. . . . isn't my biggest concern; it's the day after Christmas and the day after that, etc.

Last week was not a great week for me (TOM and feeling ill) and even though I fumbled a few times I'm totally OP now and my mindset is just . . . there, you know? Everything is clicking, my determination is rockin', I'm hitting my calorie range for the day, resisting any temptation without much effort. I'm humming along, I'm in the groove.

Christmas Day. Ham, homemade mac and cheese, homemade cornbread, scalloped apples, homemade cherry cheese pie, homemade pecan pie, monkey bread, dips, nips and chips . . . .and the candy! Candy, candy everywhere I know it's coming into this house. I'm ok with eating on Sunday -- not inhaling everything I see but choosing carefully and limiting portions -- but what about Monday? If I get out of the groove Sunday what if I can't get find it again?

What are your plans to make sure you don't sink? I set a 6 lb down by New Years goal and will only reach that if I buckle up on Monday. I'm hoping that helps nudge me to stay OP. I don't want to take weeks to find that sweet spot (that I'm in right now) again. How will you keep yourself/get back into check?

I'm really happy with my current workouts but my eating is NOT good w/ all the sweets etc. so I'm going to try to start IF after the new year - right now I'm just trying to read up on it so make sure I'm doing it right when I start - so I guess that's my goal for now.

Luckily for me, I'm working night shifts during the holidays. I get most of Hanukkah off, but that's not a big eating holiday for me.

The days that we're going to have a ton of food is a big Christmas gathering on new years eve and new years day...we always have a HUGE amount of food. I mean enough food for 100 people kind of spread. hopefully I'm too tired to eat much.

We do Christmas and Hanukkah in our house, which is kind of a double-whammy this year.

My plan is to make what feels like "not enough" for both days. To run out of things and have that be ok.

My husband is convinced that we'll run out of food, the stores will all be closed and he'll be miserable (which I think is more about being a good host than actual hunger), so we've compromised on having extra protein and salad.

The reality is that we probably won't run out of anything, but -trying- to run out means I won't have leftovers for the next week!

loose seal - give away the leftovers. I'm not nearly as excited about our xmas dinner as I am about yours. If I came to your party, I'd be like a kid in a candy store. The foods you described...OMG. How are you going to be good even 1 day? I think you'll be set up to fail - and that can be okay for just the one day...but having all those treats lingering for days and days? Get rid of them.

I agree -- GIVE AWAY THE LEFTOVERS! Make up some tin foil plates of all the goodies and send them home with your guests. Last year, I sent our goodie leftovers to a family gathering my SIL was having! I put the food in round tin foil cake pans with syran on top; they looked pretty and were appreciated by all.

Just keep healthier stuff like your turkey or ham and freeze for future meals. ON Christmas Day, have small portions of what you like; and fill up on salads, veggies, and meat first. Drink lots of water in between meals too ...

Justwant2B and 124chick - I'm giving myself permission to eat whatever on Christmas, just not gobs of it . . . to portion it. And I'm ok with that I just don't want it to cause a downward spiral. My flubs last week might have been a blessing in disguise. I didn't beat myself up over them and got right back OP. I guess I have to remember that. Yeah it is a tasty meal... sometimes I wish I wasn't such a good cook.

Oh and I always make them all take leftovers home . . whether they want it or not. lol I also like making enough to have leftovers here so I don't have to cook for a couple of days. The family will eat what's here and if I can just hold on the food will be gone because they will have inhaled it.

I'm making a big pot of split pea soup with the leftover ham bone and ham. Which is great as a meal . . . except for that pesky sodium in the ham. And peas are kind starchy aren't they? Hmmm . . . .

I think I'll make them hide the candy ... if I don't know where it is I won't be as tempted. I have to keep my goal in mind and if I can resist the junk that's in the house now, hopefully I can resist what's coming.

I think my biggest concern is that I don't want that mindless eating vortex to suck me back in!!

Xmas isnt a problem but that is how I feel every year about Thanksgiving. In fact the people we have T-day with every year, instead of passing out or accepting leftovers (it alternates houses) the last 3 years decided with my husband "hey lets just get back together tomorrow and have T-day again!" One year we did 3 days in a row. UGH! I dont even like it that much the first time around.

Fortunately for me Xmas is not a big food day, the lead up to it is worse with parties. New years is worse. Xmas is just the family. I do make a baked french toast breakfast that is bad - but almost brunch and then we'll have ham for me and mac n cheese for the kids and salad. I dont even know if I will make dessert as there is always candy in the stockings. Maybe a crustless pumpkin pie/custard.

That is the deal though. I do what you do. ON the day, I dont pretend I am going to eat salad and avoid the goodies. I WILL go for a run - maybe when everyone else is eating the brunch. But Monday is just monday.

Write it down. I dont know how you are tracking/watching/avoiding mindless eating but write everything down EVEN slips. Make "bad food" just as mindful as good food.

Thanks for advice, ennay. When I slipped up last week I did account for it . . . at least what I wrote down at home. I knew how many cals I ate and whoa! I didn't like what I saw. And it doesn't take much to for those cals to add up either.

My fav food at Thanksgiving is stuffing. I just LOVE the stuff. I ate a small portion on T-day and had another small portion whenever I had the leftovers for dinner ... probably the next night. Just the fact that I ate it but portioned it? Huge. And that was all I had ... no picking it cold out of the fridge, no seconds, no heaping huge pile of the tasty stuff. It's that "consume mass quantities" mentality that needs to be banished from my head. Think I'll try channeling Betty Ford and just say 'no'!

I'm not too worried about Christmas Day. For me, the 'celebratory dinners' will be split over 2 days - seafood Christmas Eve, and roast something-or-other Christmas night. There will be plenty of salad and fruit and healthy light options.

I plan to enjoy a taste of everything, satisfy (whatever amount of) hunger and have a good time. If I feel like eating some high calorie treats, I'm not going to deny myself - I've worked hard this year (mentally and physically) to change my attitude towards food and my body, and know it's ok for me to enjoy treats every now and then without beating myself up over it.

So Christmas day was fine . . . ate stuff I normally wouldn't be seriously didn't go overboard.

Monday? I ate whatever I wanted and enjoyed every bite of it. Was worried that come Tues. I'd be back in 'consume mass quantity' mode but nope! Got back OP and so far, so good. I know the scale went up over Sun/Mon but only 2 lbs and am aiming to be back down to my 5 lb. loss that I hit before Christmas by Sat or Sun.

There's still cookies, candy, chex mix <--- that stuff is wicked good, and about a quarter of a homemade pecan pie sitting here but I'm doing pretty well ignoring it. Did have some sandtarts (cookies) last night but counted them in my daily total and stayed within range.

Portion, portion, portion!

Good for you for getting back on plan so quickly! I am rooting for your 6 pounds down by NYE goal! Drink a lot of water!

I have never had to recover from Christmas before because I started my new way of eating on January 3rd of this year. Before that I ate the same way 365 days a year....with reckless abandon! This year, however, I found that it was a must for me to get back home and into a food controlled environment. I left my sister's house after Christmas dinner (and before dessert) and drove my 6 hours back home. Only stopping for coffee, water and the ladies room. So I was back on plan the minute I was out the door. I stayed home Monday and Tuesday and detoxed from all the sugar and carbs and wine! It was rough and I slept A LOT but you gotta do what you gotta do.