What tips or plans do members have to survive the holidays. I love the holidays and all that goes with it BUT saying no or limiting all that delicious food is going to be a real task! Help

If you're just meaning one day (thanksgiving : Christmas), I've personally decided to cut 1-150 calories a day (started Sunday) until then to give myself a small buffer, and then I plan on eating whatever I want, and getting bak on track immediately after. Leftovers will be limited to sandwhichs and more of the meats and veggies and not so much stuffing and stuff.

One thing I do is a eat a healthy breakfast. That way when dinner rolls around I'm not famished & eating everything in sight.

Keep myself hydrated. I drink more water to keep my system flushed & also to keep me from drinking a great deal of punch/soda/alcohol.

Start with the veggies! If you eat a healthy portion or 2 of veggies, you'll be less apt to binge on things with high carbs/sugars/calories. Reach for the fresh ones that aren't swimming in sauces/cheese.

Portion control. Portion control. Be kind to yourself & don't eat a plateful of everything, otherwise you'll feel waaay too full & uncomfortable. This means wait before having seconds...just cause it is there does not mean YOU have to eat it.

Dessert. If you must have some, have just a small piece. Skip the whipped cream/ice cream.

DO NOT GRAZE (This is a hard one for me) Grazing is for cattle!!! Clear the table when all guests are done eating. Or move away from the table to avoid the temptation to nibble, nibble, nibble. Visiting with friends & loved one does not require you to be stuffing your face.

Exercise!! I make it point to take at least a 30-45 min. walk. Health does not take a holiday. Also I find it nice change to walk with some friends/family members if they care to join me.

In closing, if you slip up, do NOT beat yourself up over it. But also do not use as an excuse to keep up unhealthy behavior through til New Years. Get back on track as soon as possible. Let us here on the board help! We hear to listen & encourage!

thanks for the replies, and some good advice

I think the key is not to let Thanksgiving DAY turn into Thanksgiving WEEK - same for Christmas.

Usually a day of festivities isn't going to derail you. It at most will set you back a week or so with weight loss with the subsequent water gain. It's when you have a month and a half long extravaganza that you can get into trouble. Even if you do - pick yourself right back up and continue on. Don't let a holiday overindulgence ruin the weight loss plans for your life.

Enjoy yourself on the day of the holiday and get right back on plan the next day.

This is so true. I'm in maintenance and I'll eat what I like on a holiday, but that's it. No extending the holidays to every day between now and New Year's.

And don't eat just to eat. If it's something you love, have a taste, if it's something you don't really care about, don't eat it just because it's there. I don't mind working off a piece of pie, but working off an extra helping of something I didn't like that much to begin with makes me crazy.

This ^. I made the brilliant decision to start trying to lose weight right before the beginning on the holiday craziness (and yes, I am being sarcastic). In my family, this season tends to have even more holidays. There's been a birthday, Halloween, a wedding, and an after wedding BBQ in the past few weeks alone. And now Thanksgiving. I'm finding that special occasions aren't a huge deal as long as I get back on track. I'm mostly staying still weight-wise at the moment, which is okay with me, given the context and that my tendency has been to gain or to lose quickly and then re-gain. I like the idea of having special occasions when it's okay to have special treats, but to be health-conscious in everyday life. This is very much a work in progress, and I do wish there weren't so many of them so close together, but I also can see that this is a marathon and not a sprint, and I'm starting to be better about taking a long view. I think that helps.

Well I'm going to do the same that i did for easter, the 4th, memorial day... All of those holidays, I enjoy myself carefully.