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  #31   ^
Old Sun, Nov-25-12, 10:31
freckles's Avatar
freckles freckles is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 8,730
 
Plan: Atkins Maintenance
Stats: 213/141/150 Female 5'4 1/2"
BF:
Progress: 114%
Location: Dallas, TX
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Thanks for reviving this thread, Demi! I made it through last year very well and I am using the same line of defense this year as I did last. Nice to have the reminder that I did succeed and can do it again.

Quote:
Originally Posted by freckles
What a great thread, Demi! Thanks for telling me about it!

Thought I'd bump it by sharing what I plan to do to keep myself on track this year:

I am planning our holiday meals ahead and testing lc recipes before hand to make sure they are good and will work for us.

I will be making lc baked goods to have on hand in the freezer so that if I am tempted with any hc treats I will have an acceptable alternative.

I will take a dish I can eat to any outside parties. I will also have my little ice chest filled with acceptable foods that I can sneak off and eat or eat after the event if necessary.

I will of course weigh every day. And I will hold myself accountable by participating in these forums.

That's all I've got for now.

I've only ever made it through one holiday season staying lc - the first one back in 2003. Ever since then I indulged. Some years I was able to get it together afterward, but most years not. For that reason I feel that it is crucial for me to make it through this year unscathed. By that I mean saying no to anything that isn't lc. I'd be okay with a <small> gain due to over-indulging in lc stuff. Maybe that's naive....but for me it's saying no that is the most important this year.
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  #32   ^
Old Tue, Nov-27-12, 12:30
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Quote:
November 26, 2012

Our Seasonal Mantra: No Holiday Weight Gain. Stick With Me!

by Barbara Berkeley, MD


With Thanksgiving receding in the rear view mirror we now enter the most challenging time of the weight loss year: December. The obstacles for maintainers are obvious: temptation, memory, comfort, emotion, celebration and anxiety. Put them all together and you have the perfect recipe for 5 to 20 pounds.

While no one knows exactly how much Americans gain over the holidays, I do subscribe to the belief that whatever is put on is rarely lost. This appears to be true for most adult weight gain. Whether the weight comes on during pregnancy, at the menopause, or little by little each holiday season, it often creates a new body benchmark. Despite efforts to get rid of it, that weight will want to come back. Readers of this blog can testify to the fact that maintenance is a skill that needs to be practiced religiously and consistently. The one thing we DON'T want to do is add to the burden of weight that needs tending.

To this end, I'm going to try to post more frequently until the New Year. Let's all pull together and support each other through December.

I would welcome hearing from those of you who have figured out clever tricks (or just ways to grind it out!) for avoiding holiday weight gain. Here are some of the things I suggest to my patients and that I practice in my own life:

1. Become even more religious about daily weighing during December. If you are gaining weight, do not hesitate to institute your reversal regimen until weight gets down below Scream Weight. The holiday period (or any stressful or exciting time) encourages us to avoid the scale (as in: "I won't look today!"). Don't give in to this temptation.

2. Conceptualize the goal of maintaining your weight as a gift you are giving yourself this season. Whether you want to lose weight or avoid putting it back on, your goal is long-lasting health. This present to yourself is worth far more than any piece of pie or sugar cookie. Don't pull the gift away before you get it!

3. Declare your intention rather than camouflage it. If you tell people at that cookie exchange that you are determined not to gain this season, it will be harder to gorge on cookies that afternoon. It's ok to be proud that you've lost weight and to make it plain that you are working on making things permanent. Trying to blend in by pretending that you are doing what everyone else is will probably lead to disaster.

4. Stick with your normal, everyday plan. Don't make holiday exceptions unless they are extremely limited and really, really worth it. If you do eat off-plan, return to your everyday eating regimen the very next day and be very tough about sticking with it.

5. Enter holiday events with a "scan and plan". That means that you should anticipate situations and challenges before you go to the event and should plan a specific response to each one. See how many you get right and take stock of how many hurdles you successfully jumped after the event is over.

6. Take careful note of whether you enjoy holiday events just as much if you don't include the usual sweet eating and overconsumption. Coming to realize that there's still alot of fun and meaning without the usual junk foods is a key step in staying a permanently lower weight.

7. Wear your "revenge clothes". Dress for success takes on a whole new meaning over the holidays. Dress in form fitting clothes that make the most of the smaller you. This will make you proud, but will also make it more possible for you to achieve successful control over eating. Tighter clothes make you more aware of even small food deviations.

8. Dilute alcohol. Remember that alcohol has 7 calories per gram, almost as many calories per unit as fat. It also disinhibits you and makes you more likely to eat too much. Mix wine with seltzer or liquor with water so that you can consume less alcohol in a larger volume.

9. This tip, which I've mentioned before, is one of my favorites and comes from a successful maintainer. Set a goal of finding out at least one fascinating new thing about each person you talk to. This puts you in interview mode, involves the person with whom you are speaking, and presents a fascinating challenge. Nurse a diet soda or wine spritzer while you roam the room.

