained 3 pounds but likely some is water weight and undigested food as I am traveling. I do have to estimate and am eating more rice and sugar than normal (in Japan).2
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Lol, just input 2,000 calories a day over maintenance for the next 2 weeks and don’t worry about it.1
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I always log. Some days it's not so much to keep track of calories as it is to stay in the habit. I brush my teeth, too.1
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Lots of good ideas here. I always start the day off with weighing myself in the morning every day of the year. That number keeps the impact of my decisions in the forefront. It’s such a pain in the neck to re-lose weight.8
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Interesting.
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CrazyMermaid1 wrote: »Lots of good ideas here. I always start the day off with weighing myself in the morning every day of the year. That number keeps the impact of my decisions in the forefront. It’s such a pain in the neck to re-lose weight.
So true. Even if I don’t track I know what the scale said and it pretty much guides my decisions throughout the day. I’m new to maintenance so not sure if it’s a good long term strategy but it’s working really well so far.0 -
CrazyMermaid1 wrote: »Lots of good ideas here. I always start the day off with weighing myself in the morning every day of the year. That number keeps the impact of my decisions in the forefront. It’s such a pain in the neck to re-lose weight.
This 👆🏻1 -
I log, but most of my holidays are with family and a lot ilof the menu carries over from year to year, so I have a "saved meal" as a starting point from which I can edit amounts and add anything new. After 10+ years of logging, it's an engrained habit to notice and remember what I eat. Of course the amounts are just estimates (I don't bring a scale).2
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I log basics, as close as I can. But I don't worry about being exact or including every bite. For me, holiday excess is usually only a day or two, not frequent rounds of parties. I try to be mindful of what I eat, but I don't do full denial either. I may gain a pound or two, but then as soon as possible I go back to eating normally.4
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Personally I don't give it any thought, it's a few days or a week of indulgence and over the years it didn't make any difference how much I indulged in the long run and just went back to my intuitive eating pattern which is to eat until I'm no longer hungry. I am low carb and Keto, just getting that out there. 0
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I'm logging everything because I'm still in the early stages of trying to lose weight for the zillionth time and I've wanted to give up a couple times. I'm certain if I stop logging it'll be harder to restart.
That being said, I've been well over my daily calories for the last couple of weeks and gained 3 lbs. back. I've been letting myself enjoy treats and as long as I'm logging and conscious of what I'm eating, I feel like I'm still on plan, so to speak.
I'm giving myself until New Year's and then time to get those calories back in line.3 -
The issue is never a single day, or even a scattering of say five or so days throughout the month. It is going to say, the office Christmas party, eating too much there, then instead of getting back to your deficit the next day and sticking with it until the next individual day, you go off the rails for all those days as well. So far my plan to eat according to my calorie goals all days except that handful of days has resulted in me dropping 3 pounds this month. Of course the big test is going to be today, tomorrow and New Year's Eve. If I can stick to the plan, which I have so far, I will hopefully end the month weighing less than I did at the beginning. On the days I eat freely I don't count or log although I do focus on eating more meat at the start to fill myself up with something that keeps me full.3
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I don't log on my big cooking days - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and who can guess the third?0
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kshama2001 wrote: »I don't log on my big cooking days - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and who can guess the third?
Hmm 🤔 What is 4th of July? (I feel like I’m way off). I’m hoping it’s your Birthday because… well… it’s your birthday 🥳. October, right?0 -
Thanks all, of course I went way over my calorie targets over christmas, just too many nice things, family and friends over sharing drinks and food etc, but I logged as best as I can, lot of it guesstimating :-) The thing is I'm trying to build a habit and still discovering what I need to do, what appears to be a calorie deficit for most days this past 6 weeks, has not yet translated in to weight loss, in fact I went up a pound, so I'm looking on changing the foods I eat (and doing so methodically, changing one of the meals a day etc.) and changes in exercise routines, I'm gradually building up duration and intensity of those, sooner or later I should reach a tipping point and weight will start to come off...1
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Merry Christmas! I totally get the struggle with holiday indulgence. My tip: focus on mindful eating, savor each bite. If tracking feels overwhelming, enjoy the festivities guilt-free. Resume tracking post-holidays. Wishing you a joyous season filled with delicious moments!1
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"What appears to be a calorie deficit..." May not be, actually.junfanjeetkunedodevon8873 wrote: »Thanks all, of course I went way over my calorie targets over christmas, just too many nice things, family and friends over sharing drinks and food etc, but I logged as best as I can, lot of it guesstimating :-) The thing is I'm trying to build a habit and still discovering what I need to do, what appears to be a calorie deficit for most days this past 6 weeks, has not yet translated in to weight loss, in fact I went up a pound, so I'm looking on changing the foods I eat (and doing so methodically, changing one of the meals a day etc.) and changes in exercise routines, I'm gradually building up duration and intensity of those, sooner or later I should reach a tipping point and weight will start to come off...
What makes you think (or know?) that the number you have chosen is correct?
The variables could be
1. You used a number spit out from an online calculator such as myfitnesspal which is at best a ballpark figure. It could be off by several hundred calories for you which would delay results.
2. You aren't logging accurately. Putting aside the binge of the holidays, maybe you need to tighten up your logging by vetting every item you choose from the database. Look at the nutrition numbers closely. The database is full of errors (the foods are added by members.) Are you using a food scale? That may help. I've used one for years. I need it.
