Thanksgiving Double Trouble

[leebre]

It’s been just short of 4 months since I started Induction and I am down 40 pounds, and now am under 200. (50 pounds for the year!) I am near my goal and ready to move to OWL, a somewhat depressing thought having visited that side of the boards and now realizing that it really means Ongoing Work Load… But now I digress. Next week - the point of this thread - I travel with many of you (literally and figuratively) to all too familiar territory – to extended family for that beloved day of eating-days, Thanksgiving. My family loves to eat, and eat, and drink, and eat some more. In fact, for us, Thanksgiving is a 4 day eating and drinking extravaganza. My plan was get down to where I had a margin for error, of say about 10-12 pounds, put it on, and take it right back off while facing down Christmas and all that entails. Lots of luck,right? I don’t know how else to do it. I don’t think I have the strength to face all the family dysfunctionality, merry making, drinking, feasting, Adkins questions and ridicule, forbearance and restriction from turkey gravy, wine, mashed potatoes, stuffing, M&Ms, Bailey’s, on and on - that is needed. I’m too weak. So I just figure it’s an easy 10 pound 4 day weekend. How do you cope with it all?

[Sherri]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

Hi Leebre,
For me, it comes down to how bad do I want it? Do I want to take a few steps back and go on a four day Thanksgiving Day eating binge? Or do I want to take steps forward and eat a Atkins friendly Thanksgiving Feast. I have found that there are great replacements for all holiday foods. Turkey, ham, gravy, stuffing, mashed cauliflower, or even sweet pototes if you're on that rung, green beans/w bacon, deviled eggs, stuffed celery, oopsie rolls w/ butter, pumpkin pie & whipped cream, all Atkins friendly.
Praparing Atkins friendly dishes and taking them with you is great too. You'll notice how quickly they disappear they're so good.
If you drink spirits, just make sure they're not sugar based.
If you need recipes, i'd be happy to share.
I like making my own cranberry sauce with fresh berries and xylitol (sweetner). Also a great flaxmeal sandwich roll you can make in the microwave goes great for making a turkey and cranberry sandwich the next day. It's all about adjusting lifestyles to work for you.
Atkins is about making lifestyle changes and I can't think of a better time than the holidays to put that to test.
Whatever it is that you decide to do, I wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.
Sincerely, Sherri

[Chef Kevin]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

I just don't tell people. I just eat what I can eat (of course I make sure I have plenty of dishes to eat!!!) and the rest I just ignore. Then I sit back and watch all the fat slobs eat their pie and their potatoes, and think to myself they all look like potatoes.

Why would I listen to their fat a##es tell me what I am eating is unhealthy...

Then the old people start in on all the pills they take for this and that, because they are so unhealthy.....

And they can't figure out why they can't get their blood sugar under 300 (true story here) while eating their 3rd slice of pie....

So, what I am saying is, peer pressure (or family pressure) is just what you make of it. You can make up your own mind. No one can force you to eat something you don't want to eat. I just always find that not making a big deal of it lets everything kinda blow over.

[blakesgrandma]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

Sorry, but you sound very angry . Calling your family names is not really in the holiday spirit. You may need to look back and see how long ago it was that you were sitting there with your family on the holiday eating binge. Sometimes when we loose weight we begin having a superior attitude. Just think it was uncalled for with your comment about family!!!!!

[DLS]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

I'm with Kevin on the it will blow over part if you don't make a big deal of it. Will someone actually monitor your plate? If so just play if off like you have been craving turkey SOOOOOO much you just can't get enough ( all the while ignoring stuff you can't have on Atkins).
There are so many ways of doing it like taking your own dishes or making them there.
But you don't HAVE to give in if you don't WANT to.

Good luck!
Donna

* I'm glad I'M the cook around here! LOL

[Chef Kevin]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

Not angry, I guess I am just not a nurturing person.

I guess I will just keep quiet.

I'm not feeling superior, I just don't want to use a holiday as an excuse to eat junk.

[DLS]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

Not angry, I guess I am just not a nurturing person.

I guess I will just keep quiet.

I'm not feeling superior, I just don't want to use a holiday as an excuse to eat junk.

Kevin, I see no reason for you to be quiet. We all have our opinions. Some folks are a little too "PC" and don't like anyone saying anything negative about anyone or anything. So if you want to call those in YOUR family names because they might raz YOU about Atkins, have at it. It's all good.

I didn't find you to be superior sounding, just possibly having to defend yourself to those who don't care to take steps to make their own lives healthier or might be judging you for doing something better for YOU.

Kudos on your success so far!

Thanksgiving!!!! BRING IT ON!!!!!

[blueberrylady]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

I think it's a matter of attitude. Atkins is a way of life, not just a diet you go on and off of. I face family dinners every week because my SIL (son-in-law) is a great cook and always prepares a feast for Sunday dinner, and we eat Sunday lunch at my mother-in-law's house where she cooks the old fashioned way with loads of salt, lard and stacks of desserts. But since starting Atkins, my appetite has been diminished and my stomach as shrunk so I can't eat a lot at one time and I have developed an aversion to things like potatoes and rice so I eat the meat, cheese and whatever else is Atkins friendly and skip the rest.
And as for anyone who might not like it, I figure that the ones who mind, don't matter and the ones who matter, don't mind. I eat what's good for me and I don't allow my life to be ruled anymore by 'protoplasm on a plate'.
Think 'good time', not 'good food'.
The best of luck to you and I hope to see you back afterwards at the same weight you are now.

