Holiday Eating Plans.....What are You Doing to Succeed?

[Shark01]

It's probably not too early to discuss the time of year when kids are happiest, and good diet progress goes out the window :eek:

The season of turkeys & football, Santa Claus & cookies are approaching. What are you planning to do in order to finish up a successful diet year?

As some of you know, I am cycling a couple of different LC diets and take a weekend off completely every now and then. In my case, I am dieting until the day before Thanksgiving and will be off diet until the following Monday (5 days off total). I then plan to diet up to Dec 23rd, take 24th & 25th off, and start dieting again the 26th (just in time to return all the crappy gifts my wife's family gives us :lol: ). Then take off on Jan 1st to gorge and watch football :daze:

Then the 2003 diet year starts on Jan 2nd :cheer:

Good luck in the upcoming months everyone :clap:

[Sherry B]

Was really bad for me last year. I wound up taking off from about November until February when I finally got back on the diet. In that time I gained about 20 pounds. I was able to take it back off fairly quickly I think most of it was gone by Mid March, and I was back to my 232 set point that never seemed to want to go away.

But no, I've been so good most of this year that I don't want to do that again. What I've done is to commit early to this Body for Life plan. It runs for 12 weeks and I'm already 2 weeks into it, so for the next 10 weeks I'll be working out like a mad dog and trying my best to keep my foods low carb.

I have a goal to be under 200 pounds by the end of December. My progress so far this year hasn't given me any indication that that goal is even possible. (Even WITH all the working out I've done lately the scale is UP not down). I think for the whole year so far if you don't count relosing all that regained water weight, I've only lost at the most 9 pounds. At this moment it is only about 4 pounds. Scale this morning read 228.

So assuming that my workouts actually WORK to help me reach my goal, I have a long way to go still to reach that under 200 mark before the end of December. All I can say is I need to get on the ball and figure out SOMETHING that is going to work for me. I'm still hoping BFL is that something, but at this point I just don't know if anything will ever work.

However I'm back on induction as of yesterday and the scale did lower itself by about 2 pounds today.

[UtahKat]

OMG, what a scary thought! We better all get our heads together and come up with some sort of PLAN!

Repeat after me: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"..."nothing tastes as good as thin feels"....nothing tastes........hey, what about my homemade Trifle?? Oh, dear.

Well, Hubby is sweet and co-operative and says he can live without all those cookies...and even Trifle. And I am sure I can come up with my own lo-carb version if I want. What I dread are the family get-togethers. They focus on eating (gorging, actually) and I am infamous as a pie baker- they count on me to supply about a half dozen different varieties, and then have a Pie Tasting Festival. I enjoy cooking but not so sure about it this year.

You see, Shark, I can't do what you do. Any "time outs" of slips, and I'm done for. I told myself "no slips" and I mean it. I've been there, done that, and it's not for me- if I start carbing again, I have no will-power. I realy think of myself as a Carb-a-holic, and use some AA principles. And I am tired of having joint pain all the time, and know that things will improve with more weight off- at least I hope so.

OK_ so I guess I have talked myself through to something of an answer. I'll have to be mean and tell 'em up front: "no pies from me- I'll bring a salad". :bash: They won't like it, but my life is at stake here. Then I better come equipped with my own special treats, so I don't sit there pouting over my turkey and salad- maybe a few "luxury-type" cheeses?

I will be anxious to see what other ideas all of you have.
Hugs,
Kat

[DarkLotus]

I have been discussing this with my family already. I plan to eat whatever is safe for Thanksgiving, no compromises. My family gets together on Christmas Eve for a big meal instead of gifts. Everybody makes something. Most of what's on the table is pasta and carbs of some sort and one of my favorites, pierogies. So, I am planning to resist eating all the tasty treats by:
1. Having a decent low carb meal before I go so I am not as hungry.
2. Bringing low carb things I can eat like stuffed jalapeno peppers, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail. Maybe even a low carb cheesecake.

Utah, what's trifle??? :wave:

[ldypgmr]

Shark....you have given me a good laugh and have allowed me to understand just how far I have come in a year.

