Plan for a guilt free holiday season

321go • October 13, 2023

It’s that time of year again.

Lots of holidays and festivities filled with opportunities to eat sweets and over indulge in those delicious meals.   I’m not here to pass judgment on people wanting to consume all those goods that come with the holiday season but growing up it was always an excuse to over indulge.

It seems to be a recurring theme for most of us that fall into the trap.

What if there was a way that you could enjoy the goods of the holidays but not gain a ton of extra weight?

Here are some ways to combat the weight gain over the holidays:

1)Consume protein and vegetables FIRST before eating other foods

– The combination of eating the protein which takes longer to digest along with the high fiber profile that vegetables have will help curb cravings and hunger to reduce the chances of overeating.

2)Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water

– When your body is in a dehydrated state, your body can trick itself into thinking that it’s hungry when in reality, you are just dehydrated!

3)Limit amount of alcohol consumed

– This is a big one.  Alcohol has lots of negative effects on sleep quality which directly impacts your glucose levels which can lead to weight gain.  On top of that, we don’t always make the best judgements when under the influence when it comes to food.

4)Consider starting a fitness program

– I hear it all the time, “It’s the holidays, I’m too busy to start a routine.”  When in reality, we will ALWAYS be busy at some point.  Learning how to work on your health even through busy times  not only will help you not gain unnecessary weight during these times but will also help with your long term fitness goals if you aspire to achieve great health for the years to come!  Like I said, we are always going to be busy but its a choice of whether you want to learn how to navigate through it or not.

Definitely consume the treats you’d like and not feel guilty about it but try to use the above strategies to make sure you don’t overdo it.  When it comes down to it, balance is what we need during the holiday times.

If you struggle during the holidays with your fitness and you want to change that,  feel free to reach out to me and I’d be happy to chat with you!
Evan

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