I don't want to be so strict that I bring my food scale, so my plan is that Thanksgiving dinner is 1 meal. I am allowing myself 1 plate of food (trying to be reasonable) and 1 dessert. The rest of the week will be 100% on plan. I can't imagine 1 meal will make me not have some kind of loss. It's not 1 meal that does up in anyway.
I put some thought into this for myself. I knew to really avoid going overboard I needed to have a firm idea of what I wanted to do food wise for this meal. I think the eating aspect of it is wonderful. I love to eat and I love to cook. I don't love to have to lose the same lbs over and over again. In fact, I really un-love that! I figure it's not about deprivation, it's about moderation.
I gave up the stuffing too -- my favorite dish as well!
I also planned a few things for us to do this weekend that are fun and non food related.
I plan on going off diet this week. It was something I already considered and accounted for when I first started my diet. My goal this week is to maintain and not gain, but if I do, it's not the end of the world and I know I can lose it. My gym is open on Thanksgiving Day so I intend to workout once in the morning after breakfast and then drag myself back for another routine just before lunch. Hopefully, this will help offset the extra calories I will be consuming. Friday, my personal trainer has some new strength and weight training routines planned for me. I could of sworn I saw an evil grin cross her face today as she wished me a Happy Thanksgiving and then tell me to be ready to work off the Thanksgiving feast on Friday morning.
While I think it's not the end of the world to maintain or even gain a bit during a vacation or holiday - as long as you get back on track afterwards - my own personal goal for this Thanksgiving week is to keep right on losing.
Sure, there will be lots of food - not just at that meal, all week long - but I know how to control myself and I'm just going to do it. End of story.
I am most of my Thanksgiving foods as healthy as I can, but I do still plan to indulge on Thanksgiving, but only for the one day. I will consume more calories than typical and I know this. I also know that I am no longer physically able to consume as much as I did on previous Thanksgivings without becoming seriously ill. I plan to have a controlled off plan day - I want to celebrate and indulge, but it is not worth making myself sick. My plan is to also burn off more than usual for that week. My official weigh in day is Wednesday, so I have plenty time to work off my Thanksgiving food. I plan to still see a loss on Dec. 2 (the Wednesday after Thanksgiving).
As for Christmas, I am hoping we will be visiting my family. The down side of that is that I already KNOW from my last visit home that I just do not lose weight as well there as I do here. I lost all of 1/2 pound while there for about 2 weeks, I average 2 a week here. Add that to it being a holiday... For December I am planning to work my butt off and try to lose as much as possible until leaving for Florida and do controlled indulgence while there and run up and down the hill behind my father's house and all over my brothers' neighborhoods in order to try to at least maintain (hopefully lose even if less than normal) while in Florida and still have a loss for the month.
kaplods originally posted I had a hard time choosing between the first and second choice, because I do intend to stay on plan, and hope to see a loss - however I'll still be perfectly happy with a no-gain
Well said, that expresses exactly how I feel. I am going to work at being on plan. My problem is not Thanksgiving day. I will be gone for several days, first to DD's and then my parents. There will be times when I won't have much option in food. I tell myself that it won't hurt me to be hungry, especially since I am so close to 199. Good thing is that I will have plenty of opportunities to exercise. So, I hope to lose but will be satisfied with not gaining.
I plan to stay on plan and hopefully lose during the week. On Thanksgiving I'm getting up early and going to the gym, then I have to be at work from 11 to 4pm. Afterwards we are going to Cracker Barrel where I will have one nice dinner and maybe do a little shopping in their adorable gift store. Friday is back to the gym.
I agree with what others have said. I am going to stay on plan - and HOPE for a loss but this is one time where if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen. There is always the next week. I am going to stay on track!
Since I'm at goal I did things a little differently this year. For the last several days I have gone back to 1500 calories and have gotten a few pounds below goal...this way I can indulge and not worry about a small gain. For some reason it it easier for me to plan in advance, than to have to make it up later. I am also cooking the dinner again this year so I have full control over what and how everything is prepared. Yes, I did buy a pint of heavy cream, but that doesn't mean every dish will be dripping in it. In the past I would have used a quart of cream plus a couple pounds of butter.
I am looking up calories for foods so that I can decide exactly what to eat. I just found an interesting website that estimated the calories for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at 4700...
That just BOGGLES MY MIND.
Luckily, I won't mind skipping dessert and I'm in charge of bringing the veggies, so I can prepare stuff fat free.
I think I can eat white meat turkey, a couple of tablespoons of cranberry sauce, half a cup of mashed, half a cup of stuffing (or a full cup of one or the other) No gravy, no rolls, no dessert, and a glass or two of wine and still be okay.
4700 seems low to me for a "traditional" Thanksgiving, but then I grew up with lots of brothers and I have a husband who takes in between 3500 and 4000 on a normal day.
I am going to watch what I eat still. I will probably only eat one plate at like 2:30 with family. Stuff I normally wouldn't eat like stuffing I wil get some of it, but I am going to get a small amount just so I can't stop the craving. I have really learned I can't deprive myself. I wanted Chinese food so bad a few weeks ago so my boyfriend and I bought one plate and split it, and I still lost. So that's my goal MODERATION. I know I will probably have leftovers later that night, but then I will try to stick with the turkey, greenbeans, carrots, the healthier stuff.
I am going to exercise my butt of that night too. Like 30 min. of yoga, a walk, and maybe another workout video or something I have a dance one that's great for cardio.
