[Nikki6kidsmom]

I have 2 major Christmas parties and a trip to New York City coming up in December and I want to look smoking hot for these things. I am still in staying between 196-198 but I do believe I am building muscle because my body shape is changing all over (arms,legs,neck,shoulders, tummy).

Anyways I determined not to let the holiday eating get the better of me. These 2 parties I will be seeing people who don't know I have lost 75 pounds so I want to look great.

I want to start looking for the perfect outfit for both . I would love to find someone to pick out clothes that best flatter my new figure but not sure where to find that. I am the most fashionable in my circle of friends and my Mom wouldn't so not be good at it either. I want to look sexy but classy, if that makes sense. ANy ideas on how to go about that , maybe someone who could give me some new fresh ideas and push my comfort zone? But understand my trouble areas (like my had six babies tummy and my muscle are shot from all the c sections).

So what are ya'lls thoughts on keeping the holiday pounds away and actually LOSING during the busy season?

[bcort]

Hey, no advice coming from me because you already look great! Keep on doing what you're doing - & congrats on having 6 kids! I quit after 3, but am somewhat envious at times of larger families. I'm sure others will give you some good advice :-)

[Lyn2007]

I think it helps to remember HOW MANY days are actually holidays or party days. If you have 2 parties, plus Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, that makes FIVE days where you'll have temptations. Even if you indulge on those five days a bit, if you treat all the other days like normal, on-plan days you should lose weight.

You do look great, congrats!

[Nikki6kidsmom]

Thanks for the replies.

Just 5 days isn't really the case for this Southerner. From Thanksgiving till New Years its one gathering after another with family or friends , it cookie exchanges, or parties finger foods and loads of desserts and candies.
The two MAJOR social events are in addition to the casual get togethers. But I plan on eating before hand and taking along healthy things to share if possible.
Just wonder who else is thinking and preparing for the season.

[ANewCreation]

Well, I've been giving this alot of thought for the last month or so. It starts with Halloween for me--all that candy. And of course, Thanksgiving and Christmas are landmines for me too.

So, I know this may sound harsh for some but for me, I canceled my Halloween plans this year. I normally have a small caramel apple making party. We're talking gourmet with nuts, candies, etc. Just couldn't handle the temptation of that and everyone understood. I did hand out candy but I just told myself I couldn't have any and stuck to it. Around 8 pm I gave the last three little boys all that remained and turned off my light. It ends around then in my neighborhood anyway so that worked out well.

For the remaining holidays I am always the hostess. Nothing is written in concrete but these are some of the ideas I have: The 'bad' food that I don't want to have I will replace with store bought versions. Let me explain. I am a purist and normally make just about everything from scratch for the holidays. My family on the other hand really doesn't care if I make rolls from scratch or buy them from the can. So, they get canned rolls which I do not find tempting in the least. Homemade on the other hand would be a real temptation for me. I will make a pumpkin pie with splenda and a whole wheat crust. Already made a practice one and everyone loved it as much as the sugar/white crust version. I found it easy to limit myself to one piece. I will make sure there are plenty of veggies on the table and of course the turkey is perfectly acceptable. Portion control always plays a big part of the mealtime in general these days so I plan on sticking to the appropriate amounts.

Christmas I am still debating and thinking about. We have a few parties to go to also. I have gotten pretty good at portion control so I'm not too worried about those. Any homemade goodies as gifts will be given away or thrown away or frozen. I just know I can't have them and my family is not big on sweets anyway. Again, I will host the big dinner so I can make some good decisions there.

I guess I'll just take it one holiday at a time. It will probably be easier to make decisions for Christmas once I see what works for Thanksgiving. I have also started upping my exercise routine so I think that will help over the holidays too.

I'd also love to hear what others find successful or are considering--might just find some good ideas!

[rockinrobin]

The year I was losing, honestly I was so thrilled with myself and felt SO marvelous that my desire to overindulge just wasn't there. I stayed on plan and lost weight throughout.

If you can bring some healthy foods, enough for everyone, then by all means go for it! A veggie platter is great for nibbling. A big salad. or 2. A fruit platter or baked apples for dessert. At social functions is when I head for the diet Coke.

You CAN do this. And believe me,you won't regret staying on plan. You will love the results and that wonderful feeling of self respect, self discipline, self control and accomplishment. Very gratifying. I have never, ever, not even once NOT eaten something I was tempted by and later regretted it. NEVER. There will ALWAYS be these foods around. There's no shortage of it. But for right now if it's the weight you want OFF, then stay away. Another thing you can do is bank some calories. Shave off a little every day from your daily allotment and plan in a small splurge. If you go this route, have that splurge at the end, so you won't be tempted to go back for seconds.

As for your clothing. It sounds as if you have great taste and will do just fine in the stores. You might want to invest in an undergarment that will keep your tummy looking great. There's Spanx and then there's cheaper versions that you can find at Macys or even cheaper at Target. This can really pull an outfit together. You'll look great, I'm certain of it. You look fantastic and I'm sure you're going to floor everyone.