Dieters: How are you handling christmas?

[maggiethemagpie]

I am doing a ketogenic/ very low carb diet, hoping to get at least half a stone off before christmas.

I know with keto diets the weight can jump back on when you start eating carbs again but I refuse to go without the normal foods at christmas, even if it means a bit of weight gain.

So my plan is: Hard keto diet until the work christmas do on 14th.
Allow myself food and unlimited drink at christmas do, then back to a slightly gentler version of low carb (but allowing alcohol) until Xmas eve.

Then give myself a free reign Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day - allowing for some weight gain.

Try to maintain my weight until new year, liberal low carbing with some alcohol and treats

Back on the full del monte low carb diet after new year!

I'm going to allow for a 3lb weight gain, so if I do go up a bit I won't get too disheartened as I've accepted that's the price I pay for christmas indulgence.

What are other people doing - are you sticking to your diet or giving yourself some time off?

Okay so you don't really understand keto diets.

When you first start a keto diet and take away carbs you use up the remaining carbs you have in your body and some of these are stored as glycogen in your liver. Glycogen can weigh between 5 and 7lbs or more in some cases. This is why on low carb diets people lose masses in the first week and are very encouraged! but the weight isn't all fat, a lot is glycogen.

When you re-introduce carbs your glycogen stores will fill up again and you will put back some lbs of glycogen - not fat but glycogen.

All weight loss comes down to reduction in calories in the long run, the beauty of a ketogenic diet is that you don't feel hungry whilst reducing those calories but in the end everything about any weight loss plan is about calories. If you have a few bits and pieces extra over the period between the 14th and 26th but generally don't go too overboard, then you may put on some glycogen weight but should put back on any of the fat you have lost.

I wouldn't see it as Christmas indulgence or anything that dramatic, it is just a bit of glycogen in your liver being replaced.

but shouldn't put back on any of the fat you have lost.....

I've been on a diet since the summer & ive lost 3+ stone through MFP calorie counting & exercise. I plan to stick to my diet during the week & forget about it on nights out & Xmas. I'm not going to go crazy binge eating but just enjoy what I eat without stuffing my face. I'm really just hoping to maintain or gain 2lb maximum over the next month. I'm missing all of my exercise sessions so will try & be more active by walking more.

Lesley that's an amazing achievement well done!! I have lost 16 lbs on MFP too since mid September. Can I ask what your daily calorie allowance is please if you don't mind sharing? Also how much extra do you do in exercise do you think? I am on about 1300 calories a day and have only lost just over 1 lb per week for the last 12 weeks so wondering what I should go down to in the new year? Do you eat any exercise calories? I tend not to because my only real exercise is walking the dog which kind of just keeps me on an average daily calorie burn anyway as someone going to an office etc (I work from home so without the walk would hardly move at all!)

That's good to know Loubilou.

I was thinking the fat would just jump back on me. If I think of it as glycogen, easily lost once i go back to keto, it won't feel so bad if the scales jump up.

I have to say, ,my appetite has been very little since starting the keto diet and even though probably 80-90% of my diet is fat, when I add up the actual calories of what I've eaten it's coming in at around 1500 per day without trying. And this is eating mayonnaise, cream, cheese, pork belly etc.

So maybe it is just really another form of a low calorie diet?

I let MFP work out the calories for me. When I initially started I was 17 stone 3 & I was on 1800/1900 calories which was for 1lb loss a week & I think low activity. My calories have reduced as my weight did & im 13 stone 12 & MFP reduced my calories to 1200 but I struggled with hunger & I changed it to 1500. My trainer also said you shouldn't go below 1500 calories as it's too low.

I mainly walk & record 12,000-16,000 steps on my Fitbit & I do two 1hr weight sessions a week with a personal trainer.

I do sometimes eat my exercise calories but only the ones earned on my Fitbit through steps - your Fitbit connects to MFP.

My trainer says weights are the best for weight loss & keeping it off. You need to do a lot of cardio to lose weight but weight lifting builds muscles that keep burning calories when not exercising. I can squat 60kg (couldn't squat body weight at the start) & lift about 35kg but I'm not in anyway bulky.

My diet is flexible but I try to eat a lot of protein like chicken, steak, eggs & veg. I was a cakeaholic binge eater before & cut that out. I don't have the cravings anymore & sugar doesn't give me the buzz it used to

I'm at maintenence weight but I've already started bingeing on bad food - mainly chocolate. It makes me feel so sluggish, I wish I didn't do it. It's not even really pleasurable after the first one. Grrrrrr.

Yay I lost 11lbs in 2 weeks on my keto diet!

Its so encouraging as I'm only 3 lbs above goal weight now, and so motivated not to gain over xmas.

Decided to continue keto diet until tomorrow then do low carb maintenance over christmas. The thought of gorging on sweets is really unappealing to me now - my thighs no longer rub together at the top for the first time in 6 months!

I was tempted to keep the diet going until christmas eve to get the last few pounds off but with the in laws coming tomorrow and four night out drinking planned next week I think maintenance is a lot more realistic.

I've lost over 2 stone since summer on slimming world. I don't follow the plan very religiously though. I'm planning on eating and drinking whatever I like and losing any gains in January! I don't anticipate it being that bad tbh, I'm not exactly denying myself now.