3. You may have chosen an "Activity Level" that's too high here on the site. Personally I find the Activity multipliers to be way low for me - but it goes to show that they aren't necessarily spot on.
4. As far as exercising, again, just another way to guess incorrectly. Be stingy with those numbers. How are you estimating exercise calories?
Give it 4-6 weeks at a given setting and number, and if there is not progress that lines up with your Goal - adjust. We say 4-6 weeks because you need a good trending dataset from which to gather your info.
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Always track, keep portions in mind, choose healthy options - non-processed foods and sugars.0
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cmriverside wrote: »
"What appears to be a calorie deficit..." May not be, actually.junfanjeetkunedodevon8873 wrote: »Thanks all, of course I went way over my calorie targets over christmas, just too many nice things, family and friends over sharing drinks and food etc, but I logged as best as I can, lot of it guesstimating :-) The thing is I'm trying to build a habit and still discovering what I need to do, what appears to be a calorie deficit for most days this past 6 weeks, has not yet translated in to weight loss, in fact I went up a pound, so I'm looking on changing the foods I eat (and doing so methodically, changing one of the meals a day etc.) and changes in exercise routines, I'm gradually building up duration and intensity of those, sooner or later I should reach a tipping point and weight will start to come off...
What makes you think (or know?) that the number you have chosen is correct?
The variables could be
1. You used a number spit out from an online calculator such as myfitnesspal which is at best a ballpark figure. It could be off by several hundred calories for you which would delay results.
2. You aren't logging accurately. Putting aside the binge of the holidays, maybe you need to tighten up your logging by vetting every item you choose from the database. Look at the nutrition numbers closely. The database is full of errors (the foods are added by members.) Are you using a food scale? That may help. I've used one for years. I need it.
3. You may have chosen an "Activity Level" that's too high here on the site. Personally I find the Activity multipliers to be way low for me - but it goes to show that they aren't necessarily spot on.
4. As far as exercising, again, just another way to guess incorrectly. Be stingy with those numbers. How are you estimating exercise calories?
Give it 4-6 weeks at a given setting and number, and if there is not progress that lines up with your Goal - adjust. We say 4-6 weeks because you need a good trending dataset from which to gather your info.
Indeed, I've figured already that the numbers may not be at all accurate, depending on their origin. If there's a barcode available from a product, I use it, and then adjust portion size where applicable, if not I select from the list of options provided and always choose one with one of the higher calorie counts. My activity/exercise calories are coming from my smart watch which measures my activity for the most part. Then lastly I've adjusted my calorie target (after 5 weeks of using the app) that is now set for losing 2 pounds per week, even though I realistically am shooting for 1 pound per week, but it's so that I have a lower calorie intake target to reach, so it warns earlier..0 -
Those barcoded entries are also entered into the database by regular members/users and they are subject to big errors, so check them against the label the first time you use them.
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junfanjeetkunedodevon8873 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »
"What appears to be a calorie deficit..." May not be, actually.junfanjeetkunedodevon8873 wrote: »Thanks all, of course I went way over my calorie targets over christmas, just too many nice things, family and friends over sharing drinks and food etc, but I logged as best as I can, lot of it guesstimating :-) The thing is I'm trying to build a habit and still discovering what I need to do, what appears to be a calorie deficit for most days this past 6 weeks, has not yet translated in to weight loss, in fact I went up a pound, so I'm looking on changing the foods I eat (and doing so methodically, changing one of the meals a day etc.) and changes in exercise routines, I'm gradually building up duration and intensity of those, sooner or later I should reach a tipping point and weight will start to come off...
What makes you think (or know?) that the number you have chosen is correct?
The variables could be
1. You used a number spit out from an online calculator such as myfitnesspal which is at best a ballpark figure. It could be off by several hundred calories for you which would delay results.
2. You aren't logging accurately. Putting aside the binge of the holidays, maybe you need to tighten up your logging by vetting every item you choose from the database. Look at the nutrition numbers closely. The database is full of errors (the foods are added by members.) Are you using a food scale? That may help. I've used one for years. I need it.
3. You may have chosen an "Activity Level" that's too high here on the site. Personally I find the Activity multipliers to be way low for me - but it goes to show that they aren't necessarily spot on.
4. As far as exercising, again, just another way to guess incorrectly. Be stingy with those numbers. How are you estimating exercise calories?
Give it 4-6 weeks at a given setting and number, and if there is not progress that lines up with your Goal - adjust. We say 4-6 weeks because you need a good trending dataset from which to gather your info.
Indeed, I've figured already that the numbers may not be at all accurate, depending on their origin. If there's a barcode available from a product, I use it, and then adjust portion size where applicable, if not I select from the list of options provided and always choose one with one of the higher calorie counts. My activity/exercise calories are coming from my smart watch which measures my activity for the most part. Then lastly I've adjusted my calorie target (after 5 weeks of using the app) that is now set for losing 2 pounds per week, even though I realistically am shooting for 1 pound per week, but it's so that I have a lower calorie intake target to reach, so it warns earlier..
Those devices measure things like heart rate, arm movements, etc.
They only estimate calories.
They're close for most people, because of the statistical basis for those estimates. But they can be wrong, high or low, for some individuals. In rare cases, they can be quite surprisingly far off.
It's not about trackers being accurate: It's about how average the person is. It isn't necessarily obvious why someone is statistically average (or not) in calorie needs, either.
Trust your multi-week average results more than you trust any tracker.2
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