How to get through December?

jc2008

This thread may come across as silly...

Question: What tips do people use to get through December without completely derailing their efforts?

Background:
I've recently started eating healthier and going to the gym. I'm losing weight, and what's working for me this time is small changes (previously I've gone too drastic and gave up).

However, December appears to be full of nights out - various work Christmas parties, as well as outside of work, 12 pubs etc. Each weekend appears to have at least one night out, some two :eek:

Nights out = pints
Hangovers = unhealthy diet, no chance of gym, me being generally useless.

Aside from the obvious answer of "don't drink" (I have to go to the events, and I'd find them very unenjoyable without a few drinks ), what tips do people use to get through December without completely derailing their efforts?

Alf Veedersane

Couple of things that worked for me around drinking was having some water in between pints. You drank a small bit less and drinking water helps with the hangover.

Dioralyte, if you have the presence of mind, when you get home again helps with the hangover.

Make some food in advance to have the next day so you have less of an excuse to get takeaway muck.

Only small things and won't work for everyone but help with feeling better the next day which means less likelihood of eating muck and increases chance of making it to the gym

Plenty of water no hangover

Nervous Wreck

The obvious answer of "don't drink" is obvious for a reason. To expand on that point; you're an adult and don't have to attend these events. If you do attend, you don't have to drink. If you do drink, you don't have to drink so much that you get a hangover. If you get a hangover, you don't have to eat unhealthy foods. And if you can't enjoy a night out without drinking alcohol, missing a gym session the next day is not your biggest problem.

To "get through" December without completely derailing your efforts, you decide that you'd rather be in good shape than piss away your money and health and then you drink in moderation, and keep going to the gym and eating healthy. It's really straight forward. Or you can get pissed every weekend and drink loads of water with your booze and pretend that that's just as good.

/rant

jc2008

Thanks for the responses.

Just to pick up on the above - obviously not drinking would be better, and I've definitely cut down on it a lot recently, for various reasons it's difficult in the run-up to Christmas.

I have to attend some events because I've organised them - I'm in charge of the sports&social where I work. My recent success has been (I think) due to making small changes in my lifestyle - cutting out alcohol in a (like it or not) alcohol focused month is probably a bit too extreme.

I mean, I know lots of people who are in great shape who don't abstain from alcohol completely in December (even if they moderate other times of year). I'm sure lots of people on this forum enjoy the holiday season?

Surely the increased amount of social events in the Xmas season is a common concern for a lot of people in terms of setbacks to training etc.?

ford2600

What other people do is not really relevant; drinking won't make me heavy or make bad food choices. It'll have those effects on a lot of people though.

It'll mess up my sleep, and a lot of sh1te goes sideways with that. If I do want a good night out I'll typically drink whiskey straight, I enjoy it and it doesn't effect sleep.

Have a mad night or two, really moderate on the rest and committing to doing something active on the morning after the moderate nights.

The thoughts of a 5am alarm and 150km cycle make the 4th pint not so attractive☺

Nervous Wreck

Moderation is the key point I'm making. Have a few beers, sure. But then leave it at that. Or don't. Either way is cool. But if you want to keep in shape there has to be some give with your take. By the sounds of your first post, you haven't been at it a super long time, which is part of the problem. If you'd spent the last 12 months going hard at it and were in great shape, my advice would be different. I'd be saying "do as you want over xmas" because your rebound time would probably be much better (generally when I'm in good nick, it takes me a max of 3 weeks to drop any weight I've put on over xmas) but it sounds like you're not at that stage at the moment (sadly, neither am I right now ). So yeah, you're not gonna abstain and you're not in good enough shape to get away with doing what you want. So moderation is your man, I'm afraid!

Either way, good luck with it. I don't drink anymore and I'm really not in great shape the last few months but I'm gonna eat a bucket load of chocolate santas anyway. The rest is January's problem!

Dtp1979

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Couple of things that worked for me around drinking was having some water in between pints. You drank a small bit less and drinking water helps with the hangover.

Dioralyte, if you have the presence of mind, when you get home again helps with the hangover.

Make some food in advance to have the next day so you have less of an excuse to get takeaway muck.

Only small things and won't work for everyone but help with feeling better the next day which means less likelihood of eating muck and increases chance of making it to the gym

I find dioralyte great too. I take one before I go out.
And I have 200ml of water and another dioralyte waiting for me on the bedside locker when I get home.

discus

Yeah Dioralyte. Ya can throw a sachet into yer diet coke in burger king at 4am and it'll sort ya out.