This is NOT a diet for me, it is a Way of Life. Therefore nothing will change for the Holidays. I will plan ahead, take my own food to parties if needed. The holiday meals are full of low-carb foods - Turkey, Ham, Lamb etc... so I will eat those and leave the other alone.

I spend weekends in a camping environment where the food is provided. Most of the time it is pasta, pizza and other low cost, high carbs. I take packages of tuna, jerky, or the food bars with me so that I have something to eat. I skip the deserts with no problem.

I have already conquered the sweets, they are no longer in control. I don't believe that I could rotate the diet(s) the way you are. I am glad it works for you. For me, eating the high carb foods would just make me start craving them again, and I don't plan to go back there.

Good Luck

Dee

:wave:

[UtahKat]

Dark Lotus, Trifle is really BAAAaaad! If anyone is bothered by graphic food descriptions, please read no further.

It is an English desert, originally designed to use up things that most English country homes had hanging around the kitchen anyway- custard, cream, jam, pound cake, macaroons, almonds etc.
This is my version of it-

You butter a punch bowl, and line it with ladyfingers if you can find them, or pound cake if you can't. Soak the pound cake with OJ and a little sherry, then spread with raspberry jam. Then you make a kind of Bavarian cream with top-of the stove custard, with some gelatin added, and then fold in some whipped cream. Crumble up some macaroons (the sticky coconut ones) and make alternate layers with the custard goo and macaroons. Then top with more whipped cream and toasted almonds, and let set up in the fridge for a day, so the custard mixture firms up and soaks into the macaroons a bit. Serve it with a big soup ladle or giant spoon. It is really easy, but impresses everyone, maybe because of the size of the bowl! :yum: It doesn't stay around long! You can make the custard chocolate also if you prefer. Now aren't you sorry you asked??

I think I see possibilities for a low carb version, except for the poundcake and macaroons. Oh well, the goo is the best part anyway! Made with Splenda and real cream, and in small portions, carb count wouldn't be tooooo bad, huh? I think I will work on a recipe, but I am kinda afraid to eat stuff like that, even if lo-carb, as it might bring back those cravings.
Hugs,
Kat

[Lisa N]

Dee...I'm with you. I tried the "I'll just eat what I want on Thanksgiving and Christmas" approach last year. BAD idea! Once I started, I found it really difficult to get back on track again and didn't completely get back into low carb until mid-January and had gained 10 lbs by the time I regained control again which took me most of the spring to lose again. So there I was in June, still weighing what I did when I decided to "take a break" in November. I could have let that get me really depressed, but I didn't. I learned from it and moved on. By now it's become a way of life, not something I take a break from when I feel like it or a special occasion comes along because I know it will likely put me right back in the same situation again. I'll just eat the food that's low carb (or offer to bring something low carb) and leave the rest to everyone else. It doesn't even bother me to bake high carb treats for other people, although I only do it rarely anymore and only for really good friends who make a special request when they visit for dinner.
We just hosted a small dinner party last night. Most of the food that I served was low carb (except the mashed potatoes and the rolls) and you know what? Nobody even noticed and everyone commented on how good everything was. They had no idea that the gravy was thickened with guar gum and that the brownies we had for dessert were sugar-free. I'll just keep that my little secret. ;)

[Shark01]

Dee,
I'm glad you have found balance in your life. Actually, whenever I go on a planned cheat, I feel sooooo bad from eating sugary stuff that I can't wait to get back to eating right. It's like that story where your Dad locks you in a shed with a pack of cigs and you can't come out until you smoke them all :D

[Shark01]

OK, people........let's hear those plans how we are going to suceed :cool:

[UtahKat]

Yes, Shark, I do have a plan now formulated for Thanksgiving, and because I am lazy, I'll copy and paste it here from where I originally put it, in Dr Phil's question #2.

