Strategies for the the Holidays

[Band Mom]

Here are a few questions for this week to get you thinking.

How have you successfully handled holiday eating situations?

Have you been faced with a situation that you would like to have handled better?

What is your strategy for staying on track this time of year?

By staying on track what are some of the benefits waiting for you in January?

MOTIVATING STRATEGY...
"When you use the Motivating Strategy, (Weight Watcher Tools for Living), you experience in your imagination all the benefits you'll enjoy once you've achieved your Winning Outcome. Use this Tool when you need to inspire yourself to do what it takes to reach your goal.

Follow these steps:
Imagaine yourself having already achieved your Winning Outcome and enjoying some of the benefits. What are you seeing, hearing, doing wearing, etc.?
Get in ouch with the good feelings that come from having achieved your outcome.
Keep in touch with those good feelings as you practice the behaviors you know will help you move closer to your weight goal (such as asserting yourself, taking care of yourself, planning tomorrow's menu, refusing a second portion, eating fruits and vegetables, taking a watlk, etc.)"

[rnmomof7]

I did not do too well on Thanksgiving.

I have not learned how to be gracious in refusing things like desert.

I went to my sons girlfriends on Thus and then had OUR thanksgiving on Sat.

I made a pre meal plan that I pretty much kept to on Thurs.
But then the girlfriend put a piece of the cheese cake her son had made on a plate with a small piece of pumpkin pie.

She was so proud of the darn cheese cake and was bragging on it so much I just ate it and ruined my plan.

It was easier on the day I cooked.
1st I cooked at my daughters house so I would have no left overs.
I used Splenda and a low point margarine for the squash and sweet potatoes and I limited myself to less then 1/2 cup of each, I also did not make my usual stuffing so I would not be tempted and i asked my daughter to make instant mashed potatoes cause I hate them .

I had a great time with my family and ate within my normal dinner points.

So as Christmas approaches I have to develop a strategy for gracious no "thank you's" and dealing with people telling me I was not eating "enough" .

I hate to push MY diet on others so is there a trick to that?

[angel2319]

I dont' know if this will work, but I've actually found that if i tell people that I am trying to cut back on sweets, they will respect that. Likewise, if it's potatoes or something else, just tell them you are trying to limit simple carbs and eat more fruits and veggies. You don't have to dwell on the "diet" issue, just a simple, "No, thanks, I'm really trying to limit my sweets." Or, if you really don't feel comfortable doing that, like the cheesecake for instance, tell her you are really trying to limit your sweets, but since she worked so hard on it, you'll have a taste, and ask her to cut only a small sliver (hopefully, she'll respect that). They don't have to know WHY you are making changes, it could be your cholesterol for all they know, they don't have to know it's a diet. I think that if you are specific though, it works better. Like, instead of saying, "No, thanks, I'm on a diet" say "No, thanks, I'm trying not to eat as many sweets as I used to."

[LillieG]

My strategy is to focus on how I want to feel. I just don't feel good when I'm eating all the sugar and starch. So do I see myself on Christmas lying on the couch, unable to move because I ate so much. Or do I see myself joining in the fun because I have the energy since I fueled my body with good stuff. Lillie

[Theresa S.]

My strategy is to keep remembering how good it feels to have a loss and to keep my focus on that. It's such a high; I have to decide that the "loss high" is better than the "eating high." And I don't have to feel guilty afterward! :exercise:

[seniorbiker]

Or ask to take the pie/cheesecake home and then immediately 'round file' it.

Works for me.

[rnmomof7]

Or ask to take the pie/cheesecake home and then immediately 'round file' it.

Works for me.

I am married to a round garbage can that eats everything he sees and never puts on weight..

That is a great idea,
Thanks but I could not eat another thing, do you mind if i take it home?

LOL, I love it

[leisa35]

These are all good strategies but I find what works for me is knowing how I used to feel after a big holiday (or any day) meal. You know, just sluggish and have to unbutton my pants on the car ride home! wink-wink. We've all been there! Well, this year, I didn't do that. I stuck to the plan and when I left the 'inlaws' I felt good and didn't have to unbutton. It made me proud to stand in front of everyone knowin how I used to eat and I didn't do it this time.

So, for me, it is just knowing that I won't feel like crap after dinner that keeps me on track.
PLUS the fact that I didn't want to face the scales if I went overboard!;)

But I won't lie, Thanksgiving was easy for me, but Christmas was more of a struggle. I had to really, really focus. (And that is hard with a cheese cake in front of your face.)
Anyway, glad to hear all the stories, sounds like everyone did OK.

Leisa35

SW 204.5
CW 188.5
PG 145