How are you staying healthy and keeping op throughout the holidays?

I am predicting a lot of pressure to eat unhealthy foods during Thanksgiving (which I am sure many of you are). I seem to always stray off plan when I visit my parents and I'm afraid if I stray too far, I will not be able to return. My plan right now is to try to eat small portions of the wonderful food served to me.

I would love to hear your plans and suggestions!

i literally plan on having just a taste of everything. and then if there’s something i MUST have more of, i’ll drink a glass of water before i let myself go back for a small portion of said tasty morsel.

but i’m not going home, so i won’t feel that same pressure =/ i don’t envy you at all!

A little bit of everything, nothing crazy, but definitely plan on piling my plate with turkey and veggies so no one can say I ate like a bird

Thanksgiving will probably be an "off day", where I don't really count calories, but I don't go overboard either. I'll most likely just eat less at other meals so that I can have a little bit of everything and have some pie without overeating. I did the same thing on my birthday so I could go out to eat and have cake, and I didn't have any problems overeating or getting back on plan the next day.

I intend to enjoy EVERYTHING, but in moderation!

By moderation, I mean that I will try reasonable portions of everything I deem worth eating, and will stop when I'm full.

This is what I have to practice... incorporating special foods into a healthy diet, and enjoying them in a managed way-- NOT looking at them and thinking "Ohhhh I have to go back on my diet tomorrow, better go crazy!"

Instead of a "diet", it's really a "better living plan." And, I intend to work with this plan for the long haul to maintain my weight. I had better learn how to handle the curveball of a Special Occasion, without going off the deep end.

No over-stuffing, eating past the full point, or eating foods just because they are there on the table, looking at you. Instead, I'm only eating foods that I really want, and eating normal, not HUGE, portions.

I'm also going to try and avoid drinking too much, as this leads to more careless eating. We shall see how it goes!

Bottom line (for me), Thanksgiving and Christmas are two days out of the calendar year. Two days of eating off-plan and not counting calories will not cause me to gain significant weight, or veer off course entirely. I know that the next day, I will drink plenty of water, break a sweat, and continue with my plan. I think this is key.

Remember, a person does not gain pounds from one day of high calories. Pounds are gained when we eat too many calories, over a long period of time, without burning them off.



So, on that note, cheers to moderation and a joyous holiday season!

OMG FatPantsSkinnyJeans!! I am so taking your Idea I was going crazy wondering what I was going to do, thanks this makes so much senese.

Since I am new to my "new healthy living" style, I'm afraid going off for 4 days (long Thanksgiving with multiple Thanksgiving meals with different family members) will really set me back. I've been doing so good, but I have a routine down. When I go visit family I cannot just eat when I want to eat, I have to eat what everyone else is eating, which is usually not very healthy. Does anyone else have this problem?

Shasha: I like your glass of water trick.

Beerab: Load up on turkey and veggies. Love this!

@Tropica yes!! I have that problem, in my family if you don't eat a lot during the holidays everyone will look at you crazy, and my family doesn't just eat once then do other things. They eat and eat and eat and eat until it's time to leave!! last year my cousin was on a diet that her doctor put her on, it was the 4th of july and everyone was constantly shoving food in her face and she kept telling them that she couldn't eat all of that food, and they would get offended and make it seem like she didn't like the food. I just hope that there is a lot of people at my aunts house this year so no one will pay attention to what I eat.

Tropica - Don't sweat it, when you stress it effects your body. With a lifestyle change there will be days where you will go off plan. 4 days out of 365 isn't bad. Your plan of small portions is a good one, and it worked well for me last year when I was new to my lifestyle change. Just try to enjoy yourself and your holiday with your family!

If you're going to be there for 4 days, perhaps you can find someway to work out during the day - or even going for a walk will help burn some calories

P.S. - Congrats on your loss so far, looks like you're doing great!

I know I'm going off plan. I've known I was going to for about a month now when I wrote it on my calendar. Lol. So I've planned accordingly. I've been really diligent about my diet and I told my Dad I would be bringing my own food with me-which he is fine with. I have a tendency to cheat at home too. We end up going out to eat a lot at some of my FAVORITE restaurants. For example: Thai food, chinese, etc. And I KNOW I just don't have the ability to go to those places yet and eat healthy portions or healthier choices--I'll want my favorites. So basically my plan is to have one cheat day and then just be really good for the rest of the week-not weigh myself cause I don't want to upset myself-be super good the week after and just go on from there.

I also plan to take a walk around the block between diner and desert. Also there will be a TON of people there so hopefully there won't be as much of an opportunity for me to gorge on food-hopefully they'll eat it all. Lol. I doubt it though...

I'm more of a Christmas Food person than Thanksgiving. So I refuse to go off plan all the way until Christmas, where I wont count as strictly...I'm not going to go crazy...but I'm also going to try and work out 2 hours a day the week of Christmas to counteract any overages on my points through WW.

Honeybee: That's terrible! I know I hate offending people (even when I don't mean to!). I hope things go well for you this Thanksgiving. Be strong! I'm sure I will also get a few looks from my new mother-in-law, but I'm going to do my best and try to ignore it!

Platformnine: Thank you! I will definitely have to go for a stroll after dinner. Plus, maybe all the shopping from Black Friday will burn some of those extra calories off!

What FPSJ said.

I'm looking forward to Christmas because I'll get to practise moderation! You have to learn how to deal with these events in a way that suits you for maintenance.

Everyone in my family either under eats or binges so it would go unnoticed if I did either, lol. But I'm going to eat normal, healthy portions and listen to my body, enjoy the day.

It's hideously hot in Australia at Christmas time so my family tends to eat light anyway. Like last year instead of heavy Christmas pud, Mum made a layered panettone with custard. I don't think I could stomach stodgy food after dieting for two months.

Bring it on...

I'm making vegan options which tend to be healthier and made with more whole food and raw ingredients.

I HATE feeling full. HATE it. So I hardly ever eat more than a single serving.

alcohol. it's gotta go. Though this will not make me a popular cocktail party guest, I'm sticking with it. Without the wine, I will make better food decisions and adhere to more reasonable portions. My beloved pinot noir and celebratory champagne will be there for me after I've removed these last 20 pounds--- but for now, and especially over the holidays, its time to get serious.

Otherwise, moderation seems to be the key; small bites, small plates, lots of water and always volunteering to play with babies/clean the kitchen/ run some errands, ANYTHING to get me away from that bowl of spiced nuts!