With the holidays right around the corner, you may be worried that the next month can ruin all the progress that you have made thus far. And I’m here to let you know that it won’t. I will give you some practical steps to maintain your progress throughout the holidays.
You can still enjoy the time with your friends and family without feeling stressed or anxious about your weight loss journey. Here’s everything you need to know to help maintain your weight loss progress through the holidays.
You’re Going To Gain Weight
I’m going, to be honest with you. You will gain weight throughout the holidays. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are gaining fat. It takes 3,500 calories over your maintenance calories for your body to gain fat. You would have to do that consistently to see a noticeable change in your appearance.
So you shouldn’t avoid potatoes, pies, or cookies at your family gathering because that food isn’t automatically turning into fat.
You can still enjoy the foods you want but go into the holidays with the understanding that your weight will spike. Knowing this will happen can help decrease your level of anxiety when you step on the scale.
Don’t Turn Your Holidays Into a Holimonth
The holidays are only a couple of days during the month. Many people make the mistake of turning their holidays into a whole month worth of celebrations. This is the reason why many people can lose a lot of the progress they made.
If you were to calculate all your gatherings, parties, and events, I promise you it won’t add up to an entire month.
I’m not telling you to avoid any of the days that you are celebrating. I want you to enjoy every moment of the holidays. You just don’t have to do it every single day until the new year. It’s about finding the right balance.
Get Rid Of The “All or Nothing” Mentality
I know the holidays can make you feel less motivated than usual. You might be busier because of all the events that you have to plan and attend. However, you don’t have to completely give up on your workouts and nutrition. Even if your nutrition falls off, you should continue showing up for your workouts. If you don’t have the same amount of time, adjust the workout accordingly.
You don’t have to make working out a seasonal activity. Getting something done is better than getting nothing done. Staying active throughout the holidays is the easiest way to minimize fat gain. Even if it means just going out for a walk over sitting on the couch.
If you are unsure how you should structure your workouts, give this ARTICLE HERE a read on how you can do that. This way you can have an effective workout without wasting your time.
You Don’t Need To Do Extra Cardio
Just because you are eating more calories, there’s no need for you to do extra cardio. Will it help?
Of course, you are off-setting some of the calories by burning them off. However, it creates an unhealthy relationship with food.
Also, the difference isn’t drastic. You can just go back on track and you’ll eventually see the holiday weight come off. There’s no need for you to do more just because you decided to enjoy a holiday. What’s important is that you stay active with your usual workout routine. Don’t feel the need to add in more cardio around the holiday time.
Don’t Eat Like An Asshole And Set Boundaries
Just because it’s a holiday, it doesn’t mean you have to eat everything you see in sight. Eat until you’re full and give yourself boundaries to stop yourself from going overboard. For example, a slice or two of a cake instead of eating the entire cake. Many people don’t have set boundaries and end up just giving up entirely on their nutrition. This is fine to do if you have the mindset that you won’t have any guilt after you finish the food.
That’s probably the most important takeaway. As long as you won’t feel guilty or dwell on your consumption the day after, you can set that limit to whatever you want. What’s important is that you have a healthy relationship with food. This makes any parties, events, or dining out easy because it will be much easier for you to get back on track.
Prioritize Protein Even During The Holidays
Did you know that protein takes more energy to digest? It’s also very difficult for your body to store protein as fat. This doesn’t mean you can just go out and eat a ton of protein without gaining fat. Your calories still matter when it comes to weight gain. But since protein is used for many different functions in your body, it’s less likely that it will get stored as fat.
Protein will also help keep you full for a longer time. This means you will have fewer cravings and be able to control your portions a bit better. Continue to eat the same amount of protein you did before the holidays. Usually, you want to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. That’s usually 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
Start Setting Some New Year Resolution Goals
To keep yourself thinking ahead, you can sit down and start writing down some new year resolution goals. I want you to write down 5 things you want to accomplish with your health and fitness the next year. Maybe next year you want to be able to run your first 5k. Or maybe you want to be able to get your first body weight chin up and push up. Setting some goals will help remind you about prioritizing your health and fitness. It’s all about creating a healthy mindset and habits that you can eventually don’t need to think about because it’s a part of your lifestyle.
Manage Your Stress
I think stress will always be a part of someone’s life. There will always be something to stress over, but knowing how to manage the stress is important. Many people gain weight because they stress eat. This is not the time of the year for you to release all your stress by devouring food.
The level of management is going to be different for everyone. Some of you will find it very easy to manage and destress while others will struggle a bit more. I don’t have an answer for you on how to deal with the stressors in your life. Just understand that it plays a role in your health and fitness. So being able to manage it can help you maintain your progress.
Continue With What You’re Doing
You don’t need a special routine or plan when it comes to the holidays Use some of the tips that I provided above, but you don’t have to change much. If you continue with your plan, but you just eat more calories on certain days, nothing will change. Besides weight fluctuations, your body shouldn’t change much in appearance. Don’t forget to get quality hours of sleep and stay hydrated.
Enjoy The Holidays!
Even if you end up not following any of my tips above, I want you to enjoy your holidays. Don’t overthink it and just get back on track. Just remember that it’s not what you do sometimes that creates the change. It’s what you do most of the time.
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