SandraB, guess what i bought today??? food mentioned

[SandraB]

Only me!

Have read all these posts with interest.....I think that I've already said before that I rarely overeat at Xmas simply cos I'm so busy looking after everyone else! As we don't have kids and Paul doesn't have a sweet tooth, aside from some crimbo cake and mince pies (incidentally he's been eating the ones that I bought as his 'pudding' at night) I'll buy some chocolates for Xmas afternoon but that will be it!

My worry will be the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, have you tried it Daisy? Which I am generally unable to ration......and picking away at the left-over turkey when it's cold!

Seriously, do you have to have tons of sh8t in the house on the pretence that's it's for the kids? Are kids that bothered? We had a selection box as kids that had to last cos that was it! Sorry to sound preachy! but it's going to be interesting to see after Xmas what people have put on in weight and I'd like to lay bets that it won't be your kids! X

 

[Starlight]

There are posts all over the forums just now about Xmas and how people are going to cope. I have to admit I do struggle to understand why people who are so focussed on their diets just see Xmas as an excuse to eat like its going out of fashion.

Xmas in our house has never been like that. Weve never had tins of sweets etc... personally Ill have Xmas Day off and also the 27th (when Im having the main family dinner) but Ill be eating normally. Wine, dinner and thats it. I wouldnt usually sit and munch on a box of chocolates any other day of the year, nor would anyone else I suspect yet its deemed 'ok' to do it at Xmas......

 

[SandraB]

That's the problem though Starlight, I think that some people may well sit and eat a box of chocolates hence why they're here now! The bit I don't understand is why go through the serious trauma of LT just to blow it for Xmas? I honestly don't get it! Will someone please explain??

 

[Starlight]

But like you I dont get it. Why stick to a diet so strictly, especially a VLCD where lets face it we beat ourselves up if we have anything offplan yet at Xmas its perfectly ok (for many) to just go completely off plan....

 

[Jayne33]

Hmmm well I'm afraid I did used to sit and munch on a box of chocs quite regularly I guess that's how I got to be almost 20 st at one point! I already do all the lovely family things with hubby and boys at Xmas as we so rarely get quality time together due to work and annual leave commitments - we have to split all our leave to cover childcare in school hols, so dont have chance to go on hols together or anything. For me though, regardless of weight, I fully intend to spend at least a week every Christmas eating all the goodies I usually wouldn't have during the year. Now maybe this mindset stems from my addiction to food along with pure greed and is a mindset I need to change in time. For now though all I can do is admire those of you who have such over indulgences under control both during Christmas time and throughout the year. You are in a fortunate mindset around food xx

 

[SlimmerSu]

I will try and explain it!! lol

As a rule i NEVER go out.. that means meals, cinema, pub... ANYWHERE.. I have not been out on my own for almost 10 years.. my choice, but that's a fact.. I don't drink so that is not a problem for me throughout the year either.

Christmas to me is a big deal.. My mum and dad are old now, and have a great relationship with my kids (they are the only grandparents they see) Whilst other people have wine/meals out etc (a social life really lol) throughout the year - i don't, so my only blowout through the year is Christmas.. It has always been a magical time from when i was a child, full of sweets, chocolates and "naughty things" that aren't around throughout the year, and i presume that is where i get it from.

Whilst i appreciate i have gone on LT for a reason (i am fat!! lol) i can honestly say that i have changed in my view towards a few things that got me here, eg. takeaways, lack of exercise etc. I do not indulge at birthdays, anniversaries or any other time.. If i had started this diet in January i would have NO temptations that i have heard other posters talk about-bbqs, parties etc. until Christmas so i refuse to change my ONE, i repeat ONE, time that i feel carefree to eat what i like.. To me, I can look forward to Xmas as a break from LT, and will restart in January.

As silly as it may seem, every year i think it could be the last Xmas with my Mum and Dad so i am not going to change what we have been doing for years.

I really hope i will be a bit more controlled this year, but if i am not, so what?? It is no different to people that have blips on here, but don't get condemned for it... The only difference is that i am planning my ONLY blip for 2010, and will be back to TFR in the New Year.

I hope that helps explain MY reasons for it x

 

[Jayne33]

Just read the posts made whilst I was posting.

I think why we do it is purely down to differing levels of food addiction, and not quite being in a good place with food, despite starving ourselves on Lipotrim!

As for not understanding why people would want to eat after doing such an extreme diet, or eat so much in any case. I think that's the same for any situation. There are slim people who never had a weight problem that would never understand how we got to be overweight in the first place. Why didn't we just control what we put in our mouths like they do. Eat less, move more! We know why, but they don't get it. There are those who have never gained more than a few stone over their ideal weight and would never understand how someone got to be 20st! How on earth did they let it go that far? I know how. I did it. However, I cannot comprehend how someone gets to be 30, 40, 50 stones.