"Other future trouble spots include the Holidays, and all the excuses I could potentially come up with for cheating on "just that one day" Ha ha ha ha ha- Yeah sure, and wake up around Valentine's Day with all those 86 lbs back on, and a few more besides! Maybe others can do that- not Lil Ol' Carb Addict Me!

Some of the better excuses include "Why ruin everyone else's day?" Oh that's a good one! That makes me self-sacrificing and noble if I pig-out! That's wonderful! Only problem with that is that no one else will really notice that I am dieting, unless I make a big deal about it- they will be too busy stuffing their OWN faces!

Here's another good one I have used a lot: "I have EARNED this day- it's my reward!" No no no, little girl- I have "earned" the 124 pounds I have left to lose by acting on THAT principle!

Another old goodie is "After all, it is only ONE day; how much can it hurt?" Yeah, right again, but Pearl Harbor and September 11 were each just "one day"! The one day could be a personal disaster for me, if I can't get right back on track.......and judging from past history, I can't, and won't. Plus I will undo almost a week's worth of effort by blowing it.

I like my mind a lot- how it works, how I use logic, how I process information. I wouldn't trade brains with anyone else if I could. But I don't trust my rationality where it comes to the siren call of food.....foood........foooooood!

So I will work on a plan for the Holidays- Thanksgiving is in the bag already! There's turkey, and I am planning a "faux-tatoes" casserole with lots of cream and butter to substitute for mashed potatoes, a lemon Jello cream cheese celery and almond salad, baby green beans with mushrooms, and a low carb dessert- maybe a coffee cheese cake. That doesn't sound like suffering. If we eat with others, as I expect, I will take these items in enough quantity and looking special enough that no one will know they are "Atkin's Fodder" And to any well-meaning family who start bugging me about "what can you eat? Can you have this? Can you have that?" I will just ask them to please not embarrass me by focusing on my diet- if said sweetly, and a little sadly, with a touch of pathos to the acting performance, that works well, and it gets quiet for a while. I reserve the right, however, to deck anyone who starts that "Oh just a LITTLE bite- one won't hurt you"

Christmas, with all the traditional foods, is more of a problem, but I will plan a special treat meal for hubby and self. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to concentrate on what Christmas is all about, would it?"

Kat

[IcicleWork]

Our family always goes to a restaurant on Christmas Day for our dinner... it's a holiday, why should i or my mother-in-law have to be stuck slaving in a kitchen?

So the restaurant has already sent the menu through in the post, and i've already selected what i am going to eat... rib-eye steak in a cream/brandy/peppercorn sauce. I will eat the veg , except the roast potatoes will be passed to my husband's plate.

Not sure what i will do about dessert yet, though... that's going to be a tough one, as all the options on the menu look extremely carby and dangerous!

[asugar]

Kat and Sherry, You have both identified one of the biggest problems I've had whenever I've ever tried to lose weight and thank you for reminding me of this b/c I tend to conveniently "forget". I don't have such a hot track record when it comes to allowing myself to overindulge just this once. I'm one of those that wakes up months later and pounds heavier. I've been down that road so many times one would think that I would have learned my lesson by now. I also know that if I risk losing the momentum I've gathered, I will only be making it that much harder on myself. This extra weight I'm toting around isn't going to come off unless I make it come off and overindulging during the holidays just isn't condusive to making my excess baggage go away. Instead, I think I'll concentrate on hopping on the scales New Years Day and weighing less than I did last New Years Day.
asugar :wave:

[DWRolfe]

I'm actually looking forward to Thanksgiving...specifically because of the food!

I think it's the easiest holiday to get through because the turkey is so good (and good for us). Plus, there are so many great sides we can make/take with us. My family usually has meats and cheeses going during the day (many of which are OK) and shrimp cocktail in the afternoon (with no sauce, it's also OK). Jello with whipped cream will suffice for sweets for me. As Utah pointed out earlier...nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

Christmas and New Year's will be more challenging. But again, I think I'll focus on extra special cuts of meat and cheeses, etc. I'm not successful with on and off LCing, really, so it's important for me to remain strong at holiday time. January is also my 1 year LC anniversary, so I'd like to have some good numbers to report at that time.

