Dee H. Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I call the time between Halloween and New Year's the annual "eating season" because people feel justified in offering (also not taking no for an answer) all kinds of non-Whole30-compliant foods to you because "it's the holidays!" In past years, a bowl of candy was not safe around me. I could eat an entire bag of mini candy bars BY MYSELF in a single evening without thinking twice. That is how I weighed 315 lbs. I am 5'4". I was assured of gaining 20 to 25 lbs. during the holidays without even trying. After eating all the Halloween candy I could get my hands on, then came Thanksgiving and pies, pies, pies! Then, the holiday parties commenced with appetizers I could not resist until finally arriving at Christmas dinner--another excuse to eat a full day's worth of food at a single sitting. Wrapping the year up with a New Year's and birthday celebration rolled into one usually resulted in misery, stress over my weight (which I obsessively checked multiple times daily), frustration, sleep problems, digestion problems, and a general fatigue and malaise. I have completed a 61-day Whole30 #1 this year, with mini-Whole30s sprinkled during the rest of the months to keep on track. I generally eat Whole30 compliant with occasional episodes of a glass of wine or mead, a dessert made of local, organic ingredients or an occasional high-quality piece of chocolate. I finally conquered the "eating season" by changing habits slowly over time. I made exercise a priority over eating. I stopped holiday baking. I stick to one plate of food at the holiday meal. I make a careful choice about the one food I will splurge on at the meal. That might be dressing or pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce--whatever I want MOST. Not all of those things at once. But if I do indulge in a few items, I don't spend the rest of the day berating myself for it. I return to my normal eating schedule on the next meal. I am an adult, I get to make choices, and I also get to pay the price for those choices and find out whether they are worth it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KayKay Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I love this! And I love that you drink mead This truly is (was) the eating season. Mine starts even earlier, with three family birthdays (including my own), Canadian Thanksgiving and my wedding anniversary all in October. I feel like it easily stretches into Easter, if you let it. But I am with you. I try to treat the meal as just that, another meal, and try to enjoy all the other wonderful parts of each holiday or family get together. Cutting back on Christmas baking is hard, because I have small kids and I love to bake. But I am the one who eats the most, so I stopped last year. This year I will let others bake all they want, I will enjoy my single slice of pie, and enjoy the time with my family and friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakitty Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I have been doing a LOT of panicking about Thanksgiving this week. The last few years have been at home, but this year we are traveling to mother-in-law's home for a big family gathering. I am planning it so I won't be in the middle of a Whole30 when we are there. But, that doesn't mean I plan to eat much that is passed at the Thanksgiving table. I'm trying to work out the logistics of bringing something I can eat, but not drawing attention to myself or hurting MIL's feelings. Although, 3 years ago when we hosted T-day in our NEW home - she almost caught my kitchen on fire. It was super late at night, and she decided to make faddeman as a treat. It is sort of like a deep fried cookie. She even brought her own lard. Somehow she got the pot of melted lard smoking and my house was filled with incredibly stinky smoke. So I'm not really sure I'm all that worried about hurting her feelings over food that's nowhere near healthy. Why oh why do people think yams need brown sugar & marshmallows? UGH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWholeEmily Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I've been thinking about extending my Whole30 to a Whole45 in order to get myself through Halloween, which is typically when I start the sugar binge. Thanksgiving is a relatively minor concern for me, and I host Christmas dinner so I plan on some Whole30 dishes for Christmas. I'll probably have to skip baking cookies, or only bake very small batches (I don't want my son to miss out on treats-for-Santa traditions), because the Christmas cookies are, like the Halloween candy, my downfall. My sugar dragon is very voracious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee H. Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Mine was, too (see entire bag mini candy bars, one sitting). Extending 45 days is a smart idea if H'ween candy is a problem for you. Sometimes the best thing is to just not start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWholeEmily Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 I think I will. Whole45 would put me up to Oct 4, instead of stopping Oct 20, just in time to buy (and eat) the treats. There's something sort of personal-challenging about the WholeX, and I feel totally in control. I COULD eat candy/ice cream/bread/chocolate - all those things are in my house for the other people who live here - but I don't HAVE to. I have other delicious options. That's a big big deal, much bigger than any other diet/plan. Good luck to all of us in the Eating Season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb. Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 There are some great W30 and paleo holiday recipes to keep us safe and sane. Check out my holiday post with tons of recipes in the forum here: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/22006-30-more-ingredient-of-day-links-for-each-day-of-the-whole-30-part-2/?p=232420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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