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Party Animal

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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28 Comments

  1. Carrie @ Season It Already!

    There’s something to be said for not being really “in” to the holidays this year. I don’t buy any special treats, only have one party to go to and am not decorating because we are just going to visit family out of town. I need to look at it as a positive thing that I’m not tempted!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Agreed. Last year for Thanksgiving it was just my boyfriend and I so we cooked some game hens, roasted some sweet potatoes and veggies and called that Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t overindulge and still enjoyed our “mini holiday”!

  2. Esther

    Most of the time, there’s never any good alcohol at parties I go to, so I stick to food. I am going to try moderation at our own party this weekend, but who knows? I am tempted to make the mac n cheese for the party, though I’d prolly eat the whole dish!

    LOL.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Michael’s work party had top shelf liquor. It was nice. 🙂

  3. Yum Yucky

    I enjoyed all the pics! You’re looking fantastic ‘n stuff. I don’t get very liquidy with my calories, but pass a slice of pie under my nose and you’ll never see it again.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you my friend!

      My weakness is wine, honestly. Those lemon drops were definitely out of the norm for me. But put a steak in front of me and I want a big glass of red wine with it! (I’m with ya on the pie, too…)

  4. Michelle @ Eat Move Balance

    Oh, but the parties look like fun! I love holiday parties! For me, it’s the liquid calories that add up, probably because its not as filling and I don’t pay as much attention as I do with food.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Yes, and it’s easy to lose track of how many drinks you’ve had….

  5. Roz@weightingfor50

    Fun pictures Lisa. You look really pretty in them! Sounds to me like you are doing very well – cheers to that! 🙂

  6. Sara

    You did really well! I’m nervous for this month. Have a dinner tomorrow, party Friday, 2 parties Saturday back to back, Christmas with my parents on Sunday, then 10 days in GA with relatives. I have a plan of attack but I don’t foresee this month being a month for weight loss. Crossing my fingers I can retain some level of moderation and come out at least with only a couple pounds tacked on instead of 5!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Wow that’s a busy weekend! Good luck!

      You might just have to make your goal to maintain until January. I’ve done that before. I know it’s unrealistic to expect a weight loss during the holiday season but trying to just maintain is sometimes easier.

      1. Sara

        I would be thrilled to maintain! Last Christmas I gained 3-4# and while that isn’t huge for a week away I would love love love to just maintain this year!

        1. Lisa Eirene

          3-4 pounds isn’t TOO bad, but I understand how you feel. Just seeing 1 pound can sometimes be discouraging. Stay strong!!!

  7. Rachel

    You look great and the holiday parties look like so much fun. I was wondering if you have any tips for keeping track of the number of drinks you have? When I was much younger I would pace myself by making hash marks on my hand with a sharpie…I need to implement some kind of similar system but now I’m kinda past the stage of wanting to wear my tally marks.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Good question! I read an article once about smart phone apps you can use to keep track of the drinks. Some of them estimate your BAC too. You could wear a few bracelets on one wrist and then with each drink you move one bracelet to the other wrist. I did something similar when I was running on the track. I used hair ties to keep track of how many laps I did by moving them to the other wrist.

  8. Daphne @ Daphne Alive

    What a fantastic question! I have a really hard time turning down liquor. And when I have a little extra alcohol I tend to overeat, it’s a really bad downward spiral. If I can keep the alcohol in check I’m usually good to go!

    I also wanted to say that you look fabulous!! The black dress is beautiful, and in the second party–Red is so your colour!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      YES! Once you start drinking, it makes it so easy to keep eating. I know I do. I say “f*ck it, I’m eating everything!” I don’t do it often but once in awhile I slip.

      Thank you for the compliment! The first dress was one I got at Ross ($20) but it looks so glamorous with the shimmery fabric.

  9. Beth

    I LOVE THAT DRESS! You look great. I’m a sucker for good wine. I find that so many times my eyes are bigger than my stomach and the food is only mediocre. Gearing up for winter break – some time away and 2 weeks no school – tough being out of a routine.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks! I love the dress too! I bought it for NYE but it worked for that party. I tend to like earth tones better.

      I’m with you — if food is mediocre, I have a much easier time taking a bit and then not eating any more of it.

  10. Jess

    WOW Michaels company sounds awesome! So nice that they wanted everyone to have a good time AND get home safely.

    I don’t have a lot of holiday parties, but my birthday and my mums birthday are tomorrow and the day after. I have dinner out tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday night, plus Saturday lunch… I plan on behaving at every meal except my birthday dinner… There will be creamy pasta, and brownie, and it will be good!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Michael got REALLY lucky with this job! It’s the best!

      Happy early birthday! Definitely enjoy yourself and eat whatever you want. It’s one day out of the year. 🙂

  11. I ❤ 2 Eat

    You look so nice in the pictures, Lisa! It’s the flash’s fault about looking pale – the same thing happens to my husband. So when I take pictures of him, I tone down the flash a little, or if I can, then take the pictures without flash (in daylight, for example).

    I have two work holiday parties – mine and husband’s – both of which are at restaurants, so I can control what I eat. It’s always the sweets with me, more than anything else, and holiday treats are so delicious! There are a few odd parties here and there, too, but we’ll see how those go..family style things are also places where I am worried about initially and after the party, but over-indulge when I eat!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you!

      Yes, I think you are right! The flash always washes me out.

      Do you already know what you are going to order at the restaurants for the parties?

  12. Hannahviolin

    I usually allow overindulging at parties, but it’s harder in the holidays when the parties come close together. I have a problem with both drink AND food, and the more I drink, the more food I’ll want! Bad combination.

    You look really pretty in your dress! Nothing wrong with pale skin!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      YES! Good point. At Christmas time the holidays are back to back and that’s when it gets hard.

  13. Alex @ Brain, Body, Because

    I’m glad to hear that you’ve been managing to navigate this party season!

    I agree that family parties can be the toughest. Good food is one thing, but good food that you grew up with that immerses you in nostalgia is a completely different beast and MUCH harder to resist.

    Fortunately, you’ve been doing so well all year that you have room for a little indulgence!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      You make a good point I didn’t think about. It’s definitely a nostalgia thing.

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