[DLS]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

.....and as for anyone who might not like it, i figure that the ones who mind, don't matter and the ones who matter, don't mind. .

love it!

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

well, since i have to cook then i get to pick lots of yummy things that i can and like to eat as well......it is pretty easy to make faux potatoes, lots of veggies....in truth, since i have such issues with the way my poor tummy reacts to sugar and carbs, all i need to do is imagine the great pain and distress i will feel physically if i do eat M&M's, sugary treats, real potatoes and stuffing....you get the picture.

we make a list of family favs, i add my legal goodies, (which everyone else winds up wanting too!) ........i make a low carb cheesecake and pumpkin treat along with THEIR pecan pie.....it's all good.

finally, at my house a big deal of the day is the yearly football game and playing lots of board games and laying around feeling lazy. i am not the world's chef supremo so it's not like everyone is standing there waiting for the gluttony to begin...more like "hey mama made turkey and some extras today.....let's eat." it is just a different focus.

and on that note....to all my friends here.....in case i forget to tell ya ...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

[hopejoy]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

I agree with Kevin as well. That is a good plan, to not tell anyone and eat what is legal. There are lots of good legal foods to be had. If you don't start dealing with family issues, you'll yo yo up and down and not get your eating under control ever! That 10 lbs might be harder to get off than you think. It would be a shame to gain back what you've lost and then not be able to get back on the wagon afterwards... There are some fabulous recipes out there!
liz

[not2late]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

It’s been just short of 4 months since I started Induction and I am down 40 pounds, and now am under 200. (50 pounds for the year!) I am near my goal and ready to move to OWL, a somewhat depressing thought having visited that side of the boards and now realizing that it really means Ongoing Work Load… But now I digress. Next week - the point of this thread - I travel with many of you (literally and figuratively) to all too familiar territory – to extended family for that beloved day of eating-days, Thanksgiving. My family loves to eat, and eat, and drink, and eat some more. In fact, for us, Thanksgiving is a 4 day eating and drinking extravaganza. My plan was get down to where I had a margin for error, of say about 10-12 pounds, put it on, and take it right back off while facing down Christmas and all that entails. Lots of luck,right? I don’t know how else to do it. I don’t think I have the strength to face all the family dysfunctionality, merry making, drinking, feasting, Adkins questions and ridicule, forbearance and restriction from turkey gravy, wine, mashed potatoes, stuffing, M&Ms, Bailey’s, on and on - that is needed. I’m too weak. So I just figure it’s an easy 10 pound 4 day weekend. How do you cope with it all?

I don't know if you planned to post this in the On-Going Weight Loss Forum, but you did. Wine and mashed potatoes, even stuffing, is acceptable on OWL and Pre-Maintenance Phases provided you don't have any food intolerances to them and the amount you eat is within your Phase limits.

As for dealing with the holidays, when I began my Atkins, I didn't announce to the entire family I was on Atkins. When I had to go to family functions, I ate what was acceptable to my Atkins. No one questioned my why I wasn't eating mashed potatoes or cornbread. When the desserts were passed around, I just said I didn't have room for any right now. No questions asked.

[zoewmu]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

The last time I ate anything sugary, I was sicker than a dog the whole next day. I had the worst heartburn of my life and felt like I just wanted to vomit.

That memory, in and of itself, will keep me on track this thanksgiving. I want to enjoy my family, not feel so ill that I can't shop on Friday!

I'm bringing my own pumpkin pie. I offered to bring veggies but I know they will be there even if I don't. I'm taking flax muffin stuff and real cream and my own sweetener for my coffee so I don't have to rely on anyone else.

[cackleby]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

Honestly, I'm not worried about the holidays at all. Like Kevin said, I shall just go about my merry way and have eat what I can and be done with it. I figured out a while ago that my biggest hurdle to overcome in order to change my WOE was that I am DONE with all the foods I supposedly couldn't do without. Until I made that discovery about myself, making a drastic change such as the Atkins WOE was difficult to say the least.

Myself, I started this life change in order to become HEALTHY, and nothing will get in the way of that, not even family


steve

BTW good luck keeping on the straight and narrow. It's all mind over matter- If you don't mind it don't matter

[michelle23464]

Re: Thanksgiving Double Trouble

My family will be going out to dinner on Thanksgiving. This way everyone gets to eat from a buffet and have what is allowed for them. Hubby, MIL and myself are all on atkins so I can just leave all the bad foods at the restaurant after dinner and not have a fridge full of junk that would be left over because the kids didnt eat it all.

All of us on Atkins are at different levels so we thought this was best. Also.. in the event anyone has a taste of not so legal foods there will be nothing at home to have later. I really love the thanksgiving foods, yams, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, potatoe salad, and rolls. So having them in the house as left overs will not be good for me.