The FastDay Forum

I noticed on a few threads people are strugging with losing the weight gained in December/early Jan, I for one.

Based on what you experienced, do you think you will do December 2014/January 2015 any different. (while its fresh in our heads)

I guess many here will be on maintenance by then so our mindset will be different but still, im wondering if there's things we shouldnt have done or should have done to avoid the heartache.

I personally thing its good to let go for a bit and gain a little weight during a very festive season but wondering if maybe i should have thrown in a few extra fasts in the leadup to the festive weeks. Not sure.

I guess by then i will be HITing in a regular manner and that might be the armour i have to counteract any bad behaviour.

I think that I'll have much smaller measures of Baileys, and fewer of them!

I'm struggling with what I gained over the holiday, but I think that's because I badly time hitting my goal weight (Dec. 17). For complicated reasons, there was no way I could fast over the holiday while I was in the US. We had really big breakfasts a lot. I hopefully won't be in either of those situations again.

In the future, I guess I would try fasting a few days, or 16:8, or whatever my usual maintenance strategy is by then. I agree with Juliana that it is good to let go for a bit. I wouldn't want to spend the holidays not having any fun at all, food and drink wise.

Hibernate!!!!

Well, I doubt we'll have any family coming so I certainly won't go so OTT buying all the tempting Christmas goodies again. Dom is happy with Galaxy selection boxes a bit of cake and an occasional glass of Port so I know I will be able to tone it down BIG time.

@juliana.Rivers this ought to be 'bumped' again in October/November, to coincide with any 2014 Christmas club.
We will definitely be buying fewer spirits - they are just too easy to mix and relax over. The fact we had too many 'left over' is the reason I started my Dryathlon challenge!
I don't think I'll stop hub making his infused liqueurs, because you can't drink too many of them and one at the end of a meal is great (and they make nice gifts).
I can't buy fewer chocs, cos I didn't buy any! Same with cake, mince pies etc.
The 'biggie' for me is being aware of my carb intake and, if we go to family again, I will (politely!) take a veggie curry with me, rather than feel poorly after carb rich foods.

This was my 2nd christmas. I put on a bit less and I think have turned things around a bit quicker. I think you need to enjoy yourself over the festive season. In the past the few extra pounds each year were gradually accumulating now they are not. My big problem this year is that we seem to have been left with a lot of sweets not only Christmas ones but a huge box of chocs that was brought to our NYE party and not opened. I have taken some into work and I think more will follow. Next year I will make sure that family take their share of the goodies home with them

Hibernate!!!! .

Lol @DomaneFunnily enough I've posted twice recently that I'd hibernate. Plus::
I've already told the family members who gave us chocolates that it was a bad idea and if I've upset them
it's tough!!!
I also bought some and next time I shall reduce the amount because OH wants them in at all times!!!
I cut xmas cake in half + yes I will have to face it later in year but not in conjunction with all the other goodies.
I did make mince pies but I can live without them.
I did have too many carb but less than other years.
Red wine but not overboard with this either

All in all not to bad so how come I'm not yet quite back to my
pre-xmas weight? obviously the answer is still far to many chocks + xmas cake so would reduce these deffo.

Oh gosh I've just realised. I LOVE mince pies.... but I didn't have a single one this Christmas!!! Go me!!

(Shame I ate everything else to make up for it though....)

Nothing!!

Strangely enough I don't mind that I put on weight over christmas, it's coming off slowly but surely and without too much effort, and I think that for me to be sustainable I need to be able to let go on holidays.
The only thing I can see changing is that hopefully I'll be more active next year, as this year the weather was awful so we didn't ski etc. like we normally do, we had basically a whole week sitting at home and eating!

I took three weeks off entirely from any kind of fasting. It was great and I don't regret it. I stayed active and I made one change this past Christmas season that helped. I make lots of candy for gifts and if I have any in the house I eat it. So this past year I limited my candy making to one weekend and I packed up and wrapped almost all of it right away. That probably saved me a couple of pounds compared to the year before.

Oh gosh I've just realised. I LOVE mince pies.... but I didn't have a single one this Christmas!!! Go me!!

(Shame I ate everything else to make up for it though....)

This literally made me laugh out loud, thanks for the morning giggles @Domans, what a great way to start my day

I was OK over Christmas, it was the week after (and the next) that my eating got out of control. It's good to make plans for next Christmas but like New Year resolutions I doubt if many of us will stick with our plans. We all know that we can quickly get back in line with this so if we do pile the weight on again it's not too bad a problem.

I expect this time next year we will be having this conversation again...

I will only buy one box of mince pies. I always end up finishing them off because nobody else is that bothered. I will try not to be seduced into buying those big tins of chocolates - I was tempted by the 'limited edition' Toblerone in Heroes this Christmas. Was given quite a bit of choccie so no need to buy extra.

Thanks for the post @Juliana

I was ok over Christmas but it was the few weeks before with the stress of my sons wedding and then the lead up to Christmas Day and some family issues that emotional eating took over.

I also could have done with less mince tarts, the Christmas plum pudding, fruit cake and the Cadburys chocolate Assorted bars!

Still, I am back in control again and I feel I am in a good place at the moment.

cheers,
Maggie.

thanks for the replies.. i avoided the sweets and baked goodies from Aldi stores this year.

agree re bumping this up this coming October/November in prep for Christmas 2014 @pennyforthem.

as @coffeetimesaid, i was ok over christmas cause i was running around shopping or doing lots of prechristmas client tasks so my head was away from food, even on Christmas day i think i ate not much at all. it was the week after and the week after that

i guess we can'y actually reduce our weight in the weeks leading up to Christmas to form a buffer as that would be unnatural and dangerous so i think we just have it in our plan that there will be an extra kilo(or two) to lose (i weighed in at just above 71kg today which is a number i didnt think id see again) but this time it was this most amazing meal on Sunday at a Thai Lao restaurant followed by a huge ice cream bowl and at home, some sticky rice with coconut dressing from my friend. )

Im thinking that kilo may take to at least end of Jan to lose.

dont worry we will all be lean and trim by Valentines Day!