How does anyone else handle overeating?

[Rosegoldgary]

I have a massive appetite and as a result I'm always really hungry (medication), I keep my weight under control by calorie counting. I am now relatively slim. I really struggle with special occasions as I just go mad! I recently had 3 days eating what I liked for a special occasion and gained 4lb. Last year over Christmas I gained 9lb (real gain) and it really affects me mentally. Obviously it can be difficult and I'm not proposing making changes to days when either we are hosting or visiting family, but on the in between days, I want to be better! I easily out eat my male family members! Where most people have one bit of cake, i'd eat the lot and still be ravenous. It's funny as my will power on a day to day basis is solid (1200-1400 cals!) Any gain is really noticeable on me.

Is anyone else similar to me? I wouldn't mind a couple of lbs but 9 is total madness and it took me until April to lose the weight gained in 10 days 😔

That won’t all be body fat that you gained though. It’s probably lot of water due to higher salt intake plus actual food sitting around in your colon due to the volume of food, type of food you’ve eaten and all the sitting around etc.

I do calorie count and stick to it day to day until I’m tempted. I recently baked a huge cake as I was having a get together with 3 other mums for coffee, cake and a catch up. Well it was cancelled and, apart from one slice, I’ve pretty much eaten the whole cake to myself in 3 days because I couldn’t bear for it to go to waste! I just try to rein it in again asap so I don’t compound the problem.

It helps that I only have 4 days off for Christmas too I suppose.

What is 'relatively slim' OP?

I just overeat on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Any crap left over will last a month as moderate treats. I don't really have an issue in the days/weeks leading up to this because I don't do anything that involves food.

I'm less than 9 stone (usually!) Unfortunately those amounts are my genuine gains, it's much higher before. Unfortunately I cannot carry it off, I have IBS so the weight coupled with bloating I can look totally different.

That's me Knock! I do baking etc for family gatherings and then can't let anyone go to waste so eat it all. Obviously answer is to bake less but that's easier said than done!

Im trying to lose(cut down )a bit before xmas, so i can indulge a bit at xmas. I don't go mad on chocolate but i do put weight on that time year. Try losing a bit before?
I have no desserts before (or 1 a month)..not many snacks..if i do its celery with cottage cheese, rice cakes, carrot sticks hummus...apple etc. i am on omad atm..but ...it depends how much weight you have to lose?. You say relatively slim?

Depending on your height...9 stone isnt overweight. Just choose to eat the right things...i get that medication doesn't help, its no baking, eating some fruit instead, no unhealthy fats. Xx

1200-1400 calls is not much unless you’re actually trying to lose. I want to say just relax but obviously it’s up to you.

I find planning in advance really helps. Christmas lunch in particular is easy to keep fairly low cal as long as some of the veg are quite simple- have lots of turkey and veg and limit the roasties and pigs in blankets.

Also the Christmas fruits are really nice- clementines, persimmons, lychees etc- great for snacking. Nuts in shells are fiddly and will slow you down. I’d avoid any of the big tins of crap- cheap chocs, cheesy footballs etc- as it’s so easy to eat hundreds of calories here and not even notice.

I don't have your condition but I have tried to avoid weight gain/protect weight loss over Christmas and i would suggest:
Plan in advance as far as possible and sense-check. Make sure non-starchy vegetables make up the majority of your meal plate.
Know what a reasonable-sized portion looks like and stick to it.
Get out of the mindset that you have to finish leftovers. You are not a human dustbin.

Also - some people seem to think the whole Christmas period requires constant grazing: bowls of quality street sitting around, boxes of mince pies at work from November, etc. Just don't go there. It won't sate your hunger, and it's easier not to start on then in the first place. You can factor in a bit of chocolate or a mince pie as a pudding after a meal or a planned snack at a certain time. Don't look at a screen while eating it- savour it and make the most of it.

The treat mentality is sufficient for just a few meals over Christmas (including drinks -booze is calorific and makes us metabolise less well). The rest of your meals can be balanced.

And the old classics - drink plenty of water. Chew slowly, take your time.

Its difficult. I'm planning to limit myself to endulging on very limited days. Probably Xmas day and boxing day and then go back to normal. I find myself really looking forward to those days and indulging before then will spoil it somewhat. I have started to plan what we will be eating and thats helping with then anticipation. Delay don't deny and all that.

At 4'11" the top of the healthy weight is 8st 12lb so she might possibly be very slightly in the overweight region. So assuming she's a fairly normal height she'll be in the healthy range unless she's very short. Or very tall (5'10" or above), in which case she's underweight.

I know this sounds too simplistic but I just really try not to go mad. I think about the things I want to eat over Christmas (I love mince pies with brandy cream, I love chocolates, I love mulled wine, I love cheeses, I love Christmas cake) and I let myself have them but in a measured way. I'm not going eat all those things every day. One day I'll have the Christmas cake and cheeses, another day I'll have mince pies, brandy cream and mulled wine. So I stagger it all over several days. Yes I'll have treats each day but not go crazy. I'll also not have breakfast, lunch and dinner and treats on top. I might have a late breakfast, then the cheeses followed by Christmas cake as a kind of lunch and then dinner. I couldn't have three meals plus loads of extra stuff.
I also have a long walk each day which helps burn a few calories and names me feel less stodgy.
Usually I'll only put on a couple of pounds at most.

Can you up your exercise? If you're off work hopefully you'll have more time for walking, or whatever you like doing. That's what I've done before at Christmas - eat normal meals, but for additional nibbling I have to earn it. I don't count exactly but I know I burn around 70 cal per mile of walking (I'm 10 stone) so a homemade mince pie is about 3 miles or 1 hour of walking. It helps me not overdo it! But I enjoy walking and I enjoy knowing I can have a mince pie when I get home 😁 It has many benefits - fun, health, and pies!

Definitely. Xx

Thanks so much everyone, some really solid advice here and some really practical steps that I'm definitely going to implement.

I'm 5'6 so not overweight even after gain officially but I look/feel terrible as I have a weird shape so it's more for my own mental wellbeing.

I'm definitely going to plan treats, up my exercise (who doesn't enjoy a Christmas walk?) And just be generally mindful. I'm going to cook/buy much less so I don't get hung up on eating it because it's there. Had a really good conversation with my husband last night too and he's really supportive.