This is the time of year where the pants start getting a little more snug each day, the skinny jeans are replaced with the “fat” jeans and soon you are forced to pull out the dreaded elastic waistbands. You rationalize and say, hey, it’s the holidays, I will enjoy it and then get better in January. Does this sound familiar?
I have some good news for you, you can have your cake and eat it too… within reason of course. 😉 I am going to give you 6 strategies to help you get through the next month without busting out of all your clothes.
1. Maintain
Your goal during the holiday season is to Maintain. If you put the pressure on yourself to lose weight, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment, unhappiness and failure…and this will lead to binging and more LBS. Have the mindset that you are going to maintain for the next month, and then be ready to hit it hard in January.
2. Eat 5 smaller meals throughout the day
By eating every few hours, you keep your blood sugar in check and prevent those wild and unstoppable cravings. You will make smarter decisions, have more energy and feel in control
3. Eat a protein with ever meal
Protein will help keep you feeling fuller and satisfied…and keep you blood sugar level in order. Every meal now!
4. Cycle your food days
It is critical to have protein days and mod carb days scattered throughout your week. This way your bodies have a chance to “deplete” and burn more fat. If you don’t you body get overloaded with carbs, keeping your insulin levels high, which keeps your bodies in a fat-storing mode. Your body burns sugar/carbs before it gets tot he fat. So the protein days allow your body to deplete it of the carbs. Here’s the deal, if you know you are having a party or get together and will indulge on some food, then make sure the day before and after are protein or fast days. Look at your week and plan it out. This way you don’t have to avoid the parties, just be plan and prepare yourself for them. This is a very important strategy that makes a HUGH difference.
Protein Days: Eat 1-1.5 x your body weight in protein (grams), and keep your carb intake under 50 grams for the day. Try to add as many of these days as you can.
Mod Carb Days: For your first 3 meals, eat a protein with a carb (sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, ezekiel bread, oatmeal, etc) and the last 2 meal lean meat and veggies (Lean and Green)
5. Drink plenty of water
Will help flush out toxins, give you energy and keep you full
6. Get an intense workout in, especially on the day you are going to indulge
I am going to make this one easy of you. I have come up with 27 Days of Fitness Till Christmas, starting tomorrow. You know those paper chains your kids do to count down till christmas? Well, this is iCompete Fitness’s version! These will be daily workouts you can do and wont take much of your time. If you go hard and intense, you don’t need to spend hours in the gym. Pushing your bodies will shift them into a fat-burning zone all day long.
Follow these 6 strategies and you will make it through the holidays without any extra bulges while enjoying your favorite treat at the the same time.
