The most wonderful time of the year - it’s here!
'Tis the season for parties and gatherings with friends and family... and lots of food. As joyful as this time of year can be, it can also be stressful. This post is here to help you feel equipped to stay on track towards your goals and keep feeling your best all throughout this season.
Offer to bring a vegetable-based dish to gatherings.
If there’s one thing that’s usually missing from holiday tables, it’s a variety of vegetables. Let’s change that! Additionally, bringing your own dish - a recipe you made in your own kitchen - allows you to control at least one of the options and make it a bit healthier by boosting the vegetable content, using the right cooking oils, reducing added sugar and salt, etc. Try roasting some delicious fall or winter vegetables, making a big salad, or surprising everyone with a healthier (and still delicious) dessert!
Eat regular, balanced meals throughout the day.
Skipping meals to "save calories" for the big meal will only cause you to overeat later... and then feel gross. Instead, eat balanced meals throughout the day, as you normally would, so that you have a healthy appetite to enjoy the celebratory meal later on. Focus on green vegetables, high-quality proteins, and healthy fats to build balanced meals.
Prioritize protein.
There’s no denying that holiday dishes are high in carbohydrates and fats (delicious ones, nonetheless). Prevent an overload of these macronutrients by prioritizing protein earlier in the day. Several studies show that consuming a protein-rich meal earlier in the day leads to fewer calories consumed (due to a reduction in appetite) later in the day (1). During the holidays, a protein-rich meal early in the day will help you to confidently make food choices later in the day, when it matters most.
Stay hydrated.
Proper hydration is essential for numerous physiological processes, but most applicable here is the role of proper hydration in appetite regulation and food consumption. First and foremost, water helps to fill the stomach and digestive tract - this increase in volume stimulates a feeling of fullness [which can, over time, positively impact weight loss goals (2)]. Additionally, choosing water over other sweetened beverages like soda or alcohol can reduce overall caloric intake on the day of holiday gatherings. And finally, proper hydration leading up to and during an event can help optimize digestion afterwards. Regardless of the nutrient content of the foods on the table, water is required to stimulate digestion and absorption of the nutrients, and to facilitate the excretion of waste products.
Aim for 1/2-1 full gallon of water each day during the holidays. Keep a bottle or glass of water near you at all times at gatherings, and for every alcoholic beverage consumed, drink two glasses of plain water.
Make time for exercise.
Let me be clear with this one - you do not have to “burn this to earn that” or even just “burn off” whatever you eat during the holidays. I am not suggesting either of those things here.
Establishing and sticking to an appropriate and sustainable exercise routine can be so beneficial during the holidays. Whatever form of exercise you enjoy most, make the time for it.
During exercise, the muscles pull glucose from the blood to use as an energy source, thus reducing circulating blood glucose (glucose = sugar). The length of time for which the muscles continue to pull glucose from the blood after exercise stops depends on several factors, like duration of exercise, type of exercise, energy intake before exercise, and more.
However, in the case of high-intensity interval training workouts, the body has to take in more oxygen to fuel the working muscles (in addition to using stored forms of energy), thus increasing the metabolic rate. This process continues for 24-48 hours after the exercise is over, and is referred to as EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (3). The degree to which EPOC occurs will vary from person to person, but nonetheless, it’s a great reason to incorporate a short and sweet HIIT workout into your routine!
Check out my Instagram for workout ideas!
BUILD A BALANCED PLATE.
We've talked about balanced meals throughout the day, and now it's time for the big meal. It's still important to create balance! Fill 1/2 of your plate with vegetables, followed by 1/3 with vegetables, and the remainder with carbohydrates. Top it all off with a spoonful of fat (like dressing or cheese) for a delicious, nutritious, well-balanced meal.
Take it one step further and eat in this order: vegetables > protein > carbohydrates.
AND FINALLY…
Please remember that one holiday, one meal, should not and likely won’t derail your routine and ruin all of your progress. If you are celebrating with family and friends, or one of the two, focus on them. Make the best choices you can, and remember that tomorrow is a new day and you can get right back into your feel-good routine then.