Failing that, get on the wine buzz. 10er for a bottle in most places, lasts a lot longer than 3 or 4 pints and the hangover is easier to combat.

jc2008

Thanks a lot to everyone for the helpful replies - some really good tips! Accept all the points re: moderation - hasn't always been my strong point but definitely something I can work on!

In terms of alcohol itself - from looking at myfitnesspal (I don't use this religiously but just to give me an idea)
Heineken pint: 255 kcals
Guinness pint:210 kcals
Coors light pint: 170 kcals
White wine bottle: 600-700 kcals (equivalent alcohol to about 3.5 pints)

So while the negative side effects of a hangover (bad eating, no gym) can be mitigated by moderation as discussed above, has anyone changed their drink of choice to something that has less empty calories?

I see straight whiskey mentioned above, that certaintly would be better at reducing the calorie intake on the night. What else do people drink?

mini homer

If you really want to stay healthy and fit around Christmas just don't go out or limit it,I find I always do the dog on it around December and it takes me months to get rid of the weight so I just stopped going out for meals and drinking Diet Coke etc.im on a meal plan until the 22 of December I might even stick to it until after the Christmas period.

Transform

i just dont and honestly cant drink much and never feel the need to drink to get drunk.

Eating - most of the damage is the constant snacking, just stick to the way you ate before xmas and to be honest most people have plenty of time off during xmas so get up off your red rum more and the extra calories shouldnt matter as much

brownej

Transform wrote: »

Eating - most of the damage is the constant snacking, just stick to the way you ate before xmas and to be honest most people have plenty of time off during xmas so get up off your red rum more and the extra calories shouldnt matter as much

This is obviously a problem!
I got in to work this morning and there was a tub of roses and a tub of quality street sweets sitting there.
As they were 2 tubs for a tenner someone decided to spread some cheer. The sad part is there are only 9 of us in the office and these will be gone by lunch!

Jimmy Iovine

brownej wrote: »

This is obviously a problem!
I got in to work this morning and there was a tub of roses and a tub of quality street sweets sitting there.
As they were 2 tubs for a tenner someone decided to spread some cheer. The sad part is there are only 9 of us in the office and these will be gone by lunch!

Buy a tonne of nuts (I love almonds) and snack on them instead of the sweets. If you want and try, you can avoid sweets.

caviardreams

Because the calories in nuts don't count? I wish - I could eat my bodyweight in cashew nuts and they can add up just as quickly as the chocolate unfortunately :o

brownej

caviardreams wrote: »

Because the calories in nuts don't count? I wish - I could eat my bodyweight in cashew nuts and they can add up just as quickly as the chocolate unfortunately :o

♫"Tis the season to be bulking - fa la la, la la la, la, la, la,"♫

lyinghere

http://www.dominicmunnelly.ie/2015/11/the-winter-of-our-discontent/

power pants

water doesnt work for me at all, I could drink my body weight in water before, during and after a night out and still have a banging head the next day.

I tend to train the day I will be going out as the next day will be written off. Will try and rest and eat properly and if I am still tired and didnt eat particularly well , ill even take the next day off again then get back into it

Augme

At the weekend pre-cook all of your meals. If you're going out on Friday then spent Thursday night cooking 3-4 meals for the weekend. This might help with the dreaded hang-over cravings. It also helps me avoid the late night chippers as I know I have food at home and it helps the next morning. Normally want happens is on Saturday morning is I walk-up to an empty fridge so I then end up going to the shops for chicken fillet roll/breakfast roll with the added bonus of chocolate bar, crisis and a can of coke.

Dtp1979

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

Buy a tonne of nuts (I love almonds) and snack on them instead of the sweets. If you want and try, you can avoid sweets.

No, just no

nice_guy80

I love December

eating more? train more.

with the bad weather I get indoors and train more.

Alf Veedersane

Ever since they took the coffee cream ones out of the Roses, Christmas over indulgence isn't enjoyable.

Makes it so much easier.

deco72

Maybe try drinking something like vodka, soda water and lime instead of pints. This would be a hell of a lot less calories.

