So, here we are.... A week before Thanksgiving. Do you feel your healthy eating and weight loss plans slipping from between your fingers? Are you thinking "What's the use?", ready to throw in the towel already, because you've been here before and you know that it ends with a 5-pound (or more) gain on the scale once the season is over, even though you swore you wouldn't let it happen again?
Well, guess what? You are not alone! It's a tough time of year for most of us to muddle through. No wonder that the gyms are full in January!
But there is good news- You do NOT have to exit this holiday season in worse shape than you started it in. Why? You are going to make a PLAN. I don't mean "I'm not going to eat junk until January", vague, way-too-general promise. These are rarely successful. No, I mean you are going to have a specific PLAN with realistic goals and tools for keeping your health under control.
Ready? Let's go!
Word of warning: I would suggest you NOT have some grandiose vision of losing weight or gaining mass amounts of strength in the gym during the holidays. If it happens, Okay. But, unless you have a figure or bodybuilding show coming up at the beginning of the year, going through the holidays with the idea that you are going to reach significant health goals is more than likely setting yourself up for failure. Just plan to hold steady where you are.
On the other end of the spectrum. lose the idea that it's a free-for-all food fest. PLAN to stay on track most days through the holidays. Log your food. Log your exercise. Even if you mess up, log it. That accountability will have you thinking twice before you cram five of Aunt Bee's jumbo sized iced cookies in your mouth and wash them down with a stein of spiked eggnog.
Now that you are in a more realistic mindset, figure out a calorie level that is do-able and would allow you to show a slight loss. Then write it down. For me, this will be about 1650 calories a day. At that level, I can have whatever I want for our holiday meals and still average out to the same or a little less calories than it takes for me to maintain my weight.
Next, sit down and be honest with yourself about how many days a week you need to exercise to maintain your fitness level, as well as how many days you realistically CAN exercise, given your wacky holiday schedule. Write all this down on the same sheet of paper your wrote your calories on. If it's just two days of cardio, that's Okay- But once you commit, work out those two days, no excuses. Again, you don't want to set yourself up for failure by being too zealous in your estimation. If you are able to exercise more than you planned, great! But if not, you made your goal and you can pat yourself on the back.
For me, this is a minimum of doing cardio to burn at least 900 calories a week (by the machine's estimation) and lifting weights at least 3 days a week, hitting each body part once. Many weeks I will get more than that, but if I can get at least that much done I will be satisfied.
And lastly, pick out which events you really want to have your splurge meals at. Too few, and you will get frustrated and cave to temptation. Too many, and you will undermine your goals not to backslide. Write these down, too. If there is an event that really doesn't matter much to you but you have to be there for appearance sake, have a healthy meal before you go and plan to drink sparkling water and enjoy the company of others while there. And don't worry: If you don't mention it, people probably won't even notice that you aren't eating. And if they do, a simple "Oh, I already ate" with a smile is as much explanation as anyone usually will want.
Remember: You can't ruin someone else's good time by not eating.
Those events where something is served that is really special and you only get it this one time of year should definitely go on your "splurge meals" list. Have enough to satisfy you, but not enough to make you feel over full. You want to come out of this feeling treated, not guilty. Besides, Aunt Bee's jumbo sized iced cookies won't have nearly as good a memory if you are burping them up four hours after you finished the last one.
Now, take a look at everything you wrote down, tweak it to your satisfaction, and type or write neatly all over again on another piece of paper. Put this somewhere that you will see it frequently. For me, this is in my food tracker. It will help you to keep your mind on your goals.
Like the old saying goes, if you plan to fail, you fail to plan. This year, be in charge of the holiday season instead of at it's mercy.
I am in charge.
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