You can eat a healthy meal before parties. It's easier to decline when full than when hungry!

I had lost weight last year, getting to my goal weight. But I have severely fallen off the wagon and am pretty upset with myself. I am allowing myself to be seduced not only by holiday food, but every other "special" occasion that comes along. The "special occasion" might just be a Saturday or a random day when we go out to eat. Ugggh! I'm desperately trying to get my motivation back.

eta: Don't get me started on eggnog or any other sugary treat - my sugar addiction is alive and well!

The two foods I don't say 'no' to are potato chips and certain candies. I sometimes eat ahead to help avoid temptation. If I get some pies or baked goods or whatever that tastes store bought, I remind myself that they are nothing special and don't eat more than one bite. The calories are not worth it. That usually works for me unless I am really hungry.

I get it. But some of these treats are once a year things. Eggnog, peppermint bark,mom's pumpkin pie. It's just 2 of us at my house, and so a huge feast of such rich delicious things just doesnt happen except thanksgiving and Christmas,when there is more people to share it with. I wouldn't want to miss that. It's unlikely that one will gain 20 pounds over the holidays.

My trouble is with all of our customers and carriers sending food gifts to the office. A lot of it is mass produced and not very good,but i eat it because it's there. I would rather spend calories on delicious things,but I tend to be a bored eater. I see that as a year round issue though, so don't try to combat it anymore than I do during the rest of the year. And I would never give up my eggnog . Never.

I don't worry too much about it because it is the festive time of year and only lasts for a few weeks. But, while I allow myself to indulge, I do my best to keep portions small, load up lower calorie items and not go back for seconds. For something like Thanksgiving dinner, I'd eat more of the turkey and veggies and just a small helping of potatoes and stuffing and only a sliver of pie. I also make it a point to stick to my regular healthy eating habits at home. And, I don't do any baking so I don't have that sort of stuff around to tempt me.

Sugary things just don't tempt me. I have a "fat tooth" instead. I will die from cheese, butterfat (and alcohol). Those are my temptations. So - I find tomato juice and Virgin Mary's to be filling. I try to stay away from the gooey cheesy stuff and go for a few cubes of hard cheddar, manchego or Gouda. Olives and nuts. I also enjoy a crudite platter as long as it has an interesting dip not made with yogurt.

Put me in front of a bag of Ruffles with Lipton's onion soup sour cream dip and I'm a goner! What a salt bomb. I also can't resist buffalo chicken wings, celery, blue cheese dressing (rather those than cakes, cookies or pies...)

I think I might be weird.

Adellabedella, good point about not eating pies, etc. that taste store-bought and not worth the calories. I like to bake and cook, and appreciate good food. I have been "caught" many times being served a piece of cake, etc. when away from home and although it looks delicious, in fact it is purely store-bought and I don't enjoy it. I eat almost the entire serving nevertheless, afraid to offend the hosts. Good reason to request just a tiny slice to lessen the "damage" of consuming calories with little enjoyment.

Seagrass

I prefer fatty and salty foods to sweets too(Although I do love holiday specific sweets). I suspect my own end will involve a giant tub of fondue. Or ranch dressing. Either one is good with me.

I only make a few special sweets for our house and we try to avoid the goodies in other places. I don't allow myself to get overly hungry where I will pig out when there are so many high calories foods. I too prefer fatty foods over sweets. Therefore cheesecake is my kryptonite.

I find that if I start, I don't stop. So I try not to start, which is really hard this time of year, but it can be done. It's all in your mind's attitude. I said no to every sweet thing at Thanksgiving, and actually lost .5 pounds. My sister's cheesecake was a masterpiece this year, but I told myself "I know what that tastes like, it's yummy, but it's just not worth it".

At a party, position is everything. If you stand away from the food and have to go through or by people and things to get to it, you'll eat less. If you park yourself in front of one of your favorites, fuggetaboutit.

Portion control is everything. Esp at a big meal. A tablespoon of everything will fill a plate plenty...no need for a big scoop of each and overload the plate. Promise yourself you can go back for seconds if you're still hungry. That way you can be happy with a small portion, it gives you time for your stomach to register fullness, and that way, if you do decide to go back, you can get a favorite, not something that was just so so.

If you've had it before, skip it. At one party, my GF always puts out holiday colored M&Ms and I can sit there and chow down the whole bowl. But I've had them, I know what they taste like. Better to save the calories for that piece of cake I've never had or that appetizer that looks so good.

If you drink, have a glass of water in between each drink. Or you can drink a wine spritzer instead of a glass of wine...white wine with seltzer. That way you have a lot more time with your glass filled to sip without added calories.

When it comes to leftovers, either don't, give it away, or portion it out and freeze it so you won't be tempted to have a holiday meal redux the next day. If I make desserts, I make them without nuts so DH can take them to the gym the next day. The gym rats scarf down the treats like you wouldn't believe! Make soup out of the leftovers with lots of veggies to keep the goodness but spread the calories.

Plan ahead...eat light and healthy on your non-party days knowing that the next party will be an opportunity to enjoy your favorites.

I eat anything and everything I want. The key is moderation.

LIke seagrass, I don't care for the sweet stuff either. And would never have eggnog in the house - I think it is disgusting!! So those I can ignore easily :-) But salty, savory hors d'oeuves-appetizer things - Chex mix, cheese and crackers, deviled eggs, canapes and dips - will call out my name! Since many are so seasonal, I do indulge at the holidays but I try not to go overboard.

I pay attention to how my stomach feels- am I very hungry? not hungry at all? could wait a while longer to eat? I also try to do this while eating to know when to stop. I take smaller portions and go back for more if I'm still hungry enough. For a while I got into the bad habit of eating until I was full rather than satisfied. I do this year round.

Ive lost 75 lbs and kept it off for about 3 years now. I've noticed that if I have a glass of wine at a party, I will overeat. I take a big tumbler of unsweetened tea with me to parties now. I only take a taste of high calorie things and concentrate on fruit and veggie trays. I only eat fattening things I really like. I'm not going to waste calories on something that isn't just totally delicious to me. Ive found that just a taste really is enough.

Jeane it is good that you know what will trigger you to overeat. Congratulations on losing and keeping the weight off.

From "SHAPE" magazine:

When you really want to indulge, limit yourself to three bites. Why? The first bite is as good as you think it's going to be, flavorful and delicious. The second bite is also good but not as good as the first bite. By the third bite, the food isn't going to taste any better, so you might as well stop.