In summary, my plan is to eat very, very well at the holidays. Forget the fast, trashy, bad-for-me snack foods and focus instead on roasts, shell fish, cheeses, etc.--things I wouldn't otherwise afford myself at other times of the year. Oh, and of course, share in my bounty with those I love.

Donald :wave:

[wimsey619]

I'm eating turkey. I'm making allowable veggies. And I'm making low carb desserts. My family can have all of that with me.

In addition.... for my family... we're having all the traditional -- stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls.

I am NOT going to eat anything that is not allowed. To be honest with you, I don't even have the desire to do so.

My treat for the day will be the low carb desserts.

Actually, right now, my favorite treat is Diet Rite cola with DaVinci cherry flavored syrup. YUM.

Virginia

[Skamito]

I've been Thanksgiving worrying a lot lately too. I'm a college student and fly home for the holiday. We go to my grandmother's and I don't have a huge amount of control over what's being served. I usually make a casserole, so maybe this year I'll make a good low-carb one instead of my green bean casserole in cream of mushroom sauce with french fried onions.

Other than turkey and salad, there's not much else but corn, potatoes, stuffing, bread, yams, cranberry, and my grandma's broccoli casserole that's covered in bread crumbs and made in a soup base which I'm sure has wheat in it.

Of course what I'm more worried about is people noticing my passing of the sides instead of taking them and ask. My aunt is a health nut aerobics instructor and I have a feeling she would have a few words to say about it.

I unfortunately think my strategy will be to take a tiny bit of potatoes and stuffing, just so it's not noticable but fill up on my allowed foods. Sigh.

Can anybody sympathize?

[DWRolfe]

One of the side dishes that I will take to Thanksgiving dinner is one that I enjoy quite often:

Cauliflower/Broccoli Casserole
(recipe may be doubled)

1 bag frozen cauliflower/broccoli mix (or fresh, if your prefer)
4 oz cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like)
¼ cup grated parmesean cheese

Microwave vegetables in covered bowl until soft.
Mash with potato masher to desired consitency.
While hot, stir in butter, cream cheese and cheddar.
Sprinkle with parmesean cheese and bake at 375 until brown and bubbly.

Options: I sometimes add a ¼ cup of sour cream. Also, you may like to add more parmesean cheese to the mix. I sometimes use a parmesean and romano mix.

This is wonderful re-heated as well and goes very well with beef, pork, chicken or turkey. I have served it to guests and they loved it.

Donald :wave:

[BrewWa]

Hi Donald,

Just printed the above recipe. Sounds great! Finally tried your pizza recipe. That was excellant!! Can't wait to try some different toppings.

Thanks for your creativity!

BrewWa

[crissylove]

Even thinking about cheating scares me. The first time I low carbed in January of last year, my first cheat began two weeks before my birthday and lasted well into March. Repeat that pattern six or seven times and you now know how the next year and half had gone for me. "Just one bite" is just not an option. I just plan to focus on the reason for the season and try to stick to what I've been doing.

Like others I am more worried about Christmas than Thanksgiving as I'll be going home to my parents for X-Mas, but I'm responsible for Thanksgiving. I'm seriously not trying to make a whole turkey so what I'll probably do is make some turkey legs, have some green beans, a salad or something. I may also get myself a low-carb chocolate bar for desert and have that with some whipped heavy cream w/ Splenda.

For Christmas, I just plan to make food secondary. I think most of my family already know I don't eat "sugar or white stuff" (LOL) so I am hoping it'll be a non issue and hopefully I'll have a little time to make a couple of low-carb sides. There will be plenty of meat, so I should be alright. I'll probably also take a chocolate bar with me as well.

