I was just wondering which holiday ya'll thought was or will be the most difficult to maintain through?

I think that Christmas will be pretty tough this year, just because my poor mom has no one other than my dad to cook for so she goes bonkers when my brother and I come home. Cookies, cinnamon rolls, fudge, lasagna, mashed potatoes you name it. The woman could work 12 hours and still come home and prepare a meal when we are home. This year though I think I'll try to take care of dinners at least, as for the rest of it I'm gonna have to get really tough.

Ooh... tough question, Jamie. I haven't bought any Halloween candy, so I don't think it will be a problem. Thanksgiving will be fine, except for pecan pie -- I love that stuff! I'm already thinking I will allow myself a piece. Hopefully, I can keep everything else under control. I'm really not a big mashed potatoes, gravy or pumpkin pie fan.

Christmas will be the problem for me, too. There is always so much tempting food around. And, I'm a very tradition-oriented person. Every Christmas Eve, we bring home Chinese food. (Odd tradition, I know. I'm not sure how it got started...) Every year, we have to make Christmas tree cookies. Every year, we eat them for Christmas morning breakfast. So, I'm sure at least on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I'll be eating Chinese food and cookies. I just hope I can recover and get back on track on Dec. 26!!

Jina

LOL my family does Chinese food on Christmas day! No turkeys for us...this will be a difficult Christmas though....going to the inlaws who do the whole turkey, ham, potatoes and everything slathered in cream and butter.
-Melissa

I'd have to say Christmas because my mom makes these wonderful ricotta cookies. YUMMY!!

halloween and the sugar.

I can usually find some good stuff to eat at family gatherings but halloween candy and the sugar - -it's a downfall

I would have to say BOTH Thanksgiving and Christmas are bad for me. I eat 2 dinners on both of those holidays... one earlier in the day with my in-laws, another in the evening with my family. And, of course, I don't want either to feel badly, so I eat way to much at both places. My only real goal during this holiday season is to *not* gain and to keep working out. If I can do that, I'll already be ahead of the game (in my mind)l.

Hey all! I had to give my 2 cents. I think it's Christmas for me - my parents are divorced so I end up having 2 dinners (at least) plus now my 2 sisters have families so sometimes three. Plus, I always get chocolate and huge cravings to bake gingerbread men, etc.....it's a "nesting" time for me, which almost always equals comfort food!!

Well ... I don't think I'm getting any more trick-or-treaters tonight ... no more manning of the door. Tomorrow I'm off to celebrate Halloween.

Back on topic ...

Thanksgiving and Christmas are both hard because there is such good food for both holidays. We already had our Thanksgiving in Canada, and seriously, I can't resist the stuffing in the turkey. That stuff should be banned it's so good. Christmas this year will be tough because my whole family's going on a short vacation in the states, so we'll be eating out a lot.

DEFINITELY Christmas, for me. Halloween isn't a true problem, and Thanksgiving festivities are over in a day or two, but Christmas....we're talking weeks on end of potential mine fields of temptation! (-: I better get ready to face it! My husband & I are going home to my families' (in South Dakota) for 10 days....and I have a lot of sentimental, memory attachments to special holiday foods, etc....so it'll be a real challenge for me to enjoy SOME treats, SOME of the time, in moderation. But, I'm up to it! I truly want to even lose a little during the month of December. I know I can indulge just a bit, enjoying small portions of my very favorite things, while staying "on track."
One challenge while in SD will definitely be getting enough exercise--it'll probably be snowy & cold, and the only indoor equipment at my parents' is an exercise bike--guess I'll have to make friends w/ it! (-; Hopefully there'll be a day or two where it's mild enough to do an outdoor walk. You just never know, in that part of the country, during that time of year! I'm really looking foward to it, though--I feel ready to face the challenges & enjoy the Christmas festivities without "de-railing" myself.
Good grief, I just wrote a book about it!
Jen

Great attitude, Jen!! You are always so positive, and I love it! I'm hoping it will rub off on me. I think it actually has some...

I'm like you... I'm just aiming for limited portions of favorite foods. Moderation is definitely key -- now if I can just do it! I don't think it would be a holiday without enjoying certain foods -- they really are a part of the traditions. This year, my family is coming to Florida to visit for Christmas, so we should have warm weather to exercise outside, which will be a nice change (as opposed to Kansas). When we're there, we tend to eat, sit by the fire and watch TV. That's a definite recipe for weight gain!

Hope everyone managed to get through Halloween OK. I did! Not one piece of candy, which is amazing because I love the stuff!

Jina

WTG Jina!
Holding off on ALL Halloween candy??? I'm proud of you! I don't consider Halloween a rough one, but I still had a few pieces here & there....nothing major, though.
And thanks for the kind words, by the way! Glad that I can encourage you.

Jen

Halloween was no problem, since nobody celebrates it here! My s.o. was really fascinated by the concept of trick-or-treating, as were our visiting Swedes. Funny, but so far almost all the Europeans I know were only allowed sweets (including sodas) on Saturdays. It's pretty different from my childhood-- we often had only soda in the fridge to drink!

Getting back to the question... I think Christmas will be the toughest. We're going to his parents and his mom is an incredible cookie baker. Plus the standard breakfast at his parents house is fresh bread/rolls with butter, meat, and cheese. If this Christmas is like our previoius visits I will be over my calorie limit before noon!

Does anyone else have a really hard time insisting on their own food as a guest? It just feels so impolite! Maybe I will ask s.o. if he can warn his parents ahead of time...