Staying Healthy During the Holidays

So many people delay improving their health or put their current health plan on hold until after the holidays. But guess what?

There is always a holiday!

December there is Christmas, then New Years, then Valentines Day, followed by St. Patrick’s Day. In the summer, there are barbeques and vacations and all throughout the year there are birthday parties, anniversaries, weddings, etc. In the late fall, we have 2 major holidays but if you think of it this way, it is 2 meals in 60 days! That’s it!  Just 2 meals out of the 180 meals that you will eat during the next 2 months! Why do we worry so much about these 2 meals?

All you need to do is to learn how to navigate special occasions, which is a skill you will need for the rest of your life!

Studies have shown that people gain a couple pounds during the holidays and never lose it during the rest of the year.

After a few years, that couple of pounds adds up and next thing you know, you are in the overweight category.

Learning how to choose wisely is a skill we all need to develop

Planning ahead is critical! Don’t be impulsive. Pause and think about the consequences of what you are about to do.  Always remember, if you say no to unhealthy food, you say YES to so much more!

There are simple ways to reduce the calories and still enjoy the traditional food. Good news! turkey is a lean protein! Follow these other tips to make it a healthy meal:

• Use envelope gravy because it has zero fat and a lot less carbs than other gravies.
• Fill up on vegetables like mashed creamy cauliflower, green beans, or salad.
• Use healthier, low carb, low fat recipe variations on the traditional favorites (like Kabocha squash to make a pie instead of pumpkin). Watch my FB wall for recipes! I will post one each week!
• Serve dinner buffet style instead of having the food on the table where it is too easy to have seconds (or thirds) and overeat.
• Eat a healthy snack before dinner so you aren’t “starving” when the food is served. Being really hungry before a meal tends to cause people to eat faster which results in eating more.
• If you do have dessert, have a small amount and use small bites to make it last longer.

Did you know it takes only 3 bites to activate the pleasure center of your brain? Eating a small portion of dessert gives you the same amount of “happy” feelings as a large dessert portion.  So, keep it small and save on the guilt and calories!

Consider What is Really Important

Another thing to consider is: what is important about the holiday meals?  Many people think it is the food that makes the event fun and happy so they should not refrain from unhealthy foods.  But, consider this: during the COVID lockdown when we were not able to travel and be with family but we had all the food we needed, were we happy? According to surveys and statistics, the answer is “no”.

Holiday meals are enjoyable because of the PEOPLE we share the meal with, not the food!

If you splurge on dinner and dessert, don’t give up on your health completely, just get back on the wagon and do better the next day and each day after that.  Think of it this way: What would your January self say to you today? Would it be, “ug, losing weight is so much harder than gaining it!”

So, here are your options:

• Eat everything in sight and gain weight.
• Eat smart and maintain your weight.
  OR!!
• If you want to get healthy or are on a path to lose weight, you can stay true to your goals and possibly be down 15 lbs by New Years! Staying true to the health plan I provide means no physical cravings, better energy and less brain fog AND you’ll look and feel your BEST!

If you are interested in improving your health and/or losing weight and want to know more about my program which has helped over 2 million people reach their goals, reach out to me for a free consultation.