Holiday get-togethers and mystery calories!

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

Just wondering if anyone else is having this problem: I have been on a nutrition plan since August that includes counting calories and exercise. I've done well on the program and have managed to lose 38 pounds.

My problem is that I'm so focused on the calorie counting(I'm a little OCD) that even though they say I don't have to count all of the time, I can't help myself. It panics me to think that I might be ingesting too many calories and sabotaging everything.

This makes holiday meals very miserable. We have 3 Christmas meals coming up that I am dreading. The 2 Thanksgiving meals we attended were very difficult. I knew that if I didn't eat there would be questioning(even if I ate before) and even eating vegetables not knowing how they were prepared was tough and I couldn't wait to get home.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get through the Christmas dinners with more sanity? Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with family and friends it's just that the food puts a damper on things. I could bring my own meal but I'd have to answer a lot of questions that I'd rather not go in to during a family get together.

Anyone?

 

[Rose&Mike]

First--congratulations on losing 38 pounds. That's a wonderful accomplishment!!

I have some thoughts on the holiday meal stuff.

You need to begin by reminding yourself that you didn't lose the weight overnight and you're not going to gain it all back overnight. I say that to my DH a lot--I can't gain 45 pounds in one meal right? Having said that, I know you want to do the best you can and not sabotage all of your hard work. Here are some ideas:

Don't go to the dinners starving. It might sound like a good idea to save your calories for one big meal, but the reality is you are more likely to make bad choices.

Try if at all possible, to eat sitting down. This way you can put your fork down between bites and not do a lot of mindless eating.

Even though you don't know how the veggies are prepared, it's usually a good bet that they are going to be healthier than other options.

Figure out how you are going to handle desserts and alcohol ahead of time.

And if people make comments, just say I'm working on healthy eating. Sometimes I wonder if my comments about my healthy lifestyle make people feel like I am judging their choices, when that really isn't true. So I try to not talk about it unless people ask direct questions. One of my favorite comebacks is--I'm running tomorrow, so I have to watch what I eat or my stomach won't be happy! People can't really comment much on that.

The thing is, and this has been hard for me--diets don't last forever. Eventually you have to find a way to survive in the real world--and that's the shift to healthy eating in whatever situation you are in. It doesn't mean you have to be perfect all of the time. You just have to do the best you can with the situation you find yourself in.

And if all else fails, keep repeating to yourself--I have lost 38 pounds. I can make it through this dinner.

Good luck! And congratulations again!