Thanksgiving and Christmas

I could use some advice in this area as well. It is hard to get through the holidays without adding a few pounds back on.

Thanksgiving, I just go for it, enjoy my meal but not the left overs. And that hasn't caused me too much trouble. It's just the one day really.

It is the Christmas food that lasts for a whole month that gets me!

So what should I do with these holiday foods?
I really, really do not want to eat over the amount of food. Any tips?

Its pretty simple really - you just need to preplan ahead... check out the books the previous poster recommended... Pre-planning your meals is no different than what you do now...

My husband goes nuts when he realizes I have so many meals planned ahead.. he doesnt know how I can do it! LOL I told him if I let him do the planning, that means we would either starve or eat junk food! lol!!!

Portion control is key for me.
I want to eat everything - so a bite or two let's me try all the yummy food!

I agree. Allow yourself to have what you want, but only in small amounts... This helps me feel like I can enjoy the holidays like everyone else!

Eat a very light breakfast and make one plate and just try to keep everything smaller than an actual portion because theres so much food and that way you can get a little of everything. I don't really eat food on Christmas i usually just get the cookies and eggnog lol but I guess its the same idea. Also, I wouldn't eat too much of the turkey because turkey has natural sedatives and that will make going for a run or walk less likely afterward.

here is what i'm planning. i will not count calories on thanksgiving or christmas because it will drive me crazy. i will not be having carb based stuff. not having potatoes, stuffing. however, i will enjoy turkey, cranberry relish, vegetables, salads. i think that is pretty reasonable and i can get filled up on that. if i do decide to take some of the carb stuff i will limit my portions. it is only one day so try to enjoy. then just make sure to exercise adn get back on track. you coudl even exercise right before eating in order to keep yourself from overeating. and drink a lot of water right before the meal.

I recommend drinking a very large glass of water about 15 minutes before you eat....this gives you a feeling of being full and helps you not to over eat. Also, stick to just the foods that you truly love and eat the correct portion size. Then try to work in 60minutes of extra exercise during the holiday weeks....eat it only if you plan to burn it!!!

This is why I love zig-zagging my calories. Special events aren't a problem because I eat below my calorie target several days a week to bank them for splurging. I never go over my weekly calorie target doing this, can eat the foods I enjoy, and am still losing weight just fine. I love not feeling deprived. And a few days of eating low won't put you in starvation mode. It takes a long time for that to happen. In fact, this way of eating is supposed to boost your metabolism and, really, I think it's working as I'm losing better than ever before using this approach.

Also, a tip from "French Women Don't Get Fat". If you're going to indulge in something, make it be something that counts. I love chocolate but only eat it sparingly as it's a trigger food for me but, when I do eat it, I don't have just any chocolate. I have something good like a Godiva chocolate or a Florentine from a local bakery or an amazing chocolate truffle.
To apply this to Thanksgiving...I'm going to indulge in the things that I really love that aren't always available to eat like my delicious turkey stuffing. But mashed potatoes aren't a big deal to me so I won't have those. I will indulge in my brother-in-laws's crazy good salmon spread but won't eat my mother-in-law's pies as I'm not that big of a pie fan. Make sense?

Portion control is also a good thing. Enjoy a small serving, take small bites, really let it roll around in your mouth so you enjoy the flavor, chew and chew, and then swallow. I find that small servings of yummy calorie-dense foods can really satisfy me this way. If I eat them faster, I need more to be satisfying.

I just dont get caught up in the whole holiday thing. If I wanna try something, I do. I don't use the holidays as an excuse to over eat. I treat the holidays just like any old Tuesday. I guess I'm sorta of a Scoorge when it comes to X-Mas.