Holiday Survival: Five Quick Tips for Navigating Holiday Waist Busters

Indulge in your favorite seasonal foods without worrying about gaining extra weight for the holidays or feeling guilty by using these five user friendly tips.

November kicks off the time of year filled with get-togethers and delicious foods that are incredibly hard to resist, and if you follow our 5 easy tips you can enjoy your favorite treats without guilt or derailing your fitness goals. Enjoy yourself to the fullest at the events that bring people together in the spirit of love and joy in celebration of the holidays.

Here are our favorite five quick and easy strategies for managing the dietary minefields we face during the holidays:

Don’t Skip Meals

Keep eating the same way you always have, especially if you have healthy eating habits already. Don't miss a meal even in anticipation of a lavish holiday table. This mistake is extremely typical and more times than not leads to over-eating. By maintaining your regular eating patterns you will discover that you eat less during the "event" meals. (e.g., Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas dinners).

Eat Healthy, Filling Snacks

It is incredibly simple to overeat at most holiday events due to the abundance of food. Consider eating a healthy snack before you arrive at the event as a strategy to reduce over consumption. You will be much less likely to overeat if you don’t arrive hungry. Keeping the snack healthy will also help balance out your calorie intake.

Don’t Drink Your Calories

The amount of calories in many holiday drinks might astound you. For instance, a 12-ounce Coke usually has 150 calories. An average hot chocolate packet has 120 calories. And that's before you include marshmallows, whipped cream, or alcohol! These are some of the lower calorie numbers, however it might not seem like much at first. A single 8-ounce glass of egg nog, a traditional holiday drink, can have 340 calories! Try replacing it with lots of water.

Create a Meal Plan

Do rely on a meal plan instead of chance while making your dietary decisions, especially on days when family and friends are around. Plan your meals in advance, including what time you'll eat. Make sure to include meals that you truly appreciate. If you currently have poor eating habits this is not the time to try and break them with so much temptation around. Studies show that because of the foods so easily available and the stresses that often accompany the holiday trying to alter your eating habits is incredibly challenging and usually unsuccessful. It’s much better to simply make an effort to consume a variety of wholesome, nutritious foods, such as vegetables, in reasonable portions and to not deprive yourself of a sweet treat here and there. If you need extra help in this area, consider our meal prep service!

It’s OK To Indulge

Do indulge—in moderation! Enjoy your holiday; 'tis the season. Avoiding all "bad" foods should not be your goal in order to avoid weight gain. Eat a piece of pie if you want one. Enjoy a couple of cookies. Simply don't go overboard. Make a deal with yourself to wait until your last meal of the day to eat the desserts if you are concerned about overindulging (instead of eating them throughout the day). At this point, you'll be less inclined to go overboard. Also be sure to eat mindfully -- put the phone away and really focus on savoring and enjoying your indulgences.

You can get through the holidays guilt-free and without significantly gaining weight if you follow these easy strategies, AND we are here to support you. For those meal plan days in between events we can provide you with fresh, healthy and most importantly delicious meals! You can also add some calorie and stress burning at our fitness classes.

Book your free fitness class here!