The FastDay Forum

[Moogie]

I've slightly reworked my old blog post with festive fasting tips & posted it up on FastDay:
https://www.fastday.com/buzz/10-tips-fo ... e-fasting/

But I'd really love to hear your tips as well so I can include them - I think I'll be sending this one out in next weeks' newsletter, ready for the festive season, so let's hear your ideas and if you're ok with me including them in the article let me know and I will of course credit the tip to you!

[Tracieknits]

For me, December is all about weighing daily so that I don't completely overindulge. But that's only possible if you have the mindset to not be terribly upset by the normal fluctuations of the scale. Seeing a higher number on one day should inspire moderation, not frustration or punishment. And maybe a couple of extra glasses of water.

If you think you can weigh daily without getting upset, it's the best tool for maintaining your weight.

Thank you moogie, great advice. I do not weigh daily, but will weigh myself on Christmas Eve and then on January 2, as well as my regular weigh days. The thought of the January 2 weigh will stop me from going totally silly over the holidays, but I will not freak out when I see the reading, promise!

[carieoates]

Try and drink loads of fizzy water all day every day. Add a drop of lime or lemon juice, or even no added sugar squash.

Miss breakfast and have a hearty brunch - therefore 16.8ing or thereabouts.
Unless eggy and protein based, breakfasts are often loaded with sugar and or carbs. A big no no.

Alcohol ----- big dilema, not that I'm telling you to get blotto, or not have a few, but gin, vodka, whisky, etc etc are better than beer and wine. Love my wine though champers is the lowest wine option when i say low I'm meaning low sugar thus low carb.
Only prob for me is if I drink, I like to have snacks, for some it's the chocolate for me Its savoury.
I will not be fatsing proper, but will stick to the above. Did it last year, put on about 5lb , but was also convalescing.
Have a lovely Xmas and enjoy really good stuff,

Excellent article - thanks @Moogie

I am over 2 stone lighter than last Christmas and certainly don't want a horrendous gain to deal with in January so some of my strategies are:
1) Fill up on protein where possible rather than carbs (cold meats and yummy cheese!)
2) Don't go mad on wine - drink spirits and mixers/soft drinks if possible
3) Get some exercise - not necessarily the gym but a good brisk walk in the fresh air would do!
4)Fit in some fasts if possible if we are not socialising/entertaining

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a slimmer New Year

Thanks for the tips peoples. I think I'll give the daily weighing a go. Will also be skipping lunch if necessary. I've finally started to lose again these last few weeks so really don't want to undo it all.

[Moogie]

Fantastic tips so far all, do keep them coming and I'll update the article at the end of the week!
I had no idea that spirits and mixers were better than wine in terms of sugar & carbs, thanks for that tip Carrie!
Not that I drink a lot these days anyway, what with the anticoagulants! I stick to low alcohol wine and bucks fizz so I can have a few without putting myself at risk

My tip is for xmas lunch and all the other big meals/buffets over the holidays. Always put the veg and meat on your plate first. That way when it comes to the more calorific stuff your plate is already looking full and you'll be less likely to over do it on the less healthy items. Happy holidays to all . Feel free to use my tip @moogie and thanks for the advice

Have your typical FD foods available if you have ones that you eat regularly. That way it won't be easier to help yourself to leftovers (might be difficult to estimate if you don't eat those foods regularly); plus, you'll remove the temptation to 'finish something up'. I struggle with food waste (as in, I can't do it - wasting food makes me feel physically ill as it goes against a very long-standing habit) but, rationally, I accept that if you eat food that you don't need, it's still waste, it just has an extra detour to the waste processing centre, via the stomach.

I keep to Gillian Riley's Times and Plans strategy and I find this invaluable - particularly over holidays and special events: post203414.html?hilit=Riley%20times%20plans#p203414

@Moogie, I t really depends what mixers and what wines you drink. Dry reds are quite
low in carbs. Some mixers are like non-diet soda and packed with sugar. I'd suggest sticking to dry wines instead of mixers if you are trying to keep the carbs under control.

I weigh daily all year long and decided to NOT weigh this holiday season. Its a nice present to myself. I am doing my two fasts and feel that after almost 10 months I deserve a little time off. I usually have to diet all January. This year I'll just keep fasting , so that's another reward. I will be cutting back on desserts and candy in January, as I am enjoying so much of them this month, but since I plan to keep fasting for the foreseeable future, why not enjoy the fact that I can eat during the holidays without having to starve for a month?

[carorees]

Um, my tips are:
1) Skip meals whenever you can. If you're travelling to visit relatives it is easy to skip any meals you might otherwise have planned for your journey.
2) Consider doing an all day fast but not sticking to the 500 cals at the end of it. I will probably do this on Xmas eve and NYE. And I will aim only to eat one meal on Christmas Day (albeit a rather long one - starting at 3pm and finishing about 7pm I expect).
Cut out the roast potatoes and bread and bulky stuff from the meals so you can eat more turkey and veg and have room for some Xmas pudding or whatever your dessert on offer is. I find my stomach has shrunk so much that if I were to eat bread, potatoes etc with my main Xmas day meal I would have no room for dessert anyway so it's no hardship to skip them.
3) Try to confine your eating to an eating window. Ideally an 8 hour or less window but anything you can do to prevent yourself from snacking all day long on Xmas goodies will be a bonus. If you are getting up late during the holidays (as I intend to) you can have your breakfast pretty late in the morning and try to finish eating (and drinking) not too late in the evening (I will skip breakfast though).
4) Fast again as soon as possible in the week after Xmas before you get to the NYE celebrations! As Moogie says in her blog, if you don't fast at all for two weeks you may find your first fast in January is a toughie.

The last two years I gained a couple of pounds over Xmas but they went again almost immediately so I would say the weight gain was just water and I probably really maintained my weight.

Good luck everyone!

I really liked this holiday eating tip from Yoni Freedhoff: http://www.weightymatters.ca/2014/12/wh ... e-all.html
Ask yourself before you eat holiday treats:
1. Is it worth it?
2. How much do I need to be happily satisfied?