Maintaining through the Holidays Group

I figured I'd start a group for people that want to support eachother through the Holidays, to hlep keep from gaining. I plan on trying to lose after the Holidays but for now my goal is to not gain any weight through January 1st, anyone with me?

We can weigh in on Mondays

We won't count anything between 1 and 4 lbs. (because we know how much our weight fluctuates anyway)

You can use whatever method you want, eating the same and exercising more or eating less and nto exercising. Anything that keeps you healthy and within 5 lbs of your present weight.

I'm actually giving myself an allowance of weight I can gain through the holidays (this includes excess sodium weight and food weight) of 5 pounds. After each holiday I'm kicking back into my calorie cycling (I'm a calorie cycler - diet on the week days, free on the weekends), so this should work out well for me.

Thanksgiving is next week! Not much of a fan of that food, but Christmas is full of fudge and more goodies. Can't get down about the scale around fluff time, and family :)

Hang in there. Maintaining means giving in a little around your indulgences. This is life, and that extra pound from a SINGLE day (only celebrating the day's of, not the entire season) won't kill ya. But that's just me

What?!? You are not a fan of turkey with masshed potatoes, turkey sandwitches for a week afterwards! The Horror!

I'll be in Thailand around Christmas time. I am sure I will come back ten pounds heavier, my coach will be "thrilled". lol

Ok i am so in, i really need this as i have just started to maintain and i don't want to go crazy over the holidays (as much as i love christmas)

Hi, I'm Nicole. I am 18, 5ft 9 and 141lbs. Thankfully, i carry my weight well.

Usually i weigh myself Saturdays as it sort of gives me an incentive to not go crazy over the weekend and if i want to have a treat day, i can and it won't effect my weigh in as it is a whole week away. But i am cool with Mondays

I am so excited for Christmas (no thanksgiving in aust) so i can give encouragement during that time. I am currently in Western Aust where my family lives but i move back to Queensland on 30th December for study purposes and my boyfriend so i want to definately maintain my weight over this period.

Do you think zig zagging may help during the holiday season?

Great thought to stay on track for the holidays and not get way out of control with the mashed taters, gravy, pies, cookies and endless holiday treats.  Great idea - good luck !

I think I have been zigzagging a lot (even before I started on CC). For instance if I knew I was going on a date that morning I would have a light breakfast and either a light lunch or just lil snacks.

I'm hoping I'll be able to kick my butt back into gear and start frequenting my gym again, since they are getting my money

Zigzagging, or working out more whatever will work.

Welcome to the group everyone, 5 lbs sounds good Star whatever limits we set for ourselves. Our goal is to stick with them throughout the holiday season. Umney, I bet he'll be thrilled alright, thrilled to punish you in your workouts. Rainbow you're lucky you only have the on holiday to worry about, Thanksgiving at my mom's means turkey, dressing, ham, green bean casserole, greens, macaroni and cheese, atleast 2 different cakes and of course sweet potato pie. It's pretty much the same for Christmas. Player -the sweets are my biggest weakness, but I'll try to have some self control.

By the way here are my stats: 5ft 6ish, 147/8, goal for the holiday no gaining. Ultimate goal 140lbs and to start the "new rule of lifting for women" book.

Hey all,

I'd like in on this.  I'm at my goal weight (123) and this will be my first holiday season even REMOTELY trying to watch what I eat. 

Monday will be a good first trial...I'm co-chair of a group that throws an annual campus-wide thanksgiving dinner, and I usually STUFF MY FACE SILLY!!!  The dinner is this Monday, so we'll see how I do this year :)

Great idea.  This is my first holiday season maintaining, so count me in.  I'm at 135 right now.  Probably a little on the thin side, but I feel terrific and want to stay at 135ish.  Looking back, I did manage to maintain the last 2 Thanksgiving/New Years foodfests, but it's always a challenge considering all the good food constantly being pushed on you.  !!! GOOD LUCK !!!

I went from 132-133 to 135-136. In the mirror I didn't notice, so meh. Next Wednesday will be the big "do not pig out" challenge, but I probably will fail miserably. Turkey and mashed potatoes are my cryptonite. :)

UD

Well i have lost a little, unintentionally. I'm now 139.4. I guess i am still getting use to maintaining but i don't mind if i go down to 136.4 (62kgs) but no less. Its a lot of trial and era. On saturday i ate 6 tim tams though, they were so good and worth every bit of the 570 calories. It was my treat snack for the week lol. Some people have big treat meals but i have big treat snack/snacks instead.

UD, at least you can try cook your turkey and mash potatoes healthily if you are the one cooking. If not, just enjoy them :)

Ok here's my first weekly weigh-in

146 lbs

If I can stay around this number through Januaray 1st I'll be a hapy camper.

