Archives for November 2013

Go Ahead. Eat What You Want!

November 14, 2013 By

Hello, everyone. Its that time of year again! The holidays! I think growing up Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday and it’s coming up in a few short weeks. I liked the family get-together and I always looked forward to the assortment of pies. Apple, pumpkin, cherry. Deeeeeee-lish!!

Each year we hear about how the average person gains something like 5-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years Day and each year we read how you can avoid that by eating light on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Well, I’m here to tell you this:

EAT WHAT YOU WANT ON THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DAY!!!

Yes. You heard me. Eat what you want on Thanksgiving and Chistmas. Enjoy the holidays. They’re supposed to be fun and fulfilling. They’re supposed to be relaxing. Eating well is a part of that and that is a great thing. Eat your stuffing and pie. Eat your mashed potatoes and bread. Enjoy it all and feel good about it.
Here’s the thing, though. Let’s take Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and two holidays parties. That’s 5 days that take place over about 5-6 weeks. There is simply NO excuse to use those 5 days as a reason to let everything go down the drain. None. 
If your nutrition is reasonable you could (maybe should) be planning for a higher calorie day every week or so. You can make that work for you. I have clients who have lost significant weight having pizza and ice cream every Saturday night. 
Overall what I’m saying is this: Enough with the excuses. Dial in what you want to do and plan for the nights when you know you’ll be eating heavy. There is NO reason you need to put on weight during the holidays and if you really want to, there’s no reason you can’t lose weight, too. All you have to do is decide to do it and put a plan into action

Here are a few hints to help get you through the holidays without hurting your progress.

1. Don’t skip your workouts. I know you’re busy and there’s always a lot going on but I promise that if you keep your exercise a priority, everything else will be much easier to maintain.

2. Plan for the BIG days. You know you’re going to eat a ton on Thanksgiving, Chrsitmas, etc. Plan it out. Thanksgiving is on Thursday the 28th so plan out your diet for that week and include that.

3. Don’t drag it out. I’ve given you permission to eat to your hearts content on the BIG days. THAT’S NO EXCUSE TO EAT THE SAME WAY FOR THE OTHER 5 WEEKS!!!!! This is where mental preparation comes into play. When you think about the day after food hang-overs, what is your language like? Does it include “ifs” and “I’ll try’s”? As in, “I’ll try not to eat badly the rest of the month”, or “If I can resist the leftover…”.
I’ll tell you right now that if this is the language you’re using you’ve already lost. You’re subconciously giving yourself excuses. Your language should be positive and definitive, such as, “I’ll be back on the healthy track tommorrow.”
Remember this: One bad meal doesn’t really have an impact on your life. Extending that bad meal out for weeks or longer certainly can.

4. Don’t stress. I know this is easier said then done, but do your best to have fun and enjoy the holidays.   Do your best to get your shopping done early. Make sure you get your sleep.

I think, most of all don’t look back on the holidays a few months down the line and realize that you didn’t take advantage of the enjoyment they have to offer. We only get a certain amount of these in our lives, after all.

Let me know what you think and if you want more hints you can download my Holiday Survival Guide for free just by going here:

Holiday Survival Guide

It has workouts with videos on how to do them, delicious recipes and some pretty handy stress management tips. All for free.

Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS
2861 Grove Way in Castro Valley
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
MitchRFitness.com
I Help People Discover Their Strength!

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