Agree with most people above drink water in between drinks even if you just knock back a glass/pint of it this will help the next day. Try to cook something the day before even if it is just chicken fillets in spices and make a wrap the next day with avocado. Will be a lot healthier than a takeaway and you will be surprised how tasty this will be.

Transform

lyinghere wrote: »

http://www.dominicmunnelly.ie/2015/11/the-winter-of-our-discontent/

hey cheers for linking!

lyinghere

Article hits the nail on the head in my opinion!

PS: Had no idea you were on here as Transform.

Transform wrote: »

hey cheers for linking!

harr

With me it not so much the nights out but the day after that sends me off the wagon,so I try to get in a good days training before you head out,I do weights in morning then some cardio in afternoon.
Eat a big healthy meal before your session and then drink spirits as much as possible and plenty of water,I find stoping drinking a couple of hours before bed helps and try and have plenty of water and something to eat before bed.
A few headache tablets and something for dehydration before bed is a must and as other have posted try to have your grub ready for the next day.
Don't worry to much about the extra calories,enjoy your nights out and hit the gym hard in January

cactusgal

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Ever since they took the coffee cream ones out of the Roses, Christmas over indulgence isn't enjoyable.

Makes it so much easier.

I loved the coffee cream Roses!! How I miss them ...

Transform

lyinghere wrote: »

Article hits the nail on the head in my opinion!

PS: Had no idea you were on here as Transform.

wow thats even better you didnt make the link!!!

all that progress is vanishing unless people can put in some minimum work

Transform

harr wrote: »

With me it not so much the nights out but the day after that sends me off the wagon,so I try to get in a good days training before you head out,I do weights in morning then some cardio in afternoon.
Eat a big healthy meal before your session and then drink spirits as much as possible and plenty of water,I find stoping drinking a couple of hours before bed helps and try and have plenty of water and something to eat before bed.
A few headache tablets and something for dehydration before bed is a must and as other have posted try to have your grub ready for the next day.
Don't worry to much about the extra calories,enjoy your nights out and hit the gym hard in January

think most people should weigh themselves once a week to keep them accountable so they dont go completely crazy and gain 8-12lbs over december.

Yes enjoy yourself, just dont make it so hard that it takes any more than a week to be right back where you were

Alf Veedersane

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Ever since they took the coffee cream ones out of the Roses, Christmas over indulgence isn't enjoyable.

Makes it so much easier.

cactusgal wrote: »

I loved the coffee cream Roses!! How I miss them ...

You monsters

hard fudge or nothing!

I was lucky enough to go from not drinking huge amounts due to training for an event, to drinking a lot two weekends in a row and absolutely dying a death the following day. My diet didn't suffer too much, but I looked crap, felt crap, and didn't train so felt guilty on top. That was last week and I've vowed not to binge drink again. It's really not worth it.

Few easy drinks, don't get into rounds, stay at your own pace.

If you have a training buddy, you could organise to meet them the following morning, knowing you're accountable to someone else will help you curb your intake.

Decide if it's worth sacrificing what you want most, for what you want right now.

I find it hard with junk in the office, which inevitably increases this time of year. Today I put all the crap in a drawer and told everyone where it was if hey wanted it. They had been picking at it all day because it was in full view but didn't miss it when it was out of sight and no one had it again! So put stuff out of sight. Don't buy a Christmas box of King crisps (I know, I know ). Don't have biscuits for the guests who never come!

Have "fake aways" on hand for the days you're tired and want junk. Make curry up and freeze it and lash in the microwave when you want it. Guilt free comfort food. (My favourite hangover food is stew and a pint of milk, apparently that's weird!).

Do what you have been doing, and just remind yourself of all of your hard work and Christmas definitely is about enjoying yourself and meeting up with people, but it doesn't have to sabotage the work you've already put in. You can do both!

Well done on starting on the healthy lifestyle

Dtp1979

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I was lucky enough to go from not drinking huge amounts due to training for an event, to drinking a lot two weekends in a row and absolutely dying a death the following day. My diet didn't suffer too much, but I looked crap, felt crap, and didn't train so felt guilty on top. That was last week and I've vowed not to binge drink again. It's really not worth it.

Few easy drinks, don't get into rounds, stay at your own pace.

If you have a training buddy, you could organise to meet them the following morning, knowing you're accountable to someone else will help you curb your intake.

Decide if it's worth sacrificing what you want most, for what you want right now.

