The holidays are here! That means time spent with family and friends, presents, movie marathons, and good food. Holiday eating on Thanksgiving means turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and my personal favorite, pumpkin pie. Christmas means cookies. I have been asked by multiple people how to eat well during the holidays and avoid weight gain. Here are a few tips on how to stay on track with your progress during the holidays.
- Enjoy the holidays. If you are consistent with your nutrition throughout the year eating well 80-90% of the time then having some pie (or two whole pumpkin pies in my case), cookies, or whatever your favorite holiday meals are. Eat, laugh, and enjoy the time with your family. One or two days of eating off your normal plan isn’t going to hurt you. Just get back on track the next day.
- Train. Continue to train on the holidays. Working out before your Thanksgiving dinner can burn some calories and have you feeling good. Continue with your regularly scheduled workouts as much as possible. Lift heavy weights, do some conditioning or yoga. Whatever your workouts consist of keep working through the holidays. If you are traveling thrown in some workouts while on the road. Even if it is just some bodyweight movements.
- Move. By moving around this will help you burn calories and stay active.
- Save room. If you have a big dinner planned, don’t eat as much earlier in the day. Maybe you fast until dinner or you have smaller protein-rich meals. The protein will help satiate you. This will allow you to eat more calories during your big family dinner.
- Hydrate. Drinking enough water can help you feel full and suppress your appetite. Plus if you’re like me, you will have to get up to walk to the bathroom every hour, which means you will have to move more!
- Plan ahead. Having a plan can help you navigate the holidays. Knowing when you are going to be having your gatherings allows you to plan your meals before and after. Therefore you will be able to enjoy the gatherings and get back on track the following days.
- Wear pants with an elastic waistband. The belly bloat after the turkey, potatoes, and pie can be uncomfortable. Especially if you are wearing jeans. So make sure they unbutton easy or get the sweatpants on.
- Make a healthier recipe. You can bake a pie with real ingredients rather than all the processed junk. This can help cut down the calories and provide a better macro profile that is better for your goals. There are plenty of vegan, paleo, keto recipes out there if you or a family member follows a special nutrition plan. A lot of times theses recipes actually taste better because they use real food.
These are just a few tips for eating during the holidays. Hopefully, they can help you. If you need more help reach out and schedule a call with me. Whether that is nutrition or training, we can work together to achieve your goals. The most important thing to remember this holiday season is to enjoy the time spent with your family and friends.