OK, trying to be honest AND hold myself accountable... First Thanksgiving post WLS- I feel like a WLS Pilgrim!

So I started the weekend with a 52lb loss since surgery ... YAY! And then.... yeah... then... I gave myself "permission" to indulge - OOOOPS - That was a slippery slope. Now it's Saturday morning and thankfully (it works for me..), I'm a slave to the scale. Up 3.3 lbs in just two days of indulging. I kept telling myself that I wasn't eating and drinking too much (because lets be real.. we CAN'T eat much at one sitting - but we can damn sure graze..) so I ignored the obvious - I WAS EATING AND DRINKING TOO MUCH.

Some harsh realities morning:

1. I'm just NOT good at moderation (hence the reason I NEEDED this surgery).

2. I need to learn to give myself "permission" to succeed rather than to FAIL.

3. Holidays will always be food focused at my house (I'm the cook), but I need to find better options for me.

4. Once the meal is over, the food needs to be put away to avoid grazing (but damn was that ham and cheese slider yummy!)...

5. Alcohol - I've just got to say "NO" - Socializing with family on holidays all day around my house generally involves lots of wine and laughter - I need to find a better substitute than Gatorade Zero because somehow it just isn't the same (suggestions welcome!).

All in all - I wouldn't trade the time with family for anything. I enjoyed cooking, drinking, laughing, and eating BUT I need to find a way to do that AND keep on track during this journey. Beating myself up a little, but unlike previous WL attempts, I'm determined to make this a success and I'm back to basics now.

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday!

Thanks for the honesty. But you know you really didn't gain 3 lbs, right? It's water weight and carb weight and your body reacting to a whole lot of grazing. But you couldn't possibly have gained 3 whole pounds in 1 day. So it'll settle back down but I'm glad you're focusing for the future.

Thanks Grady - Yeah - Sorry, I should have said that in the post reference it not being a "real" weight gain - HOWEVER, in the past i would have used that as an "excuse" and stayed on what can only be described as a food bender for multiple days and it would certainly become REAL fat.

I think it's important that we're honest with ourselves and realize what got most of us to the point of body altering surgery. We talk about scales lying to us. They don't. They're an honest measurement of our body composition. Whether it be fat, water, or muscle it IS the truth and personally I NEED to be cognizant of what reactions my body has to my actions (positive or negative).

This is almost my EXACT same story!! Snacking, tasting, drinking...up 3 pounds! I actually opened a bottle of good champagne (a splurge for me) and no one else wanted any!! So I DRANK THE WHOLE BOTTLE! (Luckily this was after dinner and close to bedtime!) I made a protein shake sugar free eggnog and had one of those with brandy and then, since my mom is still visiting, continued the food fest through today. I plan on being as good as I can today (we are getting lobster and stone crab for lunch and having homemade turkey soup for dinner) and hopping back on the wagon tomorrow! No snacking today!

I "gained" two lbs Thanksgiving day (I was two lbs heavier the day after). But I know that was mostly/all water weight since gaining two lbs would mean I ate an extra 7000 calories. In one day. Ah....no. It's all gone this morning, btw. Just get right back on track.

the way I handle holidays now (and this wasn't true the first year, but it is since I went into maintenance four years ago), is I let myself eat the things I want to eat, but I just don't make a pig of myself. I try to eat like a "normal" person would. And the next day, I'm right back on track.

I feel for you -- it's got to be tough to have to cook all that great food and not be able to indulge the way you used to. I live alone, so I have it easier than most in terms of not having to be around food I can't eat. Thanks to COVID, I haven't been to any parties or holiday get-togethers since my surgery. Don't be too hard on yourself over two days of over-indulging. Today's a new day, and those extra pounds will come back off in no time.

You are obviously not alone! I also have eaten like crap the last two days. I have not gained weight, but I don’t feel physically well or happy with myself.

Today is a new day and I have the ability to make better choices for myself.

We can do this, Friends! ?

Since I was exactly 4 weeks post op on Thanksgiving, my story was pretty predictable. I ate a little bit of everything, including pumpkin pie and apple crisp, then proceeded to be sick all night long (sorry to be graphic, but diarrhea sick). So my body rejected my food choices and I escaped gaining weight over thanksgiving. Do I have regrets.....I did Thursday night, but since I've been very kind to my digestive tract since then, I'm glad I got a taste of all the Thanksgiving food that I love.

Honestly, I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner without guilt or regret. Like you, I put on some water weight and carb weight, but I know it will come off again now that I've gone back to clean eating. For me, it's not realistic to think I will NEVER again eat holiday food. What matters is what I do next. It's super important that I go RIGHT back on plan and not use the holiday indulgence as an excuse to chuck the plan altogether. I figure it's what I do every day that matters, not what I do twice a year. So I enjoyed the food (in portions I could handle since my tummy is still small). And now it's back to the weight loss grind. I had fun. Now back to work.

I’m only a few weeks post op, so I can’t really “indulge”. But I love ham, so I used 1.5 oz of ham weighed out and made ham salad, it was sooooo good, AND,...it did not agree with me at all and I lost 1.5 pounds...I mean I want to lose as much as possible, but not that way, lol.

It truly is a journey for all
Of us as we navigate this new terrain, especially at the holidays!

Of course you can tell, as much as it didn’t agree with me I didn’t suffer too much as I immediately jumped on the scale to see what the result of my stupidity produced on the scale, lol

This was my first holiday post WLS (ESG) and 50 pounds lost. I went in knowing I was going to enjoy all of the food and leftovers. I gave myself a 2 day pass and was back on track today. This is also my plan for future major holidays. I'm just glad they only occur every few months. Did I over indulge - yes! Did I enjoy every bite - yes! Do I feel guilty - no!

Honestly, I'd say it was a success for you. Because it sounds like you didn't get sick. I think we can all agree indulging on the holidays when you work hard the rest of the year is not something to be ashamed of. What was hard for me was I wanted to eat more than my 2-3 oz protein and small veg and one bite of cake. So I did. And then I felt sick. And then a couple hours later I felt fine again but repeated the whole thing. I did this about 5 times over the 2 days of celebrating. It was upsetting. Because I was quite literally making myself feel sick. But as soon as it passed I did it again. I don't call that a win. I call your indulging on the special day and then acknowledging it but feeling fine a win.

So Thanksgiving was the practice run to learn what to do and what not to do. Christmas is coming and we can all make changes that will improve our compliance with our plans. A slip up is never a failure unless one fails to learn from it.

I’m so glad other people feel like I do. I was feeling really guilty for “over-indulging” on Thanksgiving. I was two pounds heavier the next morning and felt terrible and guilty for eating so badly. I’ve worked so hard to get my weight down before my surgery and had lost 33 pounds just by eating better and weighing and measuring everything. I’m back on it and trying to get another pound or two off before I see my surgeon on Monday. I want him to know I really am dedicated to being successful with my weight loss.

I was looking for a post like this! Good tips a year later. ?

I bought some fancy sugar-free candies and will have one a night since the other desserts are something I will not do. As host, I am in charge of most of the menu, so I made sure I can eat several things in moderation and still be on track.

However, I am accustomed to grazing throughout the day while I am cooking, so I will try to have some movies on to distract me.

Any other tips on not blowing Thanksgiving?