Tis the Season.......

To get fat.........again.....?????

Do you believe in preventative medicine/medical ????

I can honestly say that I believe in it....... but history says I'm not very good at it.......

I did this last year and it worked out great.....

I've been pinching off my intake for almost two weeks now........ treading into WL zone to drop a few pounds for the holidays so I don't come out in January on the porky side of good......

I intend to roll this way through December and get through Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holiday parties with minimal damage......

To lose it now...... or lose it later..... that is the question !!!!!

Kind of a Yo Yo mentality...... but whatta gonna do..... life is a Yo Yo....... and I'm gonna eat my moms scratch made pies and maybe even have a little rice with gravy on it and a cookie or 12 to 24.....

What's your strategy ???

frisco

I just started an Operation Maintain Weight group at work. The goal is to stay within a 2 lb range for 8 weeks - i.e. through the holidays. At first I thought 'fuck that **** I'm already living on nothing.' But then, I kind of started thinking the same way as you - I would like to come out on the other end of the holidays at least the same weight--maybe even...dare I say...lighter. 

So, I'm all for it. I think it's a smart way to get through all of these crazy eating days. 

That was kinda my thought process...... except mine was more like: 

"Fuck it..... it's gonna happen...... better to prepare/plan for it and I'd rather do the work up front and during....... than after"

This way and your way.........promotes minimal to no Porkyness in January....... I think were just sick of life long January promises and dieting.........

"Operation Maintain!!!"

frisco

The best part is, the woman that doesn't like me at work (I know, you're surprised) is our Team Captain which has put a new fire under my ass cheeks. I'll be damned to hell if I'm going to gain and let her see it. At the end of the 8 weeks, my weight WILL be lower. 

I am so glad I logged onto OH forum today.  I have not done so in months.  I needed a reminder of where I have been and what I have done instead of taking it for granted.  My VSG almost 4 years ago now.

Frisco, You are sooooo right.  I have already put on a few pounds over my goal weight, and if I am going to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas, I need to drop a few pounds.   I really had not even thought about that, but I, too would like to enjoy some of the holiday goodies, and would like to do this guilt free.  I will start right away, and lose a few pounds so that I can enjoy some treats.  I can usually lose pretty easily by going back to high protein foods primarily for a week or so.

I do it differently. I tell myself Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years are just three days of the year and not an excuse to eat crap for three months. So I try to treat this time as no different from any other time. I indulge all the time. But when I do, I compensate -- either before or after. If I have dessert three days in a row in July, then I clean up my act for a week or two and am extra careful. Same with Thanksgiving.

IMO the problem with the holidays is that people use them as an excuse to indulge 24/7 and act like the rules of physics don't apply and then are shocked (SHOCKED!) when they gain weight. If you don't get into that mindset to start with, there is a lot less damage.

The other thing is, come Jan-Feb, I always kick up my training so anything I've gained Nov-Jan tends to fall off anyway. Sign up for a race in March and your weight will take care of itself. 

I'm pretty much like MacMadame, I don't deny a bit of worthy treat year round.. but if I know there's going to be said treats beforehand, I go in light, and if it's a surprise- and at work during the holidays, there's a lot of them- I just plan on being light around those times/afterwards. I also try hard to stick to the "have a taste or two, then be done with it and move on." Not eat half the turtle cheesecake over three days time.. Work treats are the downfall, I never have that crap at home, but being in a medical office- we get a lot of high-end food gifts thrown at us around Xmas. 

Frisco, you said this is the second year now that you're doing this.  Did your body respond right away to going back into WL mode?

Yup......

In reality it is not very hard...... it's basically cutting about 200cals a day and about half the carbs which is easy to do.

Instead of full fat mayo..... I use greek yogurt mixes.

Pull back on the carbs a bit, add a shake here and there, keep greek yogurt in the fridge at all times.....

Fluids up and at least walk everyday......

Things I should be doing anyway......

If you just pull back on the fluff...... that's a couple hundred calories.....

This is where keeping the quantity small helps out....... you than can just adjust content and not quantity.....

frisco

well, for the first time in years I have refused to cook the thanksgiving dinner and all the crap and demanded we go out.  our nephew won't be here so we are a small group and we are going to a nice restaurant where others can get a big wad of traditional thanksgiving food and i can order off the menu and have an appetizer for dinner. Its so liberating to be free of that cooking obligation.  I was thinking of doing a really scaled down turkey dinner with just a roasted turkey breast and no stuffing or gravy but decided I didn't want to even have to clean the house.

Such a major load off my mind to not have to cook. No longer being fixated on food is really liberating!!!!

Diane