Please send me your tips. Keep weighing and watching. And enjoy the season AND your continued success!!!
http://www.refusetoregain.com/2012/...ck-with-me.html
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  #33   ^
Old Tue, Nov-27-12, 12:54
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Holiday Paleoista Tip of the Day

Holiday Tip # 2: Treats As Gifts

http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...reats-as-gifts/
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  #34   ^
Old Tue, Nov-27-12, 13:57
anthonyc anthonyc is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 886
 
Plan: Primal Blueprint
Stats: 389.6/222.6/225 Male 6'2"
BF:24.6%
Progress: 101%
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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theres a ying to every yang. during the holidays, i eat what i want. i will counter balance it the following week
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  #35   ^
Old Thu, Dec-06-12, 13:21
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Holiday Paleoista Tip of the Day

Holiday Tip # 3- Holiday Parties and Your Exercise Regime
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...xercise-regime/

Holiday Tip # 4 : Handling Non Paleo Family Holiday Traditions
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...day-traditions/

Holiday Tip # 5: Christmas Cookies for Kids?
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...okies-for-kids/

Holiday Tip # 6: Baking for Decor, not for Eating
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...not-for-eating/

Holiday Tip # 7: Stop Making Excuses & Get Moving!
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...ses-get-moving/

Holiday Tip #8: Improvising & Paleo-izing Holiday Beverages for the Family
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...for-the-family/

Holiday Tip # 9: Host Your Own (Paleo) Holiday Party
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...-holiday-party/

Holiday Tip # 10: Choosing Your Compromises While Keeping Paleo
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...-keeping-paleo/

Holiday Tip # 11: Handling the Holiday Church Bake-Off- Who Said it’s Got to be Sweets?
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...t-to-be-sweets/



A suggestion for anyone not actually following a paleo woe for maintenance, just substitute the word low carb in its place!
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  #36   ^
Old Sun, Dec-09-12, 08:21
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Quote:
December 08, 2012

Drop and Give Me Fifty!

by Barbara Berkeley, MD


It's December 8th. How are you doing so far holiday maintainers??? Don't forget, I'm with you and there are thousands of us trying to do the same thing: avoid regain between now and January 2.

The biggest threat to our best intentions in December is Food Creep. This is the tendency for small amounts of trigger foods to wind up in our mouths almost without our knowing it....and certainly without our explicit permission.

December is the most important month to remember that it's all about insulin. Insulin sends the body's strongest signal to prevent fat breakdown. If you are making insulin, you are in storage mode AND you can't be losing fat. You are making insulin if you are eating little bites of cookie dough, a few of those festively wrapped Hershey kisses, or if you are drinking a caramel brulee latte. In addition, trigger foods which are so ubiquitous at this time of year set off the body's addiction pathways. Sugar gets into your system and it stages a take over. Before you know it, there's been a coup and you are no longer in control of your eating, sugar is.

You know how drill sergants handle behavior that's out of line. They have the offender drop and give them fifty pushups. If your eating plan has gone AWOL it's time for you to take the drill sergeant role.

Your insulin levels will plummet if you bring your carb consumption down to 50 grams per day for a brief period of correction (a day or two). To do this, you need to be aware of which foods are carbs. For the purposes of this exercise, you do NOT need to count:

1. Any animal product except milk (milk does have carbs). 2. Any green vegetable. 3. Any lettuce and any raw vegetable (but remember that legumes like peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils which are often found on salad bars are starches and do need to be counted).

To drop to fifty, you will have to avoid cereals, grains, baked goods, added sugars, dried fruit, pasta, and any sweets that have found their way back in. You should also be aware of the carb counts in fruit, especially the sweet fruits like banana and pineapple.

Buy yourself a small carbohydrate counter book, or use the internet to check out the amount of carbs in the other foods you are eating. Create a day's worth of food that keeps carbs below 50g. I often advocate the use of protein shakes or low carb bars as meal replacements on days like this. I realize that these foods are not "natural" foods, but they have a place because they limit food stimulation and take away choice.

Try dropping to fifty as a way to get yourself back on track or to shake the carb controllers out of your brain.

Keep the faith! You can have fun over the holidays without kicking yourself in January. Enjoy the smells, the lights, the presents and the excitement. They have no carbs.
http://www.refusetoregain.com/2012/...e-me-fifty.html

Last edited by Demi : Sun, Dec-09-12 at 08:28.
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  #37   ^
Old Sun, Dec-09-12, 08:26
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
Posts: 26,664
 
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Holiday Paleoista Tip of the Day


Holiday Tip # 12: Planning Portions
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...nning-portions/

Holiday Tip # 13: Good Gravy!
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-tip-13-good-gravy/

Holiday Tip # 14: Creating New Habits
http://paleoista.com/news/holiday-t...ing-new-habits/


.... again, for anyone not actually following a paleo woe for maintenance, just substitute the word low carb in its place!
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  #38   ^
Old Mon, Dec-10-12, 21:36
Gaspesiene's Avatar
Gaspesiene Gaspesiene is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,739
 
Plan: Lowcarb
Stats: 164/143/130 Female 5feet 5 inches
BF:
Progress: 62%
Location: Montreal, Canada
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Thought I'd chime in....since I just reached my goal yesterday, I need to have a plan to stay focused on eating right. Since I was able to lose one pound in the last 2 weeks while having to attend 2 holiday parties, I don't want to be too confident that it will be a breeze...I have several more parties coming up..so my plan is.
1. Stay LC on the day of the event and eat some protein before I leave home, meatballs are my favorite.
2. While there, really look and see if there is anything I really want that is HC, if not chose LC..if I'm not having cravings I'm not tempted so I usually chose LC
3. Since I've lost 35 pounds pounds all my family and friends know I eat LC and avoided sugar and starches..since they know this it's much easier to not cheat, I don't want to look like a hypocrite
4.Drink lots of water
5.Next day, get right back at eating LC, I discovered the meat and eggs fast, which if the scale is up more than 1 pound, I will do that for the first and maybe second day..it gets me back on track.

I'm hoping to come through without gaining...
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