Long-timers - how do you deal with holiday eating?

I think I'm going to be able to get through Thanksgiving okay, but I have to be honest, it's been kind of a struggle since Halloween.  I am able to eat small amounts of sweets - I know I shouldn't but I can.  

My biggest concern is Christmas day.  Our tradition is to have a big meal (ham, potatoes, veggies, etc.) Christmas Eve night.  Then on Christmas day it's all just finger foods (shrimp, dips, stuffed mushrooms, etc.).  We graze all day.  I know I will have carrot slices and celery to use with the dips instead of crackers as one healthier option. 

How do you get through the holidays without grazing and sticking to your protein dense foods first?  Or do you allow yourself a little wiggle room because it's the holiday?

I eat whatever I want on the holidays but limit my eating between holidays. The few days we spend with family did not make me obese. It's the mindless eating all year round that did that.

Meat...fish... Some non starchy veggies... Nuts in moderation... Lots of water and green tea..

Then repeat... 

If I want dessert - I use my own SF baked items or protein bars.. 

I don't limit the qty or calories during that time - but make sure I limit what I eat - mostly proteins: meat, shrimp, fish, cold cuts.. Some SF pickles... Olives... Cut veggies... Etc..

At nearly 8 years post-op the holidays just aren't that food centric for me anymore, at least not with regards to eating. Every Thanksgiving for the first few years the same thing has happened:

• Nikki gives herself permission to eat whatever she wants
• Nikki eats whatever she wants
• Nikki either feels crappy for the rest of the day OR finds she can't really eat that much and gets all grumpy

These days I actually have a "mind thing" about foods I know will make me sick (high sugar, high fat, etc.). I make myself a few options that I know I can tolerate in single servings. But besides that I do my lil bit of turkey, stuffing and collard greens and call it a day. For Christmas our big thing is brunch. I host brunch on Christmas and I make some fairly indulgent stuff but I don't eat most of it. I'm mostly into the eggs and bacon, which is all above board.

So that's not much help, but I will say that if you want to taste stuff, taste it. If you don't you will obsess until you go way overboard. But if you don't feel well after, take note. And be careful. And don't beat yourself up about your decisions. That just fuels even worse behavior.

To be honest, I indulge between Thanksgiving and New Years.  I put on five to seven pounds.  I start a diet on New Years Day and eat 900 calories a day until the weight is gone sometime in March.

I did not do that for the first five years. 

I'm 4 years out and still get full on few bites, and I use salad or saucer size dish and I allow myself 3-4 bites of each food at thanksgiving.  

I can't eat a whole hamburger, if I do want some hamburger, I am able to eat less than half of it and am full for a few  hours. 

I employ two techniques:

1. Stop treating the entire stretch of time from Thanksgiving to New Years Day as "The Holidays" as if it's one giant six-week food orgy.  There are exactly three holidays and a handful of extra parties and gatherings but there are far more entirely normal, ordinary, eat-like-you-always-do days.
2. Give myself permission to indulge on those specifi****asions.  However, even now my idea of an indulgence these days is nothing like it used to.

I'm definitely talking about the individual days, not the entirety from Thanksgiving through New Years.  

If there is something that you ABSOLUTELY love... Grandma's famous whoozeewhatsit and Christmas isn't Christmas without it... well account for it but... I think part of it is changing your mindset...  what do you love, what's an appropriate quantity 2 cookies or 20.

Are you eating something cause it's there...  we have limited real estate now so I try to only fill it with stuff worthy... if it's just OK or meh I'm not missing it. Be as mindful as you can and cut stuff where you can... rarely can anyone tell if you use yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream... a little less butter, 1/2 the dressing or sauce something calls for... stuff like that. 

A few more tips that have helped me: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2013/11/eggfa ces-10-tips-for-surviving-holidays.html

The biggest thing for me is remembering that it's a HoliDAY not month... so giveaway leftovers, freeze for use in another dish (ham for soup), one day a little more indulgent can be accounted for a week or a month of EXTRAS and well... the scale goes in both directions still :( Remember why you started... and usually that whoozewhatsit is not as appealing.

Best, ~Shelly

I think the bigger concern is the eating of sweets since Halloween. Holidays are just a day but it's the daily sweets that get you.

I don't really like the Thanksgiving meal. Many years I've worked or I've volunteered at the church serving meals.

Deb