The problem with "It's only one day" holiday mentality

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  • Ryoku
    Ryoku Posts: 35 Member
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    I'm trying something new this year. I always seem to be on a diet this time of the year, lol. I have lowered my calories by 100 for the last week leading up to Thanksgiving. This gives me an extra 700 calories on Thursday without blowing my diet.

    My biggest obstacle will be not taking any leftovers home.
  • healthysue228
    healthysue228 Posts: 6
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    I plan on allowing myself to eat what I want on Thanksgiving but I plan on not stuffing myself to oblivion this year!
  • healthysue228
    healthysue228 Posts: 6
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    I plan on allowing myself to eat what I want on Thanksgiving but I plan on not stuffing myself to oblivion this year!
  • karenhs2
    karenhs2 Posts: 197
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    I been thinking about Thanksgiving and the " it's only one day" theory and have come to the conclusion that for me it leads to a slippery slope...add in a Birthday, Christmas, New Years, Superbowl. Thankgiving. Valentines, 4th of July, Labor Day, Easter, Halloween, summer vacation, winter vacation, etc - and I can quickly see myslef having 20 - 3,000 calorie days in one year - that's 17 POUNDS! I'm going to indulge Thursday but still be very aware of what I eat. Wish me luck!

    I am wishing you luck and some for me as well.

    It is not just one day for me...yet. I know this from the weight of past experience (pun intended). I want to get to the point that a holiday is just one day but until I do, I am with you. My plan is to have the items that I really truly want but still measure and log. Not so much that I don't go over a certain amount that day, but so that I don't lose my focus. Because that is very easy for me to do. It is like one part of my brain can go to sleep for 6 months and I wake up 20 lbs heavier. And it is not so much the holiday food that will do it but the holiday stress. At this time I need some kind of external guidance to make it work and I think I have finally found a tool, MFP, that will work.

    Years ago I wouldn't have started anything like this right before the holiday season. But if I made that decsion this time, I know I would be 5 to 10 lbs heavier come January. When I can trust myself with a holiday again, and I will know when that is, then I will. Believe me, I look forward to it. And I will gladly join those of you saying it is just one day. But just know that not everyone is where you are right now.
  • misty8parker
    misty8parker Posts: 45 Member
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    OMG!! Seriously!!! Sushi!!!! We have a sushi buffet here and I love it...try to kill myself eating it:laugh:
  • misty8parker
    misty8parker Posts: 45 Member
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    I totally understand....Im gonna be honest...Im probably not even going to try and regulate myself on Tday but Friday is a new day. And think about how after you eat so much, when you cut your calories again, at least the progress shows quickly...like in a day or two. You can do this!!!
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    just eat sensibly on thanksgiving. watch your portions and hit the dessert table once not 5 times.

    PFffssshhh... I'm hitting that dessert table until I can't walk anymore.
    With a large plate and some clever stacking, you only need to visit the dessert table once.
  • spartanmomca
    spartanmomca Posts: 16
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    Im going be the negative one here and give my honest opinion . I think its ridiculous that American holidays have to revolve around food. Why can't we celebrate family and friends with a healthy meal and some fun games or activities. I think this starts way to young when you have to bring cupcakes to school as a kindergartner ( I was a teacher for 15 years) why cant we celebrate without food? This is just my opinion and I am sure its unpopular. And yes I am having a thanksgiving dinner with all the usual foods, but I will be happily enjoying my portioned healthy options.

    This holiday season remember there is so much more to celebrate than food!
  • Amf5627622
    Amf5627622 Posts: 93
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    I been thinking about Thanksgiving and the " it's only one day" theory and have come to the conclusion that for me it leads to a slippery slope...add in a Birthday, Christmas, New Years, Superbowl. Thankgiving. Valentines, 4th of July, Labor Day, Easter, Halloween, summer vacation, winter vacation, etc - and I can quickly see myslef having 20 - 3,000 calorie days in one year - that's 17 POUNDS! I'm going to indulge Thursday but still be very aware of what I eat. Wish me luck!

    I am wishing you luck and some for me as well.

