It's the Holidays again...

vyxie
vyxie Posts: 6
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone. :) I'm new to MFP and have to say that I'm extremely MORE motivated than I've ever been working out and dieting. In my background "welcome" post, I mentioned that I have Fibromyalgia, which has made it hard for me to make good decisions in regards to a work out routine. Combine that with a weaker willpower when it comes to delicious foods, and you spell disaster pretty quickly. :tongue:

My sister-in-law is my workout buddy and she and I have been working on this regime since this past Tuesday. (Yes, we're still newbs. haha) We feel great already and have been making great strides since then! We walk my son to and from school, which is about 2 miles both trips. Also, we try to do some pilates and have recently started utilizing our work out rooms in our apartment complexes. Our diets have been a lot less in fat/calories, and we're feeling GREAT!

Here's my problem: The holidays are swiftly approaching, and my weak willpower has already caused me to "screw up" more than I should have on Halloween fun size candies alone. I don't want to forgo tradition in regards to Thanksgiving and Christmas as far as food goes. This year is more important to us than others, because my mom (my best friend in the world) passed away in June. She was the one who used to do almost EVERYTHING for us during the holidays. We just showed up and had fun. So now it's all on me and Aubrielle (sister-in-law) to do what my mom did for years. We're up for the challenge, but at the same time we don't want to completely forget our diets while enjoying ourselves with our holiday feasts.

Besides upping the exercise just a bit to make up for the "slip-ups" we're bound to encounter, are there any suggestions for healthy foods we can add to our diets that will help keep us on track? Any suggestions would be super helpful. :happy: Thanks so much!

Replies

  • aubrielle84
    aubrielle84 Posts: 13
    Yes please help my Sister and I on this one...UGH, will power
  • slightingscale
    slightingscale Posts: 1,209 Member
    I'm sorry to hear of your mother's passing. There is no time of year that I feel my late mom's presence more than at Thanksgiving. I cherish the things that she taught me by her example.

    To balance those Thanksgiving traditions, and your weight loss, my suggestions would be to:

    :heart: lighten up those traditional dishes as much as possible without sacrificing too much flavor.
    :heart: make one pumpkin pie in the crust, and then one without the crust (pie filling in a baking dish). That helps a little. And the milk could be evaporated skim without losing too much flavor.
    :heart: use spray whipped cream, which has fewer calories than old fashioned whipped cream.
    :heart: add more roasted veggies and salads
    :heart: take a look at those carbs. I took a poll, and nobody wanted all those carbs anyhow: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, stuffing. I make a lot less of that stuff now.
    :heart: finally, watch your portions, and drink water between the glasses of wine. :blushing:

    Best of luck to you!

    Susan
  • pinbotchick
    pinbotchick Posts: 3,904
    I am sorry to hear about your mother. My father passed away 3 years ago and I still miss him everyday.

    This will be my first "healthy" year at Thanksgiving. We normally celebrate at my home. I have been asking family members to try and cook healthier. I hope to try mixing cauliflower in with the mashed potatoes - have been testing this in small batches for my husband and he likes them. The stuffing will be with apples and mushrooms rather than sausage.

    My biggest thing will be portion control and left overs. Everyone must take the left overs home. There have been several discussions on MFP about what to do when you are at a potluck. I love the suggestion to take only a tablespoon of things and savor every bite. I know my aunts are going to bring lots of things that I shouldn't eat :grumble:

    Have a healthy holiday.
  • allisontaylor
    allisontaylor Posts: 57
    The good news is that roasted turkey breast is very low in calories! For side dishes:
    -salad
    -SMALL whole wheat rolls
    -adding cauliflower in to the mashed potatoes (and using skim milk and fat free plain yogurt)
    -another yummy holiday side is diced sweet potatoes and apples in a casserole dish, pour in a little bit of apple and/or orange juice, cover, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.
    -green beans have virtually no calories!
    Check out www.hungrygirl.com - she's got lot's of great recipe substitutes. And being up cooking does burn calories! I also still recommend trying to squeeze in some exercise first thing Thanksgiving morning if at all possible - it will make you feel tons better! Then maybe a walk after eating too. Good luck!
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