2nd Festive season on 5:2? How did you survive last year? Post your hints and tips

[Laska42]

Just that really .. there a few of us around now who have been doing this sometime (I started August 2012) and have survived last years Christmas blow out to tell the tale And not to have to start over again in January.

So if you did ? what are your tips ?

I managed last year only putting on 4lbs over the whole mega blow-out which I lost again during the couple of weeks after .. and I had a great time.

This year like last I'm going into it with a fast (yesterday)where I only had soup and am having a day of only veggies today , plus ill be doing 16:8 tomorrow ,when ill not eat until the evening..(however planning a nice christmas eve feast) .

I've not yet done the big shop but we have partridge this year and of course roasties , and ill be doing a lovely winter salad to go with it spinach watercress and rocket with oranges and pomegranate .. There will be cake of course and mince pies but I'm also going to make a lovely exotic fruit salad with a spiced vanilla syrup and cream.

Boxing day will be more trad (roast pork (and Christmas pud for those who want it - i dont) as we have the folks over but no small children coming so that does make it easier..

But after that I'm back into a veggie soup day Friday and then another fast probably Sunday..

Last year taught me that I simply do not have to buy as much as I used to.. We have a gammon, pickles and a limited amount of cheese ( as its mainly me that eats it) I haven't bothered with pate or nuts (as again its only me that ends up eating it . As for crisps and snacks apart from one pack of chilli Doritos I'm only getting the ones I dont like.. nor will I be buying extra sweets or chocolate!! (There will be some given as presents I know) so they will be enough

There will be and champagne on Christmas day and New Year (and the odd G&T) but also ill be drinking lots of fizzy water with mint and lemon and ice..(try it you can add a splash of pomegranate or cranberry juice to make it look more festive)

The main thing for me is to have fun , but also to remember that fasting has made my appetite so much less,. I really just dont need all that extra food and that I certainly never want to go on the January diet again !

Last year 5:2 meant I didn't need to and the result was that I didn't start the new year feeling fat, depressed, old and miserable and therefore January was so much less bleak for me !

Have a great one

Thanks for this thread. I will watch with interest. Only putting on 4lbs and losing that within a couple of weeks was good. I hope to have not too much difference to that. Ideally Id like to put on 2lbs at most to stay around 11 stone, but realistically I think I will probably get up to 11 stone 2 possibly more.

This is my first Christmas, in fact Ive not actually done a proper 5:2 yet, I started in October (ish) and have failed many times. So not sure I even qualify to say this is my first Christmas.

Will definately take any tips on board.

Every year I think "I've bought/made far too much", this year I've bought far less and already vaguely planned out which meals & treats I'm going to have when - as opposed to eating all the food all the time.

11.5 months of 5:2 means my appetite is far smaller and I know how much more delicious everything is if I'm hungry when I eat.

So far (for me xmas hols started on Saturday), I've worked it by eating fewer meals - 1 normal one and maybe a small other one/snacks. This allows space for the wine and cheese or the odd mince pie I want to fit into my festive day as well!

I will make one meal on Christmas eve and that will be a huge breakfast blowout. The rest of the day everyone is allowed to snack and forage as they wish but I won't cook another meal.

Christmas day - again one meal - but it will be huge. Kids can help themselves to their usual breakfast or there might be leftovers from the day before but the 'special' bit was the day before. I want to be HUNGRY for the lunchtime extravaganza!

For the rest of the holiday I will continue with the 1 or 2 meals per day, and try and get out for some decent runs or cycle rides too, weather permitting.

Also, as we're all at home without much of a schedule, I can cook meals at the times that suit my appetite best so I avoid the 'snack zone' and therefore eat less!

My methods of maintaining are going to be closing the kitchen early (before 8pm) on at least four nights this week and eating mindfully. My family live in a remote location and the weather is awful so I sadly won't be able to do any exercise until I get back to London on Friday. On Saturday I'm fasting and will plan New Year week on Sunday. That's it. I'm not going to overanalyse - if I fancy eating and drinking whatever I bloody well will. Christmas is a once yearly short period and life's too short to get angsty about it.