    Thanks for being the one person that wished me luck on here. I wish you luck as well! :smile:
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I been thinking about Thanksgiving and the " it's only one day" theory and have come to the conclusion that for me it leads to a slippery slope...add in a Birthday, Christmas, New Years, Superbowl. Thankgiving. Valentines, 4th of July, Labor Day, Easter, Halloween, summer vacation, winter vacation, etc - and I can quickly see myslef having 20 - 3,000 calorie days in one year - that's 17 POUNDS! I'm going to indulge Thursday but still be very aware of what I eat. Wish me luck!
    The problem with this theory, at least in my experience, is that I have always eaten large meals on special occasions, and I did not gain 17 pounds a year. (Also, as was pointed out before, you're looking at it wrong. A 3000-calorie day is only 1300 extra calories over maintenance, to use my numbers as an example.) In fact, I never really gained much weight until I started taking a medication that made me hungry all the time... I gained weight from overeating every day, not on special occasions.
  • Amf5627622
    Amf5627622 Posts: 93
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    Im going be the negative one here and give my honest opinion . I think its ridiculous that American holidays have to revolve around food. Why can't we celebrate family and friends with a healthy meal and some fun games or activities. I think this starts way to young when you have to bring cupcakes to school as a kindergartner ( I was a teacher for 15 years) why cant we celebrate without food? This is just my opinion and I am sure its unpopular. And yes I am having a thanksgiving dinner with all the usual foods, but I will be happily enjoying my portioned healthy options.

    This holiday season remember there is so much more to celebrate than food!

    Totally agree with you on this one! Everything revolves around food!
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I notice that you only reply to people who agree with you, rather than addressing any of the excellent points that have been mentioned.
  • Amf5627622
    Amf5627622 Posts: 93
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    I notice that you only reply to people who agree with you, rather than addressing any of the excellent points that have been mentioned.

    Thank you for your excellent points. Are you the replying police? :tongue:
  • missjelika
    missjelika Posts: 115 Member
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    I have about one 3,000 calorie day per week. If you haven't stuffed yourself with 1,400 calories worth of sushi in one sitting, you haven't lived.
    oh yeah:bigsmile:
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Im going be the negative one here and give my honest opinion . I think its ridiculous that American holidays have to revolve around food. Why can't we celebrate family and friends with a healthy meal and some fun games or activities. I think this starts way to young when you have to bring cupcakes to school as a kindergartner ( I was a teacher for 15 years) why cant we celebrate without food? This is just my opinion and I am sure its unpopular. And yes I am having a thanksgiving dinner with all the usual foods, but I will be happily enjoying my portioned healthy options.

    This holiday season remember there is so much more to celebrate than food!

    Totally agree with you on this one! Everything revolves around food!

    Now, that's not fair. Some American holidays revolve around drinking.
  • Kel3369
    Kel3369 Posts: 83 Member
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    But I have at least one 3,000 calorie day every month, regardless of the holiday status... It might make me take an extra six or seven months to get all of the weight off, but at least I had fun getting there!


    Hi there! Does it take six or seven months to lose the weight caused by one 3,000 calorie day each month or do you mean in general? I think it sounds like a great idea because there is usually one celebration each month but if it causes six months to get it off I don't think I would be able to risk it. I am really tired right now so maybe I am reading it wrong so I just wanted to clarify. Thanks! :)
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    This actually reminds me of a few years ago when I first tried calorie counting. I was in grad school and tried it just to see what was "normal" for me to eat. At the time, I was living in Nashville, TN, and my husband was living two states away. We'd see each other usually every other weekend.

    So, I logged what I ate without trying to change my eating habits and found that when it was just me during the normal week, I ate what would be a "maintenance" amount of calories, 1500-1800. When my husband was around, we were instantly in "celebrate" mode, and I would log more like 2500-3000 calories a day. This was every other weekend, so not just 20 days in a year. I never saw any weight gain from that. Maybe it was the extra exercise that I got when my husband was around.
  • savage22hp
    savage22hp Posts: 278 Member
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    I must face the facts. I have lost lots of weight before and gained it back. My diets start with one day and my declines into the abyss of indulgance start with one day. Only one day is not so great a deal if it stops there but sometimes one turns to two and "I'll do better tomorrow " and" first thing next week " and "oh the hell with it I will just wait until the holidays are over." For me a slippery slope but that's just me. (and also why I have 100 lbs to lose).
  • StatutoryGrape
    StatutoryGrape Posts: 365
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    The way I see it, I have the self-control to stay UNDER my calories every single day, so there's really no harm in one day of indulgence. I don't consider myself to be in any danger of sliding down the slope to overindulgence because overindulgence isn't what got me to "overweight" to begin with (the weight gain came after taking prednisone and stayed on mostly because of my thyroid, partly because I wasn't exercising much). I also dislike overeating and the sick, stuffed feeling that I get when I eat way too much.

    Controlled indulgence every once in a while = <3.
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
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    I have about one 3,000 calorie day per week. If you haven't stuffed yourself with 1,400 calories worth of sushi in one sitting, you haven't lived.

    You speak the truth.

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