From Halloween to New Years Eve we are bombarded with candy, cakes and cocktails. Blindly munch and slurp away on these and you'll not only find yourself in a sugar coma but potentially 5 lbs heavier by the end of the season. That's not to say that you can't enjoy the occasional indulgence (I'd be lost without my Parisian macarons), you can, but don't blow it all on a gluttonous food-fest of cheap prosecco and candied nuts.
Exhibit these behaviors and and watch the scale climb upwards:
- Ignore how much you are eating
- Pretend the extra food will not affect your weight
- Drink more alcohol, egg nog and cider and not balance it with exercise
- Make excuses - it's the holidays, it won't matter, I'll only have one, I'm stressed, tired, bored
- Drop the frequency and intensity of your exercise
- Eat food from the holiday gift baskets (stale crackers and cherry jam anyone..)
- Mindlessly eat co-workers left-over candy
- Try all food offered to you because it would be rude to say 'no'
- Eat and drink exactly what you'd like because everyone else is over-indulging
- Stop planning and shopping for healthy options because you're 'too busy'
- Follow a day of indulgence with another and another...
- Think that restricting your food intake after an indulgence is not sustainable because it feels like a 'diet'
- Replace your Herve Leger dress for sweatpants
If you're committed to eating, thinking and acting lean, you'll breeze through this holiday period with a hotter more sculptured body. Here's how:
- Plan in advance to eat a little more at holiday gatherings. Stick to it and don't feel guilty. Simply balance it the next day.
- Fill up your plate with vegetables and lean protein; skip seconds and enjoy a small slither of dessert
- Focus on the food you are going to eat, not what you are not going to eat
- Take a yoga class or go for a run before a holiday gathering as it helps to stop mindless eating
- Start with a lean breakfast such as a green juice and boiled egg or grated apple over Greek yogurt with a dash of cinnamon
- If you're drinking alcohol, limit it to a glass and skip the carbohydrate. One serving is 5 oz of wine which is 43% less than what is normally served
- If you're the host, people don't want an enormous amount of food - they dread it. Save money, food and waistlines by serving less
- Send guests home with a goodie bag and throw away the candied yams and left-over dessert. If not, you'll end up eating it
- Get a one-up on everyone else. Do 3-minutes of abdominals daily. You'll feel stronger and will notice a difference within 2 weeks
- Accept that you can’t eat whatever you want and lose weight. It just can’t be done.
- Wear something that doesn't allow for a food-baby. You'll be less tempted if you need to hold your stomach in
Enjoy yourself, don't stress too much. Visualize yourself at your lean weight and keep it at the forefront of your mind. It is certainly achievable.
Fill me in on strategies and post-indulgence meals that have worked for you.
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