Any ideas how NOT to gain a million pounds over Chanuka????

amother

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 10:26 am

Would love to hear any and all ideas....besides eating lettuce and starving...
meaning how to enjoy Chanuka and enjoy the special Chanuka foods without gaining tons of weight!!
any tips/advice would be great!!
last year I gained like ten pounds!!!
(B'H I dieted and lost it right afterwards....but still, would love to avoid that!!)

dovebird

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 10:33 am

Just don’t deprive yourself or you’ll end up binging. One donut or two doesn’t make you “unhealthy and fat” just like one salad doesn’t make you “healthy and skinny”. Eat what you want when you want- enjoy it, then move on.

amother

Lavender

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 10:43 am

Pick only one food to eat for the day, be it latkas, donuts, Chanukah sugar cookies, schnitzel, or whatever you choose. Eat only that food for the day.
Come on-on donut day how many donuts can you actually eat before you are sick of them and vomit? I could probably eat 6 at most which is what, 1800 calories at most (per google, the average donut is 250 calories but I estimated up, at 300).
Schnitzel, you won't get started until later in the day and really, how many of those could you really eat?
Best diet plan ever!!!

avrahamama

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 10:46 am

When we make our own donuts. We make them smalllllll. Like the size of a silver dollar. Same goes for latkes.

Ok so you'll eat one or two. But it's not those massive donuts from the bakery.

amother

Coral

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 10:49 am

avrahamama wrote:

When we make our own donuts. We make them smalllllll. Like the size of a silver dollar. Same goes for latkes.

Ok so you'll eat one or two. But it's not those massive donuts from the bakery.

My brothers would each eat ten of those. My husband at least 15. Doesn’t work for hungry tired people.

My advice is to try intuitive eating. Read up on it but basically- Let yourself enjoy something you want. Like really enjoy it. You’ll crave it less.

clowny

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 10:58 am

Op I’ve been asking this question so many times a year

How not to gain million lbs over pesach, sukkos, purim and the aftermath after purim, chanukah, week of sisters wedding, -and there’s so much more....

And there’s no specific answer because some do well when they just simply don’t eat donuts and other fried stuff. Some do better if they don’t deprive themselves. Some do well with treating themselves once a day and some gain weight that way. I’ve tried them all and I haven’t come to a conclusion what works best.
I’m still overweight!!!

amother

Gray

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 11:01 am

I am in middle of trying to diet to lose weight. I will be picking 3 specific things I want to eat (spread out throughout Chanuka). Put each item on a plate. Eat it slowly and savor each bite. This way I will save each splurge for a special time and not just pick and nosh and eat way too much and regret it! I hope I won't feel deprived and then lose it and pig out.

Genius

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 11:35 am

avrahamama wrote:

When we make our own donuts. We make them smalllllll. Like the size of a silver dollar. Same goes for latkes.

Ok so you'll eat one or two. But it's not those massive donuts from the bakery.

I can eat twenty of those. Fresh out of the frying pan it feels like eating out-of-this-world air mixed with fried sugar and flour. Yum! (I’m not overweight by any stretch of the imagination, I just love good food)

Genius

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 11:39 am

What worked for me was to walk in with a plan.
Before sitting down, decide exactly what and how much of it you’ll eat and stick to it. So you can decide to eat two doughnuts, and eat it, but you won’t feel like a balloon about to bust because you had self control and ate it mindfully, enjoyed it while it lasted.
The alternative is sitting and munching whatever is in front of you and feeling like a bursting horse when you leave the party.

amother

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 1:32 pm

I like all these ideas.
what I did over Sukkos (though I still did gain some weight) was a kept a tally of my calories on a website....I had to guesstimate (like I had a beef spring roll at my sister in law's house) but according to the website, I was within the a pound in reality of what I expected to be based on that, so that was pretty good.
Maybe I'll do the same on Chanuka, for me to totally deprive myself won't work, I know already that I can be amazing by daily routine, but it's not worth the stress of dieting at parties etc.
the million dollar question is how to keep it within limits.....Thanks everyone!!!

agreer

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 2:10 pm

Surrendered wrote:

Drink lots of water or eat a filling meal before the party so you won't feel the strong urge to nosh alot.

Was gonna say this too!

DON"T GO HUNGRY.

When you are hungry, you lose self-control.

If you eat an apple/banana or a small baked potato and a salad before the party, you will have a lot more ability to be conscious of your decisions and choose the best options.

If you are really serious or have a health condition - don't veer of your diet at all. One bite is all it takes to go down that slippery slope. In that case, eat your dinner before the party and don't eat anything there - just drink tea and water.

But if you want to enjoy and just not gain a million pounds (impossible btw), then set a goal. Would you be okay with a 2 lb. weight gain over Chanuka? 4 lb? Be realistic. If you gain it in a week, you'll lose it in a week.

Decide what you are comfortable with. Eat a modest portion of your favorites and get back on track the day after your last festivity.

amother

Denim

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 2:15 pm

Wheat, dairy and sugar are the 3 most addictive foods on earth. We just stay away. I make gluten free doughnuts with unrefined sweeteners. Vegetable latkas in coconut oil. If I want dairy I’ll use a little bit of sheep or goat feta in a salad or a gluten free pizza. Totally satisfying but not addictive.

amother

Lavender

Fri, Dec 04 2020, 2:18 pm

amother [ Denim ] wrote:

I wish I could share the meme I saw. It was a sign in Hebrew, in a bakery, which stated sugar free, dairy free, gluten free donuts and under it was a picture of a basket of tomatoes!