To be spiralling a little about food/weight gain/bingeing over the festive period

[PuppiesProzacProsecco]

I've lost almost 4 stone over the last 2 years (most of it in the first half of this year using Mounjaro). I'm still "micro-dosing" with MJ and whilst it's easier than it's ever been before, I'm absolutely panicking about the next few days/weeks.

Most of our Christmas food is here and set out ready for feasting. Huge selection of chocolate and sweets on the coffee table, cracker station on the island, cheese board in the fridge, enough carbs to kill a horse etc etc.

I've been nibbling and definitely eating a bit more the last few days but weighed this morning and I'm 2lb under my target weight so all good. I'm just so bloody anxious about what's ahead.

I'm a classic binge eater and I know I want to loosen the reins a little so I can enjoy Christmas but I'm also terrified of letting the binge monster loose.

I'm turning fifty in 2026 and I can honestly say that whilst I've been skinny, average, fat and huge variously at Christmas over the years, this one feels like the first Christmas I've ever been consciously aware of having any sense of control. I don't want to lose that but I also don't want to ruin the holiday for myself and my family by being a psychopath around food. Help!!!

I’m facing a similar challenge. I’ve lost weight through calorie counting & going to the gym. I’m a bit nervous of Xmas however I have decided not to stress too much. I find my eating and drinking habits have naturally changed (you will probably find the same). I’m going to eat what I fancy but not overindulge. So enjoy my Xmas dinner but not go crazy on crisps etc
usually I would start my Xmas eating excuses on 1 December. This year I have held strong until this week. Also I’m trying to balance so if I have a carb heavy meal, I’ll offset it with something lighter for my next meal. Also….this is the key for me…keep my gym routine up!
im also not going to let it spiral into mid Jan before I get back into my normal routine. i don’t want to go into January having put on too much weight as I still have another 7lb I want to lose in Jan/Feb

@hby9628 yes, exercise is a great idea. I don't do gym/purposeful exercise but I do average 15k steps which will not happen without some intent from me over the holidays.

I've bought Abba just dance for the Wii as a fun activity for just that purpose!

Different people have diffeeent ideas about Christmas food. Personally it’s just Christmas Day that we eat more. I don’t put chocolates out for days. A turkey dinner is actually reasonably healthy with all the veg and lean meat. Be careful on potato portions and pudding and you’ll be fine. Cheese etc is brought out on Boxing Day with salads and cold meat etc. Just try to make the food your meals rather than all day grazing. If you do go a bit mad just set a cut off and start back as you normally eat.

@PuppiesProzacProseccoi would aim to keep your steps up as much as possible. It will offset some calories, make you less sluggish and keep you focussed
@landlordhellthe not grazing all day is a good strategy. I’m going to use that just stick with meals not ridiculous snacks

I lost 3 stone this year (not with injections, just the old fashioned way). Still had another 3 stone to go.

Screwed up when local garage was closed and I needed milk and I ended up ordering a Tesco whoosh to get milk and of course I bought a pile of junk as well.

So I sort of gave up since mid November and I decided to just go all out and enjoy my eating binge over xmas. I reckon I've put half the weight back on.

However it was so much easier trying to do it in the spring/summer when summer clothes were on the horizon and I could get out in the garden and do things.

So I'm eat, eat, eating just now but will return after the hols to a fresh start. Hopefully I will not have put all the weight back on but if I have........

It's not easy. I've always had a bit of binge eating problem. Managed to stay slim for 10 years in my thirties before it all went horribly wrong again.

I am consoling myself with the fact that I didn't pay to lose the weight at least.

Ive fallen off the wagon in a huge way this last month. My diet has been appalling and my step count has been crap too (although at least i have kept up with exercising regularly during the week).
I figure there is no point worrying about it now though, after Christmas I'll reset and get my diet back on track.

I’ve lost 4 and a half stone this year and I intend to just eat mindfully. If I really want chocolate or something I’ll have it but I won’t be eating for the sake of it and I intend to continue to avoid snacking. I’ll be enjoying my Christmas dinner on Boxing Day and some nice cold meats and salads but that’s it really.

I will be exercising too. And I’m working which helps.

I know I’d be gutted if I lost control of my diet for the sake of some crap Christmas food. I’ve worked so hard to establish good habits and need to keep some control.

But why did you buy so much food? I agree with PP that you can have a great festive time without going overboard on food you usually don’t eat. Now you’ve bought it and you’ve laid it all out of course it’s hard to resist if you have a tendency to binge eat. Can you ask someone to take most of it away?

The only way I can indulge and not put on weight is literally substituting some normal meals for the stuff I want to eat. So mince pies for breakfast! I do this for about 4-5 days and then go back to regular eating (which is very healthy). I’m not saying it’s the best idea but it’s the only way I can stoP putting on half a stone

Not sure why you would have a trolley load of sweets and chocolate to be honest. We have the crackers etc but they are for an actual meal like Xmas supper. Not sure that we eat much more than normal really just different types of food.

Some nice sensible, logical ideas here on how to be more mindful....unfortunately if you have any kind if disordered eating sometimes your brain just doesn't want to know!😁

This is exactly why I had a bar of Lindt for breakfast yesterday! Same calories as my usual breakfast 😂

I’ve lost 3 stone since May and am due my weekly MJ jab tomorrow. We have guests for four days and mountains of food to be eaten. I’m leaving my jab until Sunday. I would need to eat an extra 5000 calories in 4 days to put on a couple of pounds, it’s unlikely this will happen and if it does so be it. I’m off all next week and will go to the gym and pool every day if need be.

