I am new to this site, and new to my current diet. I have 3 holiday parties coming up, and i'm not sure of what to do. i know myself well enough to know that if i don't eat some of the food at these parties, that i will pout and sulk and end up overeating by myself. so while i don't want to give myself permission to overeat at these functions, i do want to be able to enjoy my favorite foods. my question is should i just wait until the holidays are over to start a strict diet plan, or just stick to my diet except at these parties?

I don't think that you have to wait until after the holidays to start your diet, and you don't have to toss it out the window for a party either. Make sure to grab something to eat before you go, and then have just a little bit when you get there. Set a limit for yourself before you get there- say one small appetizer plate of yummy things to enjoy. The rest of the time, snack on veggies, fruit, salad, etc. Maybe bring a healthy dish to share so that you can have something to fall back on. Just give yourself a little leeway with what you eat earlier in the day and maybe add an extra walk. I also find that bringing some sugar free hard candy or gum can help too. Or, bring your toothbrush and brush your teeth after you finish your treat allowance.

those are great ideas! thanks!

SouthLake,

Those are good tips!

Here are some other suggestions:

- Eat light during the day before the party, but not so light that you're hungry when you get there. Have a snack an hour ahead.

- Take your time at the party. Look at everything that's offered and decide which three to five foods you really want the most, instead of trying to sample everything.

- Fill your plate once, and don't make it heaping. Think about portions sizes. Remember that a taste of something good can be enough.

- Eat slowly, take small bites, chew thoroughly. Don't finish a piece of pie, for example, in 20 seconds!

- If you drink, take it easy on the alcoholic beverages. Eggnog is very high in calories--if possible opt for the clear drinks, and use diet or non-cal mixers. As with the food, drink slowly. Also, it's fine to have plain club soda as a first drink and after your first alcoholic drink, to help slow things down and stay full (and also more sober). Try to stay with two drinks tops.

Enjoy! Talk to people! Don't talk about weight or dieting at all, though.

Jay

Thanks for the welcome!

And Feisty, you and I are in the same boat! I'm just getting back on the wagon and my coworker is throwing a cookie baking party on Sunday. Considering how much I love baking, I can't miss it! But, I know that starting now will only make me stronger. I'm not running from the challenge- I'm embracing it!

JayEll -- I love the idea of filling the plate once (with a reasonable amount). I think one of my bigger problems is picking/grazing and it's impossible to keep track that way -- great tip!

hi:

I'm Tina, I know about your problem, sometimes meetings can be terrible for people who make diets, but when I have that problem I eat (healthy food) before to go and when I'm in the meeting I'm not hungry that's only an advice, simple but works.

Hey Tina!

Jay

SouthLake, that is a great point! I never thought of it that way. If I can be successful now, I can be successful anytime!!

Hi everyone,

I'm sumthing nice I'm new to this web site. I need your help. I dont know where to start, how to begin I'm just lose. I weigh 191 pds. My goal is to reach 140 by the summer. What can i do to lose this weight. Do you all have any suggestions for me such as what type of food and exercises i should be doing etc. Thank you so much

Hi sumthing nice! What a cute screen name!

- for exercise I suggest starting out with walking. It doesn't take any fancy stuff - just a decent pair of shoes. Where you live there's not much in the way of bad weather to get inthe way, either. Just start with 15 minutes a day...and build up by going faster and longer as you go along.

As for a plan, there are so many! Look around here and see which one sounds good to you, they pretty much all work for somebody. I count calories - it works for me.

Hey sumthing nice!

Go to the main page,

http://www.3fatchicks.com/

And look at the menu tabs for Diet and Exercise. You'll see lots of different programs listed that 3FC has reviewed and summarized. That's a good place to start to get informed! Also, there are many book reviews.

Also, check out the Calorie Counters forum and the Exercise forum for some specific tips on those approaches. We have forums for just about everything, so feel free to browse around and learn stuff!

Jay

3FC has reviews of tons of diets here

Thanks for the tips that you all have given me. I will look at them shortly have to go and take care of the babyn