Thread: Christmas

Emma, There is no good reason to go off a low carb WOE for the holidays. If you are not eating "nice food", then you need to look at all to great l/c recipes and fix yourself some things you will like. You should not be depriving yourself on a l/c way of eating. I am eating better than I have ever eaten before. Look at the 5-a-day thread and see if you think I am depriving myself. And no, I am not at the maintenance level and am holding my carbs to about 20-25 per day and am losing weight with that menu. If you need some suggestions for what you can substitute for a high carb favorite, just ask, or surf the recipe section. If you want to use the holidays as an excuse, what will your next excuse be?

Originally Posted by Yummymummy

Another thing I wanted to ask, do y'all usually go off your diet on christmas day?? I was planning to, without going over the top and be back on the next stress of trying not too and the anguish of watching everyone else eating nice food.

Em

Em-Some people eat offplan for special occassions, and some don't.

The idea long term, as Henry mentioned, is to find ways of eating that both support your long-term goals and keep you feeling satisfied with what you're eating. Sometimes, it takes a while to find your groove. But the sooner you move from thinking "diet" to thinking "just how I eat," the easier it will be to maintain your new, healtiher way of eating. If it's anguish for you to eat onplan, then you probably would benefit from making some adjustments.

With a little practice in low-carb cooking, a lot of our folks find that their carb-friendly contributions to family gatherings are as popular, often even more so, than the sugary-conterparts. But without an understanding of the plan you're following, it's hard for me to make specific suggestions. Low carbing doesn't mean you can't have treats. It just means your treats may be different than they were before.

The problem with off-plan eating is that, for many, a little sugar gives way to cravings for a lot of sugar. A day off-plan can give rise to a week off-plan, to "the holdiays" off plan, etc. So it's as much about your thinking as it is about the impact of your behavior on a specific day. In reality, you're probably not going to blow anything up eating offplan for a day. You probably won't find too many folks around here that will encourage you to do that, though. Because, for many of us, that sugar-craving monster can rear it's ugly head after a day of offplan eating, and the results can be way more stressful than making a lc cheesecake the day before. Your milage may vary.

Peace out.

Em, just remember that going off-plan can derail you for awhile. Many people plan a cheat day, for holidays or special occasions. Or a cheat meal. Perhaps they eat that piece of birthday cake, or Aunt Tilly's special (insert any high carb dish here), because of the comfort and memories of that special food. But even one high carb treat can cause cravings, and it's very, very difficult to get back on plan afterwards.

Liken it to an alcoholic. Most cannot have even one drink, because they know it will cause them to go off the wagon. The same with a lot of us who crave carbs. Just one meal can cause us to go off the low carb wagon, splurging, gaining back the weight we worked so hard to lose. So we just don't go off plan, but plan ahead so we have plenty of good low carb choices on those special occasions.

However, there are some who can have that cheat day, and get back on low carb immediately, with no ill effects. Only you know what kind of person you are, and how carbs affect you.

I'm not talking about a full blow out, I mean a few extra veg with the turkey, some veg I wouldn't normally eat, some gravy, and maybe some icecream pudding for dessert. NO alcohol, bread, high starch. You're right it could kick me back a bit but I don't think it would. I'm pretty determined to stay now I've decided to do it. I just don't want to sit there with a pile of turkey, two brussel sprouts and a carrot, that would make me feel worse than losing 2 days of fat burning time I think. I want to do it without feeling guilty about it too, and I think I can.

I even managed to make the rich frozen dessert yesterday without even sneaking a taste like I would normally have...some for the bowl, some for me, some for the bowl..... I am usually terrible.

I'll keep you posted.

Em

it definitely takes some time to work out what works best for you, and different people report different experiences. just pay attention to howthings affect you for future reference.

emma, I saw in another thread that you are trying this time to structure your own l/c eating plan, rather than following a specific plan. You may want to consider researching the various types of l/c plans and find one that looks good for you. My observation is that people who follow a specific plan do a lot better with their weight loss than those who try to "wing it". This is not to say that you will not have to tweak whatever plan you follow because we are all different and react differently to different foods. However, having the structure of an established plan to work with seems to help with total weight loss. Good Luck.

henry makes a good point. when people are starting out, selecting an existing plan gives them a head start...later, as time goes on and they learn what works for them and what doesn't, ultimatley they may end up doing essentially a "homebrew" plan. but it sure helps to get those early results and that learning that comes from followed a tried and tested existing plan in the beginning.

Good point, I've bid on Atkins book on ebay so I'll have a read.

if only I could find my folder and notes from the last time I did this I could re-follow that diet but it's lost. Must have ditched it.

Em

Em, I have nothing to add to the wonderful advice you got from Goddess and Henry... just wanted to pop in and say "Hi!" and welcome!

Thankyou Mada

It's hard to break into a new forum, always feel like I'm gatecrashing...

Em

Em, don't feel like a gatecrasher - anyone serious about low carb is more than welcome to our little community.

How about starting a journal? You'll get a lot of visits, more encouragement than you ever thought possible, and it's a way for you to express your feelings about whatever, your way of eating, your stresses, your triumphs, your family and friends, etc.

Think about it.

Originally Posted by Yummymummy

Thankyou Mada

It's hard to break into a new forum, always feel like I'm gatecrashing...

Em

I think you'll find we have a very friendly community here. So make yourself at home!