We had a big family gathering for my dad's 80th birthday on Dec 1st, so Christmas will be small. Not sure our menu as of yet, but my plan is to take a salad size plate instead of a dinner plate to place my food on. Even if I only choose a spoonful of each thing, I will have had too much with a dinner size plate. Portions are my problem as of lately.

This is where I am lucky. We have a huge gathering here and everybody brings something. Not a sit down meal but finger foods and appetizers, people graze through the night. LOTS of food. But almost all of it will have meat in it so it is not even a temptation for me. LOL

We have a quiet Christmas Day itself so we can eat at home. December 21st is a meal out with friends in our local 'Castle' - a major treat and I think I have to plan to eat what is on the menu. Of course I do not need to eat everything that is on my plate. The next challenge is two family events on the 27th December, bacon rolls and coffee in the forenoon and 'afternoon tea'. The morning I can have bacon without the roll, done. Afternoon?? Help!

luckily no challenges here. after all the years the family has dwindled. Mom, 91, and in great health and walking well even with 2 hip fractures and on no meds, will come to our home and my mother in law will come for Xmas eve dinner. I will eat on plan. No treats. I don't 'do holidays' or any other situation with food anymore. I do my plan only. I don't go there and am trying so hard to change my mindset that I eat this way only and I am doing fab with just that I will eat my zero carb foods and not even think twice of eating anything else. I have to do for me and I know what me needs so will be fab fun time, food is not a focus for me at all. family, friends, holiday celebrations and all that jazz, and food is not a priority in any way. Will I eat fab, yes I will. Steaks, chops, seafood and more. So in a great head space thru all this

It seems we all have very different challenges! We can do this! Imagine weighing less on the scales after Christmas, then make it happen!

I am imagining weigh less on the scales before Christmas and then even less after!

Yes Lyn, I like that idea very much! Let's do it!

I am in a gung ho weight loss mode now also...right there with you guys

I think I might want to eat things I haven't eaten for a while, but, today was a victory. My husband went out for lunch and I joined him later and just had water before we both went home.

My plan is pretty intentional, and is posted in the Walkin' In A Wellness Wonderland thread, which I brought back to the top. And while I know how it looks and feels to have a green dot day, for me personally, if I fail to plan, I plan to fail. I have a loose plan for each week, a more detailed idea of each day, and a little wiggle room in the moment. It is more joyful to be at a healthy goal weight range at the holidays than to eat a bunch of random junk that I don't truly want and that blecks me out.

I have a friend who does the one bite rule thing. She says that one bite of some old time junky fav is all she needs to 'taste' the holidays. She does stop at one bite. For me tho, I am the type of eater, one bite is a massive trigger for me. I would dive head first into all the junk, regret it later, feel the junky icky body and be miserable and then have to fight cravings again and fight after that day to keep on plan. I know the horror of it all, been there. But I wish I could do a one bite rule kind of thing and not go crazy doing just that. I also seen people who can eat a holiday meal, all the junk and old favs and get right back on plan fine the next day. I have eating issues and mind game troubles with food that go beyond that control that other's do have and can use these tips/tricks/and more into their plans. I find my best defense is just stay on plan, I eat the best of the best of my meats and seafoods and just roll thru the holidays best I can

An up-to-date report - well, I try hard to keep the kitchen in our house free of high carb foods. On Sunday night, we won a raffle prize at a Carol concert and I could not believe that everything in the bag, about ten items all had sugar in them, therefore high carb. The big question is - can I cope with them in the house? So far so good.

We will have sandwich buffet and I'll be sure to have veggies and healthy options available. We will also have crab soup which is a family tradition. It should actually be easier than thanksgiving -- and that was pretty healthy.

Gwen very cool you won but you won all holiday treats! ugh.

I have 2 non-low carb eaters in the house. My daughter is more lc than husband who is no lc in any way. I have tons of junk in the house. Some days I sail thru, other days I have to fight cravings just to grab junk and eat but so far I am holding my course on my eating plan.

If you are not sure if you can cope with them in the house, give them to someone or literally hit the garbage. I hate throwing out stuff but in reality you are throwing out sugar! Sugar is the devil as we all know lol best of luck holding on!!

Agreed, sugar is poison as far as I am concerned. That is my opinion and my experience.

yea one trick I use is thinking of it as cyanide. Do I want to eat some cyanide today? hey, it helps me, it works LOL It planted in my brain that when my hand grabs for any sugary food I have an instant flash of poison. Believe me it kept me from eating a ton of junk when I was changing over from old crap menu to new way of eating.