I think what I'm trying to say is that unless you've experienced and lived that particular situation, you may be able to empathise to a degree, but will never fully understand why no matter how much someone tries to explain it to you :-/

xx

 

[SlimmerSu]

Well said Jayne!! x x

 

[Candlewix]

Ella Belle, SandraB,
What words of wisdom. EXACTLY!!! Christmas is all blown out of proportion ( excuse the pun) and yes LT is too hard and too darn expensive to spoil it all on weeks of noshing!!
My son lives in Sweden and the Christmasses I have spent there with his girlfriend and my grandson are the best I have ever spent. His gf will probably bake a tin of traditional ginger cookies before the event. On the day the food is amazing ( they celebrate on the 24th), we start with a Swedish breakfast which is probably a bit like our rice pudding but even yummier with cinnamon and spices. Lunch is served late and then by absolute tradion we all go out for a walk in the deep snow, meeting and greeting other folk. The evening is a few left overs, glug (warmed wine) and THAT'S THAT...delightful!! It is so focused on the children as well, I love it. Want them to adopt me. So maybe this year I'm gonna copy that...if you can't join 'em...beat them...lol!!:33:

 

[SandraB]

That's the problem though Starlight, I think that some people may well sit and eat a box of chocolates hence why they're here now! The bit I don't understand is why go through the serious trauma of LT just to blow it for Xmas? I honestly don't get it! Will someone please explain??

 

[Candlewix]

SlimmerSu, I understand what you mean. If you still have all your family around you and Christmas is a special time, then go ahead and enjoy. Sadly my hubby's and my parents are no longer with us, and my children are all over the world, but heck if they were I would have to join in in the festivities fat or not. Life is too darn short...AS long as you get right back onto the straight and narrow for the New Year!
Jane33, you are right about the skinny people not understanding our 'addiction', but look closely, some of their addictions aren't too healthy either. I agree on the 30, 40,50 stone thing, I think that goes into another realm, probably a form of body dismorpia!
My point is pull it back gals and guys before it gets unreachable...eeeek!

 

[SlimmerSu]

That's the problem though Starlight, I think that some people may well sit and eat a box of chocolates hence why they're here now! The bit I don't understand is why go through the serious trauma of LT just to blow it for Xmas? I honestly don't get it! Will someone please explain??

I thought i did the first time!! lol x x

 

[moomintrolljen]

Im with Su here im afraid - Im planning on sticking to LT until a couple of days before christmas, enjoying my dinner and a meal on boxing day with family - drink a little on new years eve and then be back onto either LT or slimmingworld ( depending how well ive done before xmas) after that.
However im planning on eating the meals and having the drinks i dont intend to eat sweeties etc if i can because i want to keep any weight gain to a minimum!

 

[Ella Belle]

Su, your reasons are totally understandable and after all this is a very personal thing, how we eat, how we diet, we each only totally understand ourselves. And you are being sensible by admitting in advance that you are going to enjoy the 'forbidden' foods over Christmas, as some one else posted here..'fail to prepare..prepare to fail'. Christmas for me will be a massive struggle because unless I'm at a very happy place with my weight I do not want to stop LT and that means missing out on the nights out, which won't go down well with my friends and family.
My struggle with my weight and dieting and all of that in the future will be throughout the year, it's stopping myself from buying trash on the way home from work, and stopping myself from cooking for four but eating it all and stopping the bottles of wine by the fire...I have to try to find a healthy balance and I intend to live in a way that I can allow myself a treat if I want it, so long as I work it off or compensate for it earlier/later. If, like you, Christmas was the only indulgence then I can't imagine I'd do it any other way than you plan to. Everyone's different....

 

[SandraB]

Ella, I think that it was me that posted the 'fail to prepare, prepare to fail' it used to be my motto when I was giving presentations to hundreds of people and was scared shitless!

I'm sorry that I appear to be being hard on people (especially my bessie mate Su) but, and you're going to hate me for this but I'm going to say it anyway....here goes....reading your posts I finally 'got' it, lightbulb moment....I just realised that the difference is I'm not actually addicted to food....weighing 13st 12lbs which I did when I started is the heaviest that I have ever been. I've only ever put on weight after operations and enforced periods of inactivity and, until now, I never weighed more than 1-2 stone over my target.

