Alright people. The time has come. Snow has officially fallen here in Colorado, and the holiday mindset is upon us. If you're not thinking about Thanksgiving, how much food you'll be eating, and how you'll manage to control your food once the Christmas cookies come out of the oven, something is wrong with you.
During this season, food is abundant and binge eating becomes a part of everyday life. The question is, how in the world can we enjoy the holidays without putting on an extra ten pounds of body fat? It's always seemed like an all or nothing concept. Either we stuff our faces uncontrollably and take in an average of 300g of sugar daily, or we completely swear off all holiday food and turn into "that person" at every gathering. Here's what I have to say to that: take a friggin' chill pill. It's all good in the hood. You're going to enjoy all of the delicious food everywhere you go, and you'll keep extra body fat off. Here's how:
This is what I'll look like come November 25th.
1. Continue Training
I can't stress this one enough. Although your gym is probably closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas day, it is no excuse for taking one month of of your training regimen. Make sure you have a plan that you can track. If you haven't been following one, don't stress. Find or create a plan for one month to keep you active during the holidays. Skipping out on the gym will make it so much easier for your body to hold onto extra body fat. Don't give it the opportunity to do so.
2. Track Your Intake
If you haven't been tracking your food. You need to start. I don't care how "busy" you are. I don't care if you don't feel like opening an app while you're eating. Quit whining. TRACK YOUR FOOD. This will keep your mind focused on your goals in the kitchen, as well as help you fit all of the delicious foods into your macros. If you don't have macros set up, send me an email or find a macronutrient calculator and get them set. Going way over your daily calories and macros is far too easy if you don't know what you're aiming for in the first place.
3. HoliDAYS not Holiweeks
Remember this: Thanksgiving and Christmas fall on days. Not weeks. On those days, I fully expect all of you out there to go nuts on your food intake. I will be eating an unbelievable amount of food, so why would I tell you all to do the opposite? Here's the thing, though. I'll be going all out on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. I won't be counting my macros those days. I will have no care in the world for anything other than how much good food I can possibly eat in one day. Having said this, that means I will be on point as always for every other day over the next couple of months. Will I graze on some cookies here and there? Sure, but I'll make sure they are fitting in my macro and calorie goals for the day. You guys need to be doing the same. People don't gain weight because they go nuts for three days out of two months. They gain weight because they go nuts every single day for two months straight. Here is the honest truth. If gaining ten+ pounds during the holidays is a consistent issue, it's not the holidays that's the problem. The problem is your willingness to justify binge eating for an extended period of time.
All of these tips are simple, so they must be done. If you truly want to have the best of both worlds, you'll stick to this. So once those holidays come, go crazy. Eat like you never have before. Then go to the gym and crush every single workout. Crush every single meal in the kitchen. Stay on track. You'll be jollier than Santa ever could be, trust me.
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