[chemlady]

Since I'm the one who cooks I plan on the usual turkey with assorted veggies all of which are low carb. I will have potatoes and rolls for the other guests. I'll make a low carb dessert for me and another dessert that everyone likes, apple pie, for the rest of the crew. As for christmas, being italian its the seven seafoods on christmas eve all of which are allowable minus the breading on some and christmas day is always a sirloin roast with the trimmings. I guess the trimmings will all be low carb this year. Hey I say burger kings down the street if you don't like it. After all this is for everyones health not just my own. Of course there will be bread but I don't feel that tempted especially since I heard all your horror stories about having to re-lose that weight you worked so hard to get off. Right now I carry a protein bar in my bag all the time so there's always a good choice available when I am out an about. I know my kids only care about how many presents they have to open anyways. I think I might have to check out the dessert section is this site for ideas.
good luck everyone.
Laurie

[freydis]

This is what I have planned so far, though I could use some more ideas:

turkey and/or ham
tray with: celery/cream cheese
green and black olives
kosher pickles
broccoli with cheese
cheesecake (low-carb version, no crust)
home-made cookies (low carb)
key lime pie in a meringue shell

I could use more vegie and dessert ideas. I can think of LOTS of things to do with cheese and meat, but need more variety for the non-LC guests.

[wantolose]

Wow - I'm glad I read all of the posts concerning this subject.... I, too thought that maybe I could just 'sneak' a little....but the others have convinced me that I should totally try to stay LC. I had already planned to make a crustless cheesecake, and turkey is fine, cheeses and allowable veggies for the relish tray... I was thinking of making LC stuffing - with the lower carb bread - because I know that is my downfall...and if I HAVE to have it...at least it will be less harmful than dressing made with regular bread crumbs.

Thank you all for your insights and suggestions...

Everyone have a fantastic Weekend!
Amy

[ldypgmr]

Ok, Ok, Ok, since you have begged an conjoiled. <SP> here are my 2 favorite, low carb dessert recipes. The cheese cake is awesome all alone or served with fresh strawberries. You can also make it without the crust to cut some of the carbs. My other low carb friends fell in love with it. I am going to try to make a chocolate one for Thursday. The jello dessert has about 4 gms of carbs for the whole recipe and makes a huge bowl! So eat up and enjoy!

Chesse Cake

CRUST:
1/2 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of splenda
3 - 4 Tbls Butter

Put the pecans and splenda in a blender and pulse blend until the splenda and pecans are kinda powdery. Cube the butter and then blend it in the pecan and splenda mixture. Press the mixture into the bottom of a spring form pan.


CHEESE CAKE MIXTURE
3 Packages of Creame Cheese Softened
1/2 cup of splenda
4 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teas vanilla
1 teas lemon juice

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Bake is a 350 degree over for 30 - 35 minutes.

This make a really rich and wonderful Cheese cake.


Blender Cheese Pie

1 3 oz package of Jell-O any flavor
1 cup boiling water
3 oz of creame cheese cut into small pieces
1 cup of crushed ice cubes
4 oz of whip cream

Combine gelatin and boiling water in electric blender container. Cover and blend at low speed until gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minutes. Add cream cheese, cover and blend at low speed for 30 seconds. Add ice and whip topping, cover and lben at hight speed until ice is melted, about 30 seconds. Pur into pan and chill at least 2 hours.

ENJOY

Donald I can't wait to try your recipe.

Thanks

Dee

:wave:

[asugar]

Dee, For the cheesecake mixture, what size packages of cream cheese are needed? The recipe sounds yummy. Thanks.
asugar :wave:

[ldypgmr]

Ooooppps Sorry I will go back and edit. 3 8 oz packages.


Thanks

Dee

[freydis]

Here's a recipe for "Half-Pound Cake" that might be useful for making a lower carb trifle.

[ldypgmr]

Ok, that does it...you are all making me hungry and it's not even Turkey day yet!!!!! :D


Man do I need to try this cake out.

Thanks

Dee

[freydis]

I'm baking a batch tonight. In view of some of Karen's tips and other info learned here, I'm changing the soy powder amount to half soy powder and half flaxseed meal. Changing the splenda only to 1/4 cup Splenda and 1/4 cup sugar twin. These changes lower the carb count 32.56 for the entire batch, which is a significant difference! If they help the flavor, too, I'll be VERY happy. :)