That said, I STILL don't understand the need to eat everything in sight and, perhaps, to be passing on these 'traditions' to the next generation?! I totally understand the whole family Christmas, until I lost my parents, there were regularly 15-20 of us for lunch (I cooked it) and we still celebrate albeit on a smaller scale. But I am throwing a party on New Year's Eve, as usual, but also to celebrate my 50th (which was in August) so I'm planning on inviting at least 50 people. But surely it's about the time spent together, not how much we can eat in a short space of time??

And what if you can't get straight back onto LT after Xmas? many people have stated how difficult it is to do this.....what then? I guess that I don't really have to answer that one!

I guess that we'll have to agree to disagree on this one but, somewhat prematurely, I wish everyone a totally fabulous Xmas anyway xx

 

[SlimmerSu]

Sandra.. I couldn't hate you if i tried!! lol x x

I promise you i have NO intention of eating everything in sight, and although i have bought a lot for Xmas, i have really cut back. My focus is not how much i can eat, but with 2 old people (and my mum can barely walk) in your home once the kids toys (well, Ella's, cos the boys are a bit too big) are assembled and played with, there is only so much we can do. To save my mum and dad driving (in case either of them or both of them want to drink) i am often out to collect them and get them back to my house for 5am, in time for the kids to wake up. I then take them back home, often around 7pm.

Are you going to host a party on New Years Eve, and jointly celebrate your 50th, whilst sticking strictly to LT?

In the same way, as a non drinker, i cannot understand people's attraction to alcohol, and i agree that i may go OTT once a year, but there are many many people (including some on here i am sure) that drink over the course of 12 months. To put that into perspective i have to control myself with my "over indulging problem" for 1-2 weeks.. Others need to be extra vigilant 52 weeks a year.... So am i really that bad????

I know i have to change my thought process, and i feel quite successful in the fact that i have done this long and lost this much, so am obviously retraining myself to some degree, but Xmas is, and always will be, my one downfall. I also have the problem that due to personal circumstances (not mine, but they do affect me directly) i am unable to lead the varied life that a lot of other posters do.

If i don't get back to TFR (but i have EVERY intention of doing so) i will hopefully have lost enough that i can try Weight Watchers or similar

 

[SandraB]

That's OK then!

Sounds like a busy time for you......Paul's mum and Dad come to stay over and one of my sisters too, so we generally have a full house. I plan on putting up tents in the garden on NYE! taxis are soooo expensive and we live in the middle of nowhere.

I will probably finish LT before I go into hospital Su as I don't think that it's really an option whilst having/recovering from major surgery (been doing some research) hopefully I will be near enough my target weight of 10st by the end of next month or at least will have a BMI of well under 25. I plan on either following WW or doing a GI type diet if I still have a couple of pounds to go. I doubt that I will eat at the party (one year I didn't eat at all and got so pi88ed that I saw the New Year in with my head down the loo! Paul took photos the ba8tard) and even drinking will be a problem as I will be on crutches!

I will be back on here or FB after Xmas making sure that you're back on the straight and narrow

 

[batlo8]

I think the top and bottom of it is, everyone handles this diet differently, some have to be 100% all the time, some can cheat for special occasions and hop back on the wagon with ease.

I think coming off for Xmas is much like other things people do (sugar free juice, chewing gum, bouillon etc) for some it helps for others it would mean complete failure.

I think the thing people have to really consider before coming off LT is whether they REALLY can get straight back on or are they just telling themselves they can? If you really think you can do it, I say enjoy yourself but make it for 2/3 days not the entire festive period or there really will be a lot of damage done! Xx

 

[Daisy1966]

Wow Gang this thread just goes to prove what an emotive subject 'weight' can be. Im just lucky that I dont like sweet things, deserts etc so none of the traditional xmas stuff appeals to me. I do love a glass of white wine (sandra I think I have tried the wine you mentioned) and if I was going to be naughty it would be savoury things for me.
Anyway however we all choose to celebrate xmas this year we will all look pretty hot whilst doing it!! xxx

 

[SandraB]

Wow Gang this thread just goes to prove what an emotive subject 'weight' can be. Im just lucky that I dont like sweet things, deserts etc so none of the traditional xmas stuff appeals to me. I do love a glass of white wine (sandra I think I have tried the wine you mentioned) and if I was going to be naughty it would be savoury things for me.
Anyway however we all choose to celebrate xmas this year we will all look pretty hot whilst doing it!! xxx

Where do you live Daisy? We could have a night on the pi88 when we're both thin and gorgeous! Actually I'll open the invite to everyone.......let's have a get together next year for those of us who stay the course....we'll all know each other sooooooo well by then!

I like olives and some little salami sausages that we get at the French market with my whine! Sorry wine!