Poll: Holiday Splurges

raynes

What kinds of things do you splurge on during the holidays?  Is it an all our free-for-all or do you go in with a plan?

What kinds of things do you do to enjoy some of your favourites if you don't want to splurge?

raynes

For me, it's probably cookies.  I'd say that I bake a LOT more this time of year than any other, and it's hard not to sample.

For family get togethers I usually give myself a pass, but limit myself to just one plate at dinner.

One of the things I really love is eggnog, so instead of drinking a whole huge delicious glass I use it in my coffee instead of milk.  I get the taste with only a fraction of the cost!

Tanq&Tonic

Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie.  That is all.  :-)

JoMega

I agree with both of you!  I have the biggest sweet tooth!  I love love love pumpkin pie and anything with sugar in it, but I have always loved those wreath desserts (kinda made like rice krispie treats, except with corn flakes).  I am very strict every other day so I let myself go on the actual holiday, I don't limit myself.  It is a holiday, a day to enjoy with friends and family and I don't want to feel like I am missing out, especially since I still love to eat those foods! I still eat my normal breakfast (oatmeal. egg whites & 1/2 grapefruit), but allow myself to eat whatever else.  I usually can't even finish a plate though, which helps with portion size.   Now, you have got me thinking about all the yummy food during christmas time! YUM!

LittleKatie13

I love eggnog also.  Usually I let myself have one eggnog shake.  Other than that, I try to keep myself to small servings of whatever I want on the actual holiday and avoid holiday foods on non-holiday days.

emyinpink

I'm somewhat "lucky" in that all of my favorite holiday foods, were foods that I can no longer eat (I used to LOVE Christmas cookies, apple pie, etc.). I can make gluten free substitutes, but in general, it's not really worth it.

missfarar

I have been trying so hard to behave over the holidays, but I have definitely allowed for some treats!

On Thanksgiving I helped myself to about a teaspoon of mashed potatoes and stuffing (just enough to get some taste) and probably a tablespoon of green bean casserole. I avoided dessert, because I know if I taste the sweetness I can't say no!

I will definitely have a game plan for holiday parties. So far, I'm going to have a healthy snack on the way to the party in order to curb any hunger or cravings. While I'm there, I will scout out veggie and fruit trays.

probablykate

Good timing... just got an email that my office is having a cookie exchange and I'm debating whether or not I should participate.  I loooove peanut butter cookies.

xcrewgal

Most years I just go all-out but I'm going to be more conservative this year.

For Thanksgiving, I made sure to work out extra hard that week, and the day-of I didn't snack a lot before the meal.  I did allow myself 2 glasses of wine, pumpkin pie, and some (be-it a smaller portion) of mashed potatotes.

GracefulMeadow86

cookies, eggnog, rainbow logs and biscuits. i let myself indulge a little bit, but reasonably so. i dont overindulge. also, i think becaues i end up making most of these (since i need to make the gf version) i dont eat as many of them compared to if someone else made them.

naomikb

Christmas cookies... and creamy mashed potatoes. Mmm.

Re: egg nog, I usually cut it 50:50 with skim milk to cut down on the egg nog in my drink and then I can still have a big glass full without feeling too guilty.

vballgirl78

Christmas cookies are my biggest weakness too.  In order to help myself not over-do, I do a couple things: 1. I don't bake them myself unless I have a specific event to take them to. 2. If I do bake them, I take them to work right away and only allow myself one or two or I package them up right away to give them away to family/friends, etc.

This year, I'm having my tonsils taken out 2 days before Christmas, so that will eliminate cookies for me this year.  It stinks in some ways, but will definitely help me avoid any weight gain around Christmas this year. 

naomikb

@vball -- tonsils out 2 days before?? That SUCKS.  Having my tonsils out was the worst, I didn't eat for 2 weeks and lost 15 pounds (yay!) but then gained it all back once I started eating again (boo).  Good luck with the procedure & recovery.

mehgank

Christmas sweets in general are what gets me (cookies, pies, fudge, brownies). I literally have force myself to go to the gym one extra day per week to help balance it out, and try to get FI to go on walks with me after dinner, which is usually during sunset.

When I'm home for Christmas, I think I'm going to try to talk my family into going on a post-dinner walk with me in the snow, since I don't get to see snow down here in SoFlo.

mybestfriend4eva

Cookies and pies are my weakness at the holidays. I have kids around so we make LOTS of cookies and pies so of course I must sample them as well. The trick however is I tell myself for every few cookies I eat I must add an extra 10 minutes to my run every morning. Gotta combat the calories without missing out on enjoying the sweets I truly love.

adunn09

I'm not really too big on sweets.  I much prefer all the yummy holiday sides like creamy mashed potatoes with gravy and cheesy broccoli casserole.  We're going to my grandparents' for Christmas and I'm a little bit concerned because my grandmother puts about a tub of butter in everything.  I'm going to make a run to the grocery when we get there to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies for snacks so I can try to fill up on those and just sample a little bit of everything else.