Fasting plans for the coming 'Silly season!'

[Breadandwine]

In previous years I've tended to put weight on over Christmas - which has generally taken me a couple of months to remove!

Or, more recently, I've attempted to lose weight before Xmas, with limited success.

But this year, with 22 months IF experience behind me, I intend to start January the same weight as I am now - the same weight I've been for the past 14 months.

I shall do that by a combination of 16:8, 24 hour fasts,

Hmm, it's a tricky one this, I've been thinking about it a lot!

My main problem is that I actually do really well until about boxing day - yes overeating on the festive days but not nibbling constantly!

Once I've stretched my stomach with the feasting that's when the snacking part of my brain kicks in, as if something is telling me to never be hungry again (primeval urges no doubt, not at all helped by all the gimme more nature of sugar and carbs).

I'm likely to be rather more sedentary over Christmas too so I've checked my TDEE and it is pitifully low (1500ish calories) so that gives me an incentive to get out running a few times, and if I don't then well I am going to pile the pounds back on.

So, I guess, my plan is to go into the season equipped with all of this information and make sure my eating is mindful. If I want to overeat then do so but know that I am doing it. Most of all I need to try not to succumb to the sugar monster - that's the bit I really don't enjoy - the thing where I'm cramming yet another low quality chocolate into my gob even though I don't want it.

There will not be any low quality chocolate (or crap biscuits) in the house.

I will be a cheese monster though

So in conclusion: be mindful and enjoy it.

This shouldn't be too bad a year in the Risker household. DH and I both fast, usually Monday and Thursday. Neither of us fancy Boxing Day fasting though so we'll be doing Monday and Friday.

Christmas Eve dinner will probably be a take out - partly tradition and partly because of all the stuff we have to do after the kids go to bed. Will attempt to do something sensible for this (like a soup and noodles, or avoiding the naan bread, etc).

Christmas Day lunch is just us and the DCs, so I'll be in control of the amount of fat being used! We're planning on having a calorie free day but I won't be overcooking - we'll just have some goodies we wouldn't normally have. No chocolates except for any we're given of course. No snacking will probably still happen though not enforced. Christmas tea is at ILs, and we've told them not to bother doing too much!

Boxing Day I'm out at the football and then tea with the wider IL family. Again, it'll probably be a light tea.

So foodwise, we're probably all right. Booze on the other hand is really going to rack the calories up for me! However I am in the very enviable position of managing to maintain on 2 mini fasts and mega party indulgences at the moment so I know I can throw a couple of proper fasts in to counteract any gains!

Haha! So far I could cut and paste from the first three posts on here!

I am another who is great at moderation until the stomach has been stretched - then it's all out the window. Well that is how it has been in the past. I do have to consider that my due date for tom going by last month is 28th - although it has been getting earlier each month recently. This means that pretty much from now until then, I start to find things more challenging anyway, so I won't get a real example of whether I've improved on old festive habits.

This becomes a bit of nightmare in that my body goes into beached whale mode - regardless of what I'm eating/drinking. The bit above my rib cage has inflated already. In my head I'm saying ... You've really overdone it, every bite you take/mouthful you drink is going to make it worse. This combined with an overwhelming urge to eat is my usual recipe for misery!

So with that in mind I am keeping Plan B at forefront. I don't want to be miserable by constantly trying to deprive myself, that is not what this wol is, or should be about.

Plan B - enjoy Christmas with no limits. After over indulging for a couple of weeks I will no doubt be desperate to cleanse myself come January, so will make it a very strict month and fingers crossed will have lost most of gains by end of mth.

Plan A -
-Try to only eat when hungry as often as possible.
-Drink gallons and gallons of water for flushing and filling.
-Drink gallons of green tea, to detoxify and is appetite suppressant.
-Try to maintain my fussier attitude to food, so only eat the really nice stuff to reduce intake.

• Try to fit in 16:8, fd, mini fast whenever I think can manage it.
• Get out for some daily long walks with family.
• Keep checking in here, easily done with the mobile! If it's quiet, I will just read the inspiration thread over and over. Keeping 5:2 in my head will stop me from getting too out of control, as even now on my bad days, the lessons I've learnt have still managed to limit the damage somewhat.
• Mindful eating - as always!
• Having a jug of water when boozing and doing glass for glass. This helps in soooo many ways.
• Absolutely 100% SNACKING ALLOWED (FESTIVELY)

I'll be fasting on Monday and Friday and
trying to feast mindfully the rest of the time. I want to have a proper feast of yummy food, but without eating too the point of discomfort.

planning LOF on monday (23rd) then as far into xmas eve as possible, but having DS2 and his family round for pizza during the afternoon, so will tuck in then and friday (27th)as LOF of very low cal

xmas day and boxing day will be feast days, but am eating much more mindfully now, and hopefully will recognise my 'full' indicators.

new years eve will be a FD too i reckon (will be away for the weekend in between xmas and new year, so no FD on the monday then)

if i maintain, i'll be chuffed

if not, i won't be upset

i know this WOE works, and it's only a few days

bring it on!

My plan, subject to change as we'll be having a house full of guests all week :

Monday - fast as usual; aim for sub-500 cal 24 hr LOF
Tuesday - fast all day but eat normal Christmas Eve evening meal (with guests) but DH is baking fish so should be fine now I think about it
Wednesday - Christmas Day :) Will skip breakfast but enjoy the main lunch (goose and all trimmings) and cheese and crackers dinner and any snacks!
Thursday - Indian Boxing Day! Will skip breakfast but enjoy all other meals and snacks!
Friday - Guests still here but will try for sub-500 cal 24 hr LOF. If that fails, will do on Saturday as guests leave in the morning.

So two days of gluttony (Christmas and Boxing days) and the rest either FDs or mini FDs.

New Year week will be fine cause it'll just be DH, DD and me and DH fasts too. So it'll be a normal week really.

I'm not worried about overeating too much on Christmas etc Day. I feel sick if I do so my stomach will self-regulate me...

I have planned my menus around one large and one small meal per day with three extras missed out - so either leftovers or fast

I'm like eatriskier the food is easy to manage but I can easily hit my TDEE on booze

I put on 7lb last Christmas - but did walk miles every day
this year I'm at home
and we cannot go away as we are looking after an extra cat
but the gym is just down the road ...

I'm aiming to make it through without putting weight on. So I probably will weight myself every day, and if it's heading in the wrong direction that'll be my incentive to cut out a meal, or get out for a run. I've sigend up for a run on New Years Day, which will encourage me not to overdo things on New Years Eve!

But I'll be at home for a week, and I find it much easier to fast when at work, so realistically I'm not going to be too strict about it.