Off now to find somewhere in this city (midlands) that does nice sherry's

Eat well but eat mindfully

Plan your meals in advance
plan when you intend to have a smaller meal and thus snacks
remember to buy more veg than you ever used to - it can always be made into soup or fritata or curry

aim for one meal per day that is minimal : just a salad or fruit or yoghurt

and before you eat that extra bite or pour that extra glass, decide if you really want / need it

chances are, at this time of year, the answer will be yes, but do ask yourself

also, remember to freeze up any leftovers so that you do not feel obliged to pick at them but can eat them on a NFD in January

but mainly : enjoy

you have the tools in your head to shift any excess pretty darned quickly in January

last year in New York I put on 7lb in two weeks
I lost it all again by the end of January.
You can too.

Did i say I simply do not need so much food .. ? blimey then why did we spend so much in the supermarket yesterday? ..

But yes as TIP (who knows a good thing or two) says
eating mindfully is a great attitude to take.

We did buy a lot , but no snacks except the things i dont like.. I didn't buy cheese but there are lots of tropical fruits ..

Have a great time, but think jeans! (off to make mince pies )

Wish I'd spotted this thread before I spent 3 hours in Tesco and Waitrose last night!

Ah well...mindfulness will have to be where it's at. Because I sure as heck missed the memo recommending the 'don't buy stuff you don't want to be eating' approach to things...

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But I was 9.2 this morning and only ever aimed for 9.5 - and (more importantly) I know how to enjoy food in moderation and address the damage in January :)

Thank you for your posts! I needed to read that after my Boxing Day weigh in. I knew I'd put on - about 5lbs - and frankly I'd have defied laws of physics if I hadn't gained weight after all that booze and picking.

This gives me 10lbs to lose in total.

I will do mindful eating and then 5:2 when DH back at work and no more lunches out.

So far so good!

24 hour fast up to dinner time on Monday. I was intending to have a low-cal meal, but my fast was broken by eating sweet chestnuts. Well, I'd taken what I needed for my haggis, then the family began munching on the rest of the tin. I thought if I don't dive in as well, I'll miss out, here! I only had half a dozen or so - but that, of course, kicked off my appetite - so I ate normally after that.

Tuesday was a 16:8, and I've been eating and nibbling unmindfully ever since. Today I'll do a 16:8 and join in any family celebrations. Thinking about a 24 hour fast tomorrow, followed by a

today is my first fast day!! i've been watching this diet for a while and decided to start after xmas. so far just on herbal tea but I'm going to have soup for lunch and rice and veg for dinner.

I survived Christmas week with just a 0.4 lb gain. I fasted on Monday as normal, ending the day with 500 cals. Tuesday through Thursday were 16:8 days without counting calories but eating mindfully (I didn't stuff myself at all but ate a little of anything I fancied). Today is a fast day - aiming for a 19 or 20 hour LOF but then eat normally but mindfully thereafter (no calorie counting; will eat dinner and dessert).

Mindful eating and missing meals when I could = a succesful Christmas for me :)

I've survived and maintained!

I weighed daily in order to keep an eye on things, but didnt panic when I was 3 pounds up after a Chinese with my daughter.

I bought small packs of things - mini stollen bites, and Christmas cake slices. I'm the only one who eats them, so I was able to monitor my intake and didn't go mad. I reminded myself that each chocolate was 50 calories.

On Christmas Day I went for a run before breakfast, which was eggs benedict (brunch, really). We didn't eat again until the evening, which was roast beef, sprouts and garlicky muchrooms. No spuds, no starter, and I still haven't got round to having the Christmas pudding!

In summary - stick in a bit more exercise, spread out the treats, skip the odd meal.