I find it hard with junk in the office, which inevitably increases this time of year. Today I put all the crap in a drawer and told everyone where it was if hey wanted it. They had been picking at it all day because it was in full view but didn't miss it when it was out of sight and no one had it again! So put stuff out of sight. Don't buy a Christmas box of King crisps (I know, I know ). Don't have biscuits for the guests who never come!

Have "fake aways" on hand for the days you're tired and want junk. Make curry up and freeze it and lash in the microwave when you want it. Guilt free comfort food. (My favourite hangover food is stew and a pint of milk, apparently that's weird!).

Do what you have been doing, and just remind yourself of all of your hard work and Christmas definitely is about enjoying yourself and meeting up with people, but it doesn't have to sabotage the work you've already put in. You can do both!

Well done on starting on the healthy lifestyle

Stew and milk? And I thought I was the only one

Dtp1979

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Stew and milk? And I thought I was the only one

It's the best!

Caliden

I'd love a bloody stew right now and it's only half 9

Caliden

Caliden wrote: »

I'd love a bloody stew right now and it's only half 9

I have beef and guinness casserole here on my desk. Want some?

It's still a bit frozen though :P

Sunny Dayz

I think part of getting through December and Christmas is to be prepared. Have meals prepared for the day after a night out so you are less tempted to get a takeaway or eat rubbish the next day. Have a pint of water beside the bed for when you get home from a night out.
Make plans for the next day. It's very easy to lie around the house all day dying a death but if you make plans to go for a walk, run or visit someone, you feel less inclined to go too mad cos you know you have plans. Even just getting out of the house for half an hour to walk to dog, anything to feel human and normal again.

power pants

I always find I train more and better over the xmas. more days off and Ive no friends or wife/girlfriend so effectively December is just like January for me. yippee!

Yer Aul One

For the work functions:

After work, go home/gym, shower, eat a good healthy meal, then go to the party. You have just missed out on 4-5 pints of calories from the guys who go straight out, everyone remembers that you were there. You act more appropriately for the occasion, you wont snack on the terrible food they usually serve at the parties. I find this is the best thing for me.

If you don't live close enough or have a gym membership close to work- just pay for a one off entry somewhere.

Whopper the water out of it, get a glass with every drink, tell the naysayers that you just can't quench your thirst for some reason. Afford yourself a couple of pints but then move onto the vodka soda waters, G&T or liquor neat.

Alf's (and others) advice to pre make your 2am pre bed snack and morning hangover cure is an excellent idea. Never really thought of that before, I will be taking that on myself.

fussyonion

I've only been a gym member and "healthy eater" since June. I've lost 3 stone, though, and I've come to realise that Christmas is always used as an excuse to just pig out and stuff yourself.

If you've have a big dinner and you're full, why eat more?
You'll be sick!

Going back to your question, OP; have a few drinks if you want. Everyone is allowed treats now and again and it's not like you're doing it every day.
Have a few drinks, prepare some meals in advance, drink lots of water.

Don't eat tons of extra food just because it's Christmas.
To me, Christmas dinner is a glorified roast and the "extras" are unnecessary, like biscuits and boxes of crisps and eleventy million cakes and puddings.

Just eat your normal every day food...the food you've been eating, the food that's made you lose weight and feel good.

Head to the gym, even if it's only once or twice in a week.

Just don't go bananas over the festive season; there's no need for it and you'll regret it in January when you're 10lbs heavier and can't shift it.

jc2008

Hi all

I'm the OP - meant to update this thread earlier than I did (it always annoys me when the OP doesn't update the thread).

So December was tough, the run-up to Christmas was full of work nights out etc. which were hard to avoid with the various alcohol-involved events. Being totally honest, drunk and hungover food happened and was a pretty unhealthy few weeks.

After Christmas day itself, I gave up alcohol entirely (just to see if I could). Going into January, I remained off alcohol and cleaned up my diet a lot. I feel significantly better, have noticeably more energy, etc. Weight has been coming off for the last few weeks.

Going forward my intention is to moderate the amount of alcohol as opposed to give it up entirely - although I have to say, I'm enjoying being off it (really don't miss hangovers). The fact I'm feeling so much better is great motivation not to revert back to my old ways.

I'd like to thank everyone this thread who offered advice - some really good tips, some I've never thought of before but make perfect sense (preparing meals in advance, going home and showering before work events, etc.- makes a lot and seem obvious but I'd never considered it before).