How do you deal with the holidays while eating healthy?

[mtneer]

Originally Posted by sportsgeek20

Seriously though, @OP: unless you're gonna spend more than a few days with your relatives you've got nothing to worry about.

What is important is that you have already begun your journey, and have some results to back up your willpower to continue. You stick to your rules in every-day life, hard and sharp, but every now and then even the bodybuilder-professionals, the fitness instructors, etc almost all of there people who keep fit and healthy for a living will squeeze down a caloriebomb or two.
It is your habit to keep up a healthy lifestyle in the long run that will make your health. If you eat healthy 350 days a year I promise you that you'd have to do some SERIOUS screwing up to really ruin it with the remaining 15 days of the year...

Here's the thing I don't think I can safely splurge like others can because my metabolism is screwed up between doctors shoving steriods at me for years, becoming disabled from illness and injury and going from very active to sloth for about a decade, plus I have hypothyroidism and I'm a very small framed 5 ft tall woman. I can't splurge on calories like a average size person can. Case in point. I gave in and went to Ryans buffet with family a week ago. I had one piece of baked chicken but then the only vegetables were fried okra, cooked carrots covered in butter and mashed potatoes. They had green beans but it had onions in them and I am very allergic to onions. I had small servings of those plus had a buttered roll and a bowl of soft serve ice cream. I didn't even finish the ice cream cause I didn't think it tasted good--- well just from that small splurge I gained two pounds back. So there went a week of working my butt off at the gym for nothing.

[sportsgeek20]

Well to gain 2 pounds from that meal is scientificly impossible, unless the block/pool of butter was pretty darn big or you ate a hell of a lot of fried okra(like 10+ plates) or if the bowl of icecream was really big(which you do not imply in your post) even if you have flat zero metabolism, NOT gonna happen. period.

What i think you may see a few pounds of fluctuation from fluid in/out balance. This is so often overlooked, and the the indivdual stands there over the scale going "holy crap I've eaten two carrots and drank half a galon of water today and i went up 2 lbs, I need to eat less".
I personally fluctuate several pounds just between breakfast and dinner every day. To prevent this error you have to always weigh yourself under the same pretences, like in the morning after a toilet visit, before breakfast. There may still be a half a pound or so fluctuation from day to day(0-4 lbs/week) but this way it's minimized.

But 2 pounds from that meal is impossible unless your inner body is some kind of fusion reactor :P
Your medicine may lower your metabolism significantly, but it still takes energy to keep your body-temperature up, your food digested and so on. all your bodyfunctions demand energy, this is the reason you have a metabolism. it does not get decimated, decreased yes but not decimated.
Call your doctor(YES DO THAT, knowledge about oneself is never a bad thing) if and ask him how much your metabolism could've changed and how much you could expect to still have with regards to the medication. he'll slurr around saying it's hard to say etc, but go at him and he'll give you some numbers in the end, and you'll see that energy is energy, it cannot dissapear, and neither can the need for it.
(a small note: kcal, kilocalories is a measure of energy, which is chemicly bound in food, extracted through metabolism)

[*Sixy*]

Originally Posted by mtneer

I understand how you feel. I can't handle heavy foods either, namely anything greasy. A couple years ago when I was only visiting here I stayed for 3 weeks with family and ended up having gallbladder trouble only time in my life. My doctor said it was from eating nothing but greasy foods 3 meals a day for three weeks. I can't eat grease anymore since then or I end up very ill.

Me and grease/fat do not get along. I literally cramp and feel like barfing from greasy/fat ladden foods.

I had 4 kids in a 5 1/2 year time span and the yo-yo weight gain/weight loss took a huge toll on my body. I gained about 40lbs with each pregnancy and lost all of it within 5 weeks after delivery each time.

My gallbladder started acting up when I delivered my 3rd child. I like my organs, they are there for a reason and I held out for a while having it removed. Finally, 3 1/2 years later I could not take it anymore and caved and had the surgery. The breaking point for me was having to pull over on a busy highway with my kids in the back because of an attack. It was VERY scary for them and for me.

Food isn't worth it. I like feeling good and for me, that means avoiding the holiday dishes that I know will make me feel awful.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by mtneer

It wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for relatives wanting me to spend dinner with them. They don't eat healthy, everything is greasy or else made with artificial sweetners. I'd rather spend the day at the gym then come home and cook my normal food. I only hope to God 24/7 gyms really are open every day including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not everyone celebrates Christmas here so it ought to be open then.

I've accomplished a lot by exercising diligently and eating way healthier than ever before. I don't want to sabotage myself nor gain weight that I have to work off to re-lose a second time. How do other healthy people here deal with holidays with relatives? Anyone have any good excuses to get out of the whole thing? lol

You can always plead "doctors orders" when bringing your own food to any occasion. People who would otherwise be insulted will ALWAYS cave in when something is done because a doctor prescribed/advised it.

