The holidays are upon us and that means for the next week or two we will be surrounded by friends, family, and tons of delicious and unhealthy food. And if you know anything about me, you know that I’ll be eating my fair share of it.
What many of us will be faced with this holiday season…
That being said, of course my health and my physique are still extremely important to me, so I have put together 7 tips that you can use to help minimize holiday diet damage.
Check them out!
1. Plan ahead! If you know when you will be indulging, then you can stick to eating plenty of protein, veggies and fat for the rest of your meals. Pick 3-4 meals over the course of 1-2 weeks and let yourself go, and get back on the plan immediately afterward. You’ll do minimal damage, if any, and get to enjoy yourself too!
Plan your indulgences wisely
2. Time it right! Do your best to eat the majority of yummy stuff (especially carbs) within a few hours of your weight training workout. During this time, your muscles cells are more sensitive and your fat cells are less sensitive (meaning nutrients are more likely to be shuttled to muscle cells as opposed to fat cells) because your muscle cells are damaged and in need of repair, and have priority at that moment.
3. Get it done! Even if you can’t get in a weight training workout, a short 5-10 interval session like the one shown here can have effects similar to those listed above. (Not sure what to do? Run up and walk down your steps 15-20 times. Voila! Done!)
4. Pick your poison! Make sure that you are indulging in something you really want and enjoy! Picking at a day old dried-out pumpkin pie just because its in front of you probably does NOT have the enjoyment:diet damage ratio you are looking for. Make your indulgences count and eat/drink something you really love and probably look forward to every holiday season!
5. Stop before you pop! Eat until you are full, not about to burst. This one can be hard but that super full feeling is never comfortable or enjoyable. Also eat slowly and savor what you are eating. You will eat less and enjoy it more.
We’ve all been here and it’s miserable. Stop before you pop!
6. Pair your foods properly! Try not to have any treats by themselves. Eating a ton of candy by itself will spike your blood sugar and then jack your insulin up only to leave you crashing an hour later and craving more sugar. Eating candy after you have had a serving of protein or fat will have a much smaller effect on your blood sugar and you are less likely to have the subsequent crash and cravings.
7. Enjoy yourself! Sure I gave you a lot of info, but just use common sense and don’t stress about every last detail! It’s the freaking holidays! Eat. Drink. Be Merry. And if you do go overboard…Holla!!!!! I have a couple of spots open for nutrition clients, so just email me at GalbraithOnlineCoaching@gmail.com! =)
Have a wonderful holiday!!!
P.S. If I missed one of your favorite strategies, let me know below!
Molly Galbraith is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Coach who has dabbled in both Figure and Powerlifting competitions. She is Co-Founder of Girls Gone Strong and J-M Strength.Her life's mission is to help women give themselves grace and compassion when it comes to their bodies so that they can discover and accept what their best body looks like.
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