We’ve officially made it to the Holiday Season! 

Did you know that the average American gains between 5-10 lbs just during the holiday months?! Oops!

Ok, what if you decided to do things differently this year. Wouldn’t it feel awesome to take control during the holidays instead of letting the holidays control you?

And you can, with a few small adjustments.

You can have your pumpkin pie & eat it too honey boo! How does that sound? 
Here’s how to make sure you are in charge this holiday season.

1. Commit to your workouts. Let’s be real the holidays can come with a lot of stress. And making it a priority to move your body will not only help make sure you stay in a routine, but it will also help you deal with stress. Too much stress kills your progress towards fat loss. 

2. Take a big picture look at your calendar. It’s so easy to lump the time between Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day as THE HOLIDAYS and decide it’s too hard to stay focused on your fat loss goals. But if you REALLY look at your calendar and do a little bit of math, you’ll find there’s more time to make progress than you think. Realistically there are only about 12 “holiday meals”. (Even if you include five holiday parties in the mix.) And when you eat three meals a day for 37 days between, there are 111 meals to consider. It’s not the 12 holiday meals that prevent you from reaching your goals. It’s the fact that you don’t take advantage of all the non-holiday meals that’s the problem. 

3. Drink your water. I can’t stress enough how important it is to stay hydrated. Especially when you may decide to enjoy a few more indulgences during the holidays. Rich desserts and traditional holiday dishes usually come with a lot more carbs and fat. Throw in more alcohol than usual and you can find yourself dehydrated. Studies have shown drinking water may help people consume less food. Help yourself out, consume ½ your body weight in ounces.

4. Focus on protein. Protein is satiating! When you begin your day filling up on protein you may give yourself the gift of not overdoing it later when you are confronted with traditional holiday dishes which are typically carb and fat heavy. 

5. Look for ways to lighten up favorite holiday dishes. There are holiday dishes that are an absolute NO GO when it comes to changing them up. You know, like Grandma’s famous pecan pie, or Auntie’s traditional mac & cheese. And in my opinion, it’s so important that you plan for them! Once or twice a year indulgences should be part of your plan. Especially family favorites made with love. But, if it’s a recipe you don’t really love, or you can take it or leave it, consider finding a healthy alternative you could try. Who knows you may start your own family tradition. Check out my cookbook Fit Farm Foodie for some healthier holiday options.

6. Enjoy yourself! Seriously, this is the most important tip of them all. You will often hear me say memories over macros. A restrictive, punitive mindset is the worst for long-term results. When you choose to build in times for treats and holiday favorites you create a balanced healthy mindset around food. When you enjoy yourself and then jump right back to your regular routine you create consistency in your fat loss efforts. And we all know consistency is where you’ll find results. 

So don’t let the holidays fly by. You are in control. Put yourself in the driver’s seat of your health and you’ll be ready for the new year! 

If you’d love help on how to best navigate the holidays with balance and ease, join me for my next round of the FASTer Way. I can’t wait to help you get through the holidays guilt-free and so you can feel better than ever!

YES, I WANT TO DO THE HOLIDAYS GUILT-FREE!