Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always slip this time of year. I make French toast as a treat for the family and have just one piece with maple syrup. Then we have left over pie from thanksgiving. I have a slice or two over the weekend. Neighbors drop off cookies for the holidays. There is candy at work. A piece here and there and by Jan 1 my sugar cravings are back in full force. It takes me months to reset. I wish sugar wasn’t a part of our celebrations.

It does not have to be part of your celebrations. You have a choice.

I really echo whoever said that you can choose to just indulge on the actual days. I hate how Christmas is like 6 weeks and thanksgiving has 4 pre-views. When everyday is special nothing really is. I’m planning to eat regularly the rest of the year but indulge guilt free on Thanksgiving day and Christmas Day. And then move on. I think these month long holidays are bad for kids too- it’s one thing to do a few things to get excited and another to use a “season “ as an excuse to act differently for an entire month or more

Anonymous wrote:I always slip this time of year. I make French toast as a treat for the family and have just one piece with maple syrup. Then we have left over pie from thanksgiving. I have a slice or two over the weekend. Neighbors drop off cookies for the holidays. There is candy at work. A piece here and there and by Jan 1 my sugar cravings are back in full force. It takes me months to reset. I wish sugar wasn’t a part of our celebrations.

It does not have to be part of your celebrations. You have a choice.

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit overweight. I could stand to lose 15-20 pounds, but I don’t see that happening now.

I am just trying to maintain and not gain through the holidays.

Anyone else?

Take it day by day OP. Each day is a new day, and a new opportunity to start fresh with your eating habits for that day. When you wake up start with good habits - open the blinds, drink a tall glass of warm water + lemon, take the dog out for a walk, have a freshly brewed cup of coffee accompanied by a protein heavy breakfast. You're strong willed, you can do this.

It is difficult for sure. My goal is to stay on course every regular day but enjoy my favorites at the holiday events. It's probably a bit easier for me because I only have a few to attend versus someone who has a big family or social or work network that requires a lot of events. I'm also going to try to make sure I stay active.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this seems counterintuitive, but I ramp UP the holiday baking. After you make 10 dozen cookies, you just aren’t in the mood to eat them anymore. I make cookie boxes I share with friends and neighbors, and keep enough to set out a nice variety for my family on Christmas Eve.

I feel this! When I make cupcakes with homemade frosting, for example, I don't want to eat them. The powdered sugar in the air eliminates my desire for sweets.

Op here.

I’m not much of a baker but when I do bake, I want to eat my creations.

I always slip this time of year. I make French toast as a treat for the family and have just one piece with maple syrup. Then we have left over pie from thanksgiving. I have a slice or two over the weekend. Neighbors drop off cookies for the holidays. There is candy at work. A piece here and there and by Jan 1 my sugar cravings are back in full force. It takes me months to reset. I wish sugar wasn’t a part of our celebrations.

You aren't alone, OP. I lost a ton of weight right before Covid and most of it has crept back on, fueled initially by lots of carbs and alcohol in 2020. I need to lose 20lbs and hate myself for it.

Between now and then I'm trying to focus on healthy meals whenever possible. Limit dessert and sweets to only things that are really good, although I need to get halloween candy out of the house since I have a weakness for Reeses cups. Cut back on alcohol. And get at least a little bit of exercise a day, even a 15min walk.

Do you have friends that you can meet up with once or twice a week to workout or take a long walk? If you have a desk job can you treat yourself to an under desk elliptical or a treadmill desk? It won't magically cause weight loss but it adds additional movement into the sedentary part of your day.

A weird holiday trick that works for me is baking for other people. I’ll bake cupcakes for neighbors, school, friends, family, etc. I’ll set a few aside for my family and we’re all satisfied with a fun variety. If I made and kept the whole batch for my family, I’d be the one snacking all day while WFH.

I’m in the midst of weight loss right now. So hard in my 50s! I’ve gained 30 lbs since marrying DH. Realized last month that I’m now at the weight I was just prior to giving birth, which was the heaviest of my life. That was a kick in the pants to get losing!

Raises hand! Its been a terribly stressful Fall in our household - so what is normally a time of exercise and eating well has fallen by the wayside.

Never a great moment to go into the holidays in terrible shape and overweight. I made a vow to myself to be disciplined with my food intake and exercise up to Thanksgiving (but not on Thanksgiving) and up to Christmas (but not on Christmas). Part of the accountability was to sign up for a Thanksgiving day fun run - start the day off with exercise. It's a tough time of year with holiday events and parties. I also promised myself that while I love baked goods - the only ones I'm going to eat are ones truly homemade. A small challenge I hope I can accept.

Anonymous wrote:I know this seems counterintuitive, but I ramp UP the holiday baking. After you make 10 dozen cookies, you just aren’t in the mood to eat them anymore. I make cookie boxes I share with friends and neighbors, and keep enough to set out a nice variety for my family on Christmas Eve.

I feel this! When I make cupcakes with homemade frosting, for example, I don't want to eat them. The powdered sugar in the air eliminates my desire for sweets.

Anonymous wrote:I know this seems counterintuitive, but I ramp UP the holiday baking. After you make 10 dozen cookies, you just aren’t in the mood to eat them anymore. I make cookie boxes I share with friends and neighbors, and keep enough to set out a nice variety for my family on Christmas Eve.

I have a major sweet tooth and also find this to be true. After a day of baking I don't even want to think about eating something sweet.

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit overweight. I could stand to lose 15-20 pounds, but I don’t see that happening now.

I am just trying to maintain and not gain through the holidays.

Anyone else?

Keep in mind that there only a few big/key days between now and Jan 1. While it can feel like the "holidays" are many weeks long, most of us only have a handful of days in there where we are celebrating a major holiday or have a party. My plan is to eat as close to normal as possible on the regular days and enjoy the big holidays. I also like to ask myself which treats are and are not worth eating. Yes to the cookies, treats and homemade cranberry sauce that are homemade and only come out at Thanksgiving/Christmas and no to the slice and bakes that I can eat any day of the year.

I know this seems counterintuitive, but I ramp UP the holiday baking. After you make 10 dozen cookies, you just aren’t in the mood to eat them anymore. I make cookie boxes I share with friends and neighbors, and keep enough to set out a nice variety for my family on Christmas Eve.

Yes. It's hard though I try not to start with eating sweets until Dec. 20 and stop the day after Christmas.

I am a bit overweight. I could stand to lose 15-20 pounds, but I don’t see that happening now.

I am just trying to maintain and not gain through the holidays.

Anyone else?