Keep your nutrition under control this holiday season –
by, Matt Speciale - Certified Weight Cutting & Rehydration Specialist
Let’s face it - The holidays can seriously de-rail our nutritional plan. As nice as it would be to stay completely strict and never deviate from our plan, once these meals and treats are served it’s easy just to say “screw it” and start binging. Luckily, there are ways to approach these holiday temptations so you aren’t depriving yourself of some delicious items but also not forgetting what your end goal is. Our mind will quickly negotiate with us to help convince us that we can just eat whatever we want. Much like the little jokes; “it’s okay it’s the holidays, you won’t gain weight” or “it’s your birthday, the calories don’t count.” Yeah, it’s funny to say in the moment but guess what? When January 2nd rolls around you will quickly see those calories do in fact count and now the anxiety and frustration start to settle in.
Here are 3 simple strategies that can help you navigate your nutrition and mitigate any damage during this Holiday season
1) PLAN AHEAD:
Mark down how many days you will planning on indulging on “out of the ordinary meal or meals.” On the remaining days of the week, focus on meal prepping and really try to stay as strict and consistent as you can. This strategy will help you immediately get back on track after indulging without putting yourself in a dieting rut due to compounding interest of caloric intake.
2) KEEP MOVING:
During the holidays increase your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) such as walking. Good target strategies are going for a 10-15 minute walk after every meal or trying to aim for 7,000-10,000 daily steps as involuntary movements. Simple strategies like this can contribute to 15% of your daily metabolism; so get moving.
3) MODIFY YOUR INTAKE:
On the days where you will be indulging in bigger lunch/dinner/desserts - consume less carbs and fat than you usually would throughout the day. These bigger “non typical” meals will account for most of your daily intake in these areas. Do however ensure that you get in some form of protein in the morning and afternoon (eggs, whey protein, chicken breast, Greek yogurt, egg whites). Hitting your protein goals should still be in your mind as this is always important from a health standpoint and also improves satiety (feelings of fullness). Also, eating good sources of protein and improving satiety a couple of hours before those indulgent meals might help prevent you from overeating during them.
Implementing these strategy points will help you be ready for these holiday meals. Don’t forget, you can enjoy the food that is in front of you -it’s the holiday season. Enjoy that plate…hell have 2 plates even since you have strategized so well. But wait? What about alcohol? Right, there is always alcohol! Again, remember it is the Holiday season. If you choose to, give yourself the opportunity to enjoy a few guilt free wobbly pops, and be okay with it. Implementing all of these strategy points will help you minimize any dietary strategy disasters. These actionable strategies will help you will be able to enjoy the holiday season, not over indulge, and have the ability to jump right back on track the day after these meals.
ENJOY!