Welcome Pumpkin and Morton

Rainbow you are actually at my goal weight 140 

Umney I wish my indulgence was that healthy. I'm a Carboholic I love everything pasta or sweet. My major temptation this year is Sweet potato pie, pineapple upside down cake and and carrot cake (yeah my mom usually makes all 3, I thinks it's just to torture me lol)

Yeah it's weird, I have sweet tooth also, but usually stuff I crave is like cheese in pita bread or whole grain toast with some oatmeal. Anyway this morning my weight dropped to 131.4. Probably because I was fasting for 12 hours (didn't eat anything from 9 pm until 9 something am), in preparation for RMR test. During a test it said my weight was actually 130. So in the last week and a half my weight swung from 131+to 136+, and back down. Body is truelly an amazing and very complex thing.

rainbowjelly: Yep I do plan to enjoy them. I also plan a 2-3 hour training ride in the morning. :)

UD

Even though i am against this usually, i weighed myself this morning and have jumped back up 1lb. UD, i really think its funny how our bodies can jump so much in one day/week. Even though i had about a 200cal deficit, i still gained. But i'm sure that overall i will be the same weight next monday. I guess this is why we should only weigh ourselves every week not every day.

I have realised that if i eat too much processed sugar, i gain a lot quicker. Even with fruit. I love fruit so much but if i have any more than 2-3 serves, i'm a goner. The same with carbs and i love crackers. I love carb breakfasts whether this be oatmeal, bran, toast etc and if i don't eat carbs for breakfast i find i get hungry. Apart from fruit salad or yoghurt, omelets or smoothies, i can't think of any breakfasts that don't contain those main carbs.

Amayou, i was your weight only 1-2 months ago so  you will be there is no time :)

Unless you are eating those flavored instant oatmeal things I would not classify oatmeal breakfast as high carb.

UD

I get raw oats, frozen berries and fat free yoghurt and make a sort of parfait thingy. I guess i only consider starchy carbs as carbs but i don't look at the actual amount of carbs in something. I guess i could opt for lower carb breakfasts. Also, i think my fat intake is too low, that is why my carb intake is always up.

Any great oatmeal ideas? I just eat mine raw.

Okay, so yesterday was my first big test of holiday will power!  And I did...okay.

I left myself 1100 cals for thanksgiving dinner at the big, campus-wide vegan thanksgiving, and here's what I had:

-1 or two slices of tofurky in an orange glaze

-1 or 2 tablespoons of homemade cranberry sauce

-a LOAD of green beans (but with greasy sauteed shallots on top...meh)

-a small amount of garlic mashed potatoes (maybe 1/4 cup?) with maybe 2 tbs of mushroom gravy

-a HUGE field green and spinch salad with craisins and sliced almonds and no dressing

-a small piece of pumpkin cake with "creamcheese" frosting and maybe 2 or 3 bites each of pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake.

I think with the desserts, I may have gone over my allotment by as much as 600 cals...but oh well.  They were good, and I didn't stuff myself like I have in years past. 

Now, the real problem is the leftovers...as one of the two main organizers, I went home with a LOT...we're talking maybe 6-8 pounds of mashed taters, a gallon bag of stuffing, two big tupperwares of those greasy beans...Most of that I think I'm going to let my hubby (who is also calorie counting) pick at...and then maybe just throw it out at the end of the week.  What really worries me is the two whole tofurkys and the two loaves of delicious crusty bread I brought home.  YUM!  Luckily, I also made off with a huge bag of spinach and salad mix.  SWEET!  Anyway, lunch today (and for the foreseeable future) is made of high-cal leftovers.  Hmm.

So, what about my weight?  Well, I weigh daily...and yesterday morning I weighed in at 122.2...and this morning I weighed in at 119.8...so I am down a little, even after a decadent dinner.  That's no surprise to me.  Weighing daily I have come to anticipate daily fluctuations like that based on how hydrated, bloated, full, even tired I feel.  The patterns that really matter are the ones that develop over long periods of time.  So yeah, it was encouraging to see the scale go down, and I have hope that I can get through the holiday season maintiaining my weight.

Tonight: back to the gym and I'll be eating the leftover SALAD, not the stuffing ;)

Ok this is our first official Post Holiday weigh-in.

Drum roll please....

Last week 146

Today 147

Minor weight gain probably just a lil water retention. I hope everyone else did well.

Well my official Holiday feast was on Wednesday. On Thursday I roasted my own turkey breast and made my own mashed potatoes (healthier version with skim milk and light canola butter), and been enjoying them for the rest of the week.

Anyway I weight myself every day so... My weight spiked to almost 136, then started to drop until 132.4, and now climbed back up to 134.5. I am going to chug it as maintaining, since it's my usual fluctuation. Plus I think my stomach looks less flubby, and love handles are smaller. Could be just my imagination thought. :)

UD

May  I join?

I am 30 y old female 5'5'' recently lost 25 lbs.  I was below my goal weight prior to thanksgiving. (125)  I have went up to 129 but I also ate bad thanksgiving, and this weekend, I was ill and had to work 12 hr shifts with my boss, which is also a stresser. 

My goal now is to not go over 130, EVER!  and keep up the excercise, FOREVER!!!

I "officially" weigh in on Monday morning.  Up 2 lbs to 136 since a week ago.  Not so bad considering the food and lack of exercise.  Obviously had some big meals, but pretty much resisted snacking.  Oldest brought a dozen fancy cup cakes but only ate the bottoms.  Now that took some willpower.  Hope to get back to 134 for Christmas.

Well i hate to sound so positive but i maintained for the whole week. Well i actually ate a few too many M&M cookies on thursday so i had to go back to eating really healthy for a few days but i am the same as last week, about 139lbs. But of course i didn't have thanksgiving to contend with. Wait until Christmas.... lol

UD: the healthy version of your thanksgiving sounds nice