The secret would be to let them know in advance that you will be bringing your own food, that way they will not make a big deal about it. Be ready to be the center of attention, however, because others will want what YOU are eating rather than the hostess' food. Lol

20yrsinBranson

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by mtneer

It would be a waste of my time and money to cook anything. They will not eat anything healthy, won't eat vegetables or anything other than the standard southern mashed potatoes, meat, gravy and biscuits food.

At least if you brought a dish, you'd have something good to eat. And if you keep doing it every time you visit, they'll get used to it -- my mom knows to leave space in the fridge for me when I visit (although she still hasn't caught onto the fact that I haven't eaten potatoes or rice in 12 years ...). They might even grow to like the food you make.

[Dogmama50]

My family's eating habits are not as extreme as your family's, but I understand why you have negative feelings towards eating at their house. I've given up on trying to change how they eat and just bring something that I want to eat to share, they can eat some if they want, if not I take home the leftovers. They can think you're a snob for not eating their food, but you're making healthy choices for yourself and that's all that matters.

[LittleDolphin]

Holidays can play havoc with our diets and weight, no fooling. I try to start my holiday eating with a vegetable soup or a plain salad ( with a low-cal dressing) before diving into the more caloric treats. If I go out to friends or family, it helps to have a salad before hand so I'm not starving when I arrive--that's when I tend to over-indulge--when my blood sugar's down.

I don't deny myself, the food's too good at this time of year, but I do my best to take the edge off my appetite before delivering myself into temptation. And don't forget, eggnog is horribly caloric...I try to stick to carbonated water with a spritz of fruit juice instead...

[branfan]

Originally Posted by mtneer

Yes I am hypothyroid though I take medicine for it. It honestly doesnt seem to help one way or another about taking thyroid hormones. Metabolism still sluggish and even worse I'm always freezing cold even in summer. Always chronically tired all the time to and can easily sleep 10-11 hrs straight if not forced to wake up.

i'm hypothyroid too! i take Synthroid. it's ok. i don't feel bad. my skin is dry. it gets worst in the winter. i try so hard to eat healthy and i fail always. i'm so tired of it. i really want to do it, but i feel like i can't. i don't know what to do.

[ConeyIsBabe]

Originally Posted by mtneer

It wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for relatives wanting me to spend dinner with them. They don't eat healthy, everything is greasy or else made with artificial sweetners. I'd rather spend the day at the gym then come home and cook my normal food. I only hope to God 24/7 gyms really are open every day including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not everyone celebrates Christmas here so it ought to be open then.

I've accomplished a lot by exercising diligently and eating way healthier than ever before. I don't want to sabotage myself nor gain weight that I have to work off to re-lose a second time. How do other healthy people here deal with holidays with relatives? Anyone have any good excuses to get out of the whole thing? lol

I don't agree (at least for me) that eating a little of the unhealthy food is OK. Whenever I became WEAK at holiday meals or parties and consumed what I know is unhealthy my body reacts adversely and it takes about a week for me to recover (indigestion, constipation, gas, bloating, headache, etc).

I've learned to use the excuse "I'm allergic" to whatever the bad food item is. I'm allergic to dairy. I'm allergic to chemicals. I'm allergic to excess sugar. I'm allergic to animal fat. ETC.

Then I'll take small portions of the most healthy item available and make do with that.

I get sick & tired of trying not to hurt anyone's feelings and really get SICK and tired when I eat their junk food or non-food

[mtneer]

Originally Posted by ConeyIsBabe

I've learned to use the excuse "I'm allergic" to whatever the bad food item is. I'm allergic to dairy. I'm allergic to chemicals. I'm allergic to excess sugar. I'm allergic to animal fat. ETC.

Then I'll take small portions of the most healthy item available and make do with that.

I get sick & tired of trying not to hurt anyone's feelings and really get SICK and tired when I eat their junk food or non-food

Actually I've not had good reactions from others when I refused food at friend's houses that I was HONESTLY allergic to. I have 16 food allergies, mainly because I am allergic to latex so that causes cross reaction to many fruits such as bananas (which make me quit breathing). I'm also allergic to many spices-garlic, onion, ginger, mustard seed... I remember one Christmas at a friends they had a huge box of chocolate covered fruits they wanted everyone to eat. I wanted to eat the cherries and blueberries since they were safe but you couldnt tell which was what. So I started asking people who bit into the ones of a certain shape "what kind is that one?" I kept asking and I got screamed at. I absolutely HATE Christmas now between that and some other things.

I already offended the family tonight turning down bbq sandwiches and fries. I've discovered I really just don't do well with any bread products even though I don't have celiac and french fries well they send me running for the bathroom in a hurry. I can't handle fried foods anymore. None of this goes over well in this town cause eating healthy is just an alien concept. I've insulted my martial arts class for not eating their cookies and muffins a few weeks ago.