What is everyone’s plan for dealing with the Christmas excesses. I’ve been fasting since July and finding I’m not really hungry but I know I’m going to feel under pressure to eat over the Xmas period. How do you give yourself some treats without messing up your fasting mojo?
Pressure from others or pressure from yourself?
If you know that you want to have some treats, give yourself permission to have some but with limits, don’t make it a binge. I find that trying to stay strict can be more harmful than allowing yourself an indulgence.
And make that indulgence count, don’t waste it on something that you can have any time of the year, and don’t just munch on sugar cookies all day.
Be mindful but enjoy.
Afterwards, get right back on your fasting track.
I’ve switched to omad for the 2 weeks preceding Xmas to reduce my hunger sensation. I’m switching back to 18:6 for the 2 weeks over Xmas and New Years, then back to omad for 2 weeks.
I’ve found that this regimen helps me stay on track and to remain accountable, and reduces food guilt or an eff it mentality.
I am doing ADF now, but it is not possible during the Christmas days because of social events.
I therefore:
Will try to keep at least a fasting window, e.g. Until lunch, no breakfast.
Avoid snacking or eat at least some protein with the cookies so I will get full and not snack all day. Bring a protein shake with be that I can down quickly during the afternoon - protein with the cookies makes me full immediately!
Try to make healthy choices. Small dessert (or Christmas cookies instead that I will eat anyway), eat vegetables too, eat protein at the meals, not just bread.
And afterwards: Restart and ignore the scale for the first days because of all the cookie body water. 😅
I’m relaxing my fast (but not eating unless I’m hungry - I hate overeating) until after Christmas. It’s only a few days and won’t kill me. I secretly hope it confuses my metabolism enough that the restart after Christmas makes me lose weight faster. I’ve been on a plateau for a while now.
No pressure from family, no attempts to mess with my fasting mojo. I’m very happy about it! We are going to a restaurant for Christmas Eve. Since starting IF it will be my first eating out in a regular restaurant. I have only been in a sushi place where it was very easy to eat healthy. I’m looking forward to the outing. I will check the menu beforehand and plan. No dessert and no cheating meal for sure. It’s only two days. I know myself and know that if I slide I would spectacularly fail. It will be Christmas with IF and it will be merry!
I use a flexible fasting regimen that adapts to my social calendar. I try to do at least 16:8 and work in extended fasts, OMAD or ADF wherever I can. If I end up extending my window, I make sure it’s worth it. I’ll get back to my routine after the holidays and go on a nice long cleansing 36-72 hour fast to deplete those glycogen stores eventually. No biggie
As others said, eat whatever you want. Just make it worth opening your window. Make sure it’s special.
I find it easier to fast for 16+ hours overnight and through the morning if I’ve eaten a lot of rich, protein and carb-heavy food the previous day. My plan is to eat a small lunch and big dinner during the holidays and to eat a small dessert every night. I’m not snacking on cookies or candy at all. If you want to avoid binging on sweets I suggest having dessert but avoiding eating sugary snacks in between meals. It’s pretty hard to binge on sweets after eating a full meal.
My plan is to have a few things that I really love (a glass of egg nog, a few good cookies, a little bit of fancy cheese, a good cocktail or two) and forego a lot of the things that are being offered to me that aren’t actually very good but which I tend to eat anyway (cheap chocolates, candy, brownies, bad cookies).
I just got a gift basket in the mail from somebody, and it’s mostly garbage, but if it’s sitting around, I will probably eat it. So I divided it up into a bunch of small packages and will be re-gifting it all ASAP as hostess gifts.
At holiday meals, I focus on enjoying things that are special that I really love (meat, stuffing, pie) and skipping ordinary things (mashed potatoes, yams, rolls and butter, cheesy/buttery casseroles). That way I have a really nice meal that’s not too big or excessive.
At Thanksgiving, we finished our meal by 3pm and then I was done for the day and actually got in more fasting time than usual.
I’m giving myself a break and enjoying the holidays. I’ll get focused after new year. I’m not going to go crazy, but life’s too short not to indulge now and then. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Sooo, I’m on a real strict gut-healing eating plan. Doesn’t matter what others are eating, I have my seperate food.
So, idgaf what’s being served, I’m not eating it anyway. I’m sticking with ADF. Eating Christmas eve, not on Christmas, then eating with my family the day after. 🤷♀️
TBH, there always so much going on in the home, my husband doesn’t notice if I’m eating or not. Lots to keep a person busy.