Remember that what you eat in private shows in public, and that you can’t put exercise a bad diet. If you can’t ’say no’ around the food, then can you chuck it out?

@Magpie50 totally! If only I could behave like a "regular person" around food, I'd never have needed to diet in the first place.

Absolutely no way am I chucking stuff away or hiding it either - my family deserves a lovely, indulgent Christmas and I'd hate to punish them for my messed up relationship with food.

My anxiety is way more complicated than being afraid I'll overeat and gain weight. I'm also worried that I won't be able to relax at all and I'll spend the whole week with food noise drowning out the joy. So in some ways, I'm scared of both extremes - eating too much Vs not indulging at all.

WLIs have given me the closest thing to a "normal" relationship with food that I've ever experienced. Christmas is just making that balancing act feel harder than it normally does.

I’m at goal now, actually a bit lower and this is my 2nd Xmas on Mounjaro. Let yourself relax about food a little but still try to make better choices, so lean more towards protein and dairy and less towards carb. Just because carbs make you hungry and are harder to wean back off of so if you go crazy on crisps you’ll have a harder week when you get back to eating your normal calories. Go for nuts and cheese instead if you want to indulge.

You might gain some weight. It won’t be more than a couple of pounds for real, anything more than that is water retention due to carbs, alcohol and salt. So a week or 2 of lots of water and eating clean will shift it.

Surely the drug suppresses your desire to binge anyway?

I’ve never had anything I would describe as full suppression, I could sit and eat through 3 plates of buffet food if I wanted, I still feel hunger and have to think about what I eat to make sure I don’t go over my calorie allowance, what Mounjaro has always done for me is to make it easier to recognise I’ve had enough and move on.

Pre-MJ, of i were offered a slice of cake and turned it down then I’d dwell on it, think about it constantly to the point of distraction, my stomach would be rumbling and my mouth watering even if logically I knew I couldn’t really be hungry because I’d eaten not long before. I would not be able to stop thinking about it until I got some cake.

Since MJ, I still feel hungry at reasonable times throughout the day, I eat till I’m not hungry anymore, I tell myself to stop and then that’s it, I can put aside any thoughts of food. If someone offers me cake, I say no thanks and continue about my business, I walk past the stop with the delicious thing in the window and then forget about it. If my stomach starts to rumble, I look at the clock and can think ‘ oh dinners in an hour I can wait till then’ and I do wait, I don’t stand in front of the fridge grazing or find myself checking the clock every 2 minutes to see if it’s time to eat yet.

I feel like not only have I put weight on but I've swelled up like a barrage balloon!(I don't normally eat salty food so have really noticed a difference).
My plan for the new year is to get back to a vegan wholefood diet as that what seems to agree with me. That way I can still eat decent amounts....but healthy!

I get not wanting to deprive your family of the fun foods at Christmas but the huge selection of sweets and chocolate - do you think you’ve maybe gone a bit overboard to compensate?
I’ve baked some nice festive treats for us but never go in for tubs of celebrations/heros sort of stuff although a neighbour has bought us some so they went out yesterday when we received them.
Other than that it’s just been a normal
month so far.
I think the key is, if you plan to indulge, do it and enjoy it but over a short period of
time, not over eg 3 weeks and justifying it as
’well it’s christmas’.
i don’t plan on overindulging, I’ll have some pudding on Christmas Day and probably cheese and crackers in the evening but I’ve jabbed today as normal and don’t really plan on diverting from my usual other than on Christmas Day.
For me MJ is about long term health and that’s my focus. Sure I’ll eat stuff I don’t usually on Christmas Day and really enjoy it but it’s just the one day and then I’m back to normal. Also, pudding is normal if you choose it to be, I’m careful not to totally demonise anything and make it ‘a treat’ or ‘bad food’ but I think an excess of chocolate and sweets is probably not a great idea if you think you may struggle to resist temptation.

Try tracking all your food and drink and exercise on an app like MyFitnessPal.. seeing it there in black and white helps curb binging and if you carry on walking 15000 steps it’ll give you more calorie allowance

No one has to get a huge selection of chocolate and sweets etc just because it’s Christmas

Lovely and indulgent doesn’t need to mean bingeing and mindlessly eating rubbish all Christmas though. You can’t eat what you don’t buy. I’ve really never understood why people feel the need to constantly stuff themselves with food over the holiday period - having nice platters out for parties and an extravagant Christmas dinner is one thing but the rest just isn’t necessary.

I don’t imagine any of us on this thread have had a relationship with food like a ‘regular person’. We are all on or have been on weight loss plans for a reason after all! I’ve been overweight or dieting most of my 51 years, this is the first year I’ve felt my eating plan is sustainable long term, bloody hope I’m right!

I know my triggers are still there and I know if I relinquish control too much, I will overeat and end up feeling awful about it which can lead to me spiralling so I will have a few nice foods but very mindfully.

i hope everyone manages to have an enjoyable Christmas in whatever form that takes. It will be different for everyone I’m sure.

I understand OP. I have lost 32% of my body weight since January 2023, half of it with MJ since February 2025. I’m at BMI 25 now and am micro dosing because I want to maintain or preferably drop a few more pounds (2 kg).

This is a useful thread.

Im 5’7 hourglass and a size 12, I look pretty good and don’t want the clothes I’ve bought this year to feel tight in January. But at 53, my main motivation is health and lifespan.