Crushing Your Goals Over The Holidays
I Get asked all the time what i do to navigate holidays and parties.
While some people like to still weigh and measure and track everything, others don’t and here are some of my top tips on how to stay on track while enjoying a special occasion:
1. Don’t go hungry! This will only create a binge effect once you get there because you will be playing chicken with the inevitable hanger-train. Instead be mindful of your choices prior to going and eat lots of lean protein and fibrous foods to help keep you feeling full and satisfied.
2. Prioritize protein and veggies when filling your plate. If the majority of your plate is stacked with these choices then there isn’t a lot of room for the ‘other’ more calorically dense foods and you will leave with a happy, full belly. If you would like an idea on how to build the perfect plate without having to use a scale you can head to my freebies page and have a copy of my Meal Road Map guide sent to you https://thesweateffect.com/freebies/. Be conscious of sauces as they can quickly add up. Just take a good look at all of your options and make the best choices available to you. For instance, have a glass of while or a vodka paralyzer? When I was 19 I loooooved Paralyzers. It was all I would order when I was out!
A couple years later I learned that depending on how they are made at different establishments that they could be upwards of 1000 calories a glass! I was horrified. Liquid calories also add up quickly, if you are mixing a drink choose a calorie-free mix or light beverage to enjoy.
3. Don’t sit near the snack table. I know I’m bad for mindlessly snacking and visiting and before I know it the entire bowl of treats can disappear before my eyes and I didn’t even realize it was happening.
4. I know this sounds quite obvious but eat when you’re feeling hungry and stop when you’re full. I know there have been times when I have over-filled myself and left feeling yucky because I didn’t eat mindfully. Ask yourself, do I need this or do I want it? Listening to our hunger cues can really guide us in the right direction away from cravings and over-eating.
5. Bring something healthy and tasty to add to the spread that will help you reach your goals that everyone can also enjoy! A host has never gotten upset with someone for showing up with a delicious dish. It could be an appetizer like a veggie tray, shrimp ring or dip like these two that are a couple of my favourites:
It could be a side dish of vegetables or a salad such as this one I recently added to the blog Beet, Carrot, Apple, Ginger Salad with Lime Dressing or my other favourite, Garlic Knots.
Or even a dessert! These ones are always a hit:
6. Get some extra movement in! It’s generally quite nice over the Easter weekend so it’s a great time to get outside with friends and family doing some sort of fun activity that gets you moving whether its walking, biking, playing a game or doing yard work! Expend that Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis https://thesweateffect.com/2018/06/non-exercise-activity-thermogenesis/ to the max. Traveling but would still like to get an actual workout in? Hit up one of these travel workouts to get you sweating https://thesweateffect.com/2018/10/travel-workouts/
In this blog post I talk more about my mindset on the subject and even did a video on some ways I stay conscious on my way to Thanksgiving dinner with my family: https://thesweateffect.com/2018/07/the-struggle-between-holidays-and-regular-routine/
I hope these ideas help and that you have a Hoppy Easter, Everybunny! 🐰 Since I don’t have any recent Easter pictures, please enjoy these holiday photo of me and the dogs from Christmas last year along with the Greek Dip & Cranberry Bliss Bars I contributed 😂 😆
-Ash