By JJ Virgin
You frantically drive from the mall, where you waited over an hour to score an Xbox One, to pick up your son at basketball practice when you suddenly realize you have no idea what’s for dinner.
Beyond serving your kids a healthy meal, you need something substantial since you’ll be attending a dinner party later at your neighbors, who are notorious for serving what you call “bird food.”
As you sit in rush hour traffic, you frantically eye the clock and realize it’s already 5:30. Your son will probably beg to stop at his favorite drive-thru, where you can grab something to tide you over till dinner. One tiny indulgence won’t hurt, right?
Stop Caving In During The Holidays
Those weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day frequently mean increased stress, leading to overeating, stress eating, sleep deprivation, and just plain eating the wrong kind of foods. Nearly every day during those six weeks presents countless temptations to indulge.
You know the hapless scenarios: you “sample” a bite of the gingerbread cookies you baked for your daughter’s class, or that one (full) glass of pinot noir on an empty stomach at the office party that has you nose-diving into the caramel-pecan tarts.
The repercussions usually end up around our waistlines. One study in the journal Nutrition Reviews showed Thanksgiving through New Year explained over half of your annual weight gain. Yikes.
I’ve been a health and fitness expert for nearly three decades, and understand how challenging the holidays can become juggling numerous parties, family get-togethers, driving all over town for gifts, and dealing with end-of-year-deadlines and other work issues.
I see that as a challenge: Buck the trend. You needn’t succumb to nearby sugary concoctions for solace, nor must you gain weight during that festive Thanksgiving-till-New-Years period. I’ve developed some strategies to not only cope, but to thrive with fat loss and optimal health during the holidays.
Step One: Manage the Basics
Holidays represent extravagance, but amidst the glitz and gaiety don’t neglect essentials that keep you healthy, lean, and, well, sane as you run shopping from store to store while juggling your boss’s increasingly irritating text messages. Even in the midst of such craziness, I prioritize these five basics to stay lean and healthy:
1. Eat by the clock. No skipping meals to “save up” for that big holiday party. Instead, eat every four to six hours and make each meal lean protein, healthy fats, loads of leafy and cruciferous veggies, and slow-release high-fiber carbs like legumes. On your most frantic days, swap breakfast and even lunch for a protein shake. Blend plant-based (but not soy) protein powder with frozen raspberries, kale or other leafy greens, ground flax seeds, and unsweetened coconut or almond milk for a fast, filling meal that keeps you full and energetic for hours.
2. Get 7 – 9 hours of high-quality, uninterrupted sleep. “How can you find the time to get that much sleep?” readers occasionally ask me. I know how busy you are. I’m a single mom running two companies while raising two teenage boys. That’s exactly why I make sleep a priority: I give peak performance to my kids and clients after a solid night’s sleep. Besides making you cranky and miserable, inadequate sleep can derail your best fat-loss efforts: Studies show even one night’s poor sleep sets the stage for obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. About an hour before bed, turn off electronics, take a hot bath with some lavender, and prepare for sleep.
3. Incorporate stress management. Society rewards us for doing, yet that constant fast-faster mentality ultimately stresses you out and sets the stage for bigger problems like adrenal burnout and thyroid issues. Make “me time” a priority: get a massage or practice deep breathing, yoga, or meditation regularly. Even if relaxation means walking your terrier around the block, make stress management a priority.
4. Journal daily. I insist that my one-on-one clients write everything down or I won’t work with them. Among my reasons: one study found people who journal lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t. Writing down every bite you eat also holds you accountable and ensures you don’t “forget” that cinnamon-gingerbread cookie you whimsically devoured at your kids’ semester-end party.
5. Work it out. Juggling shopping, preparing for your in-laws, and a multitude of other stresses that holidays bring might mean exercise goes on the back burner. Don’t let that happen. Hire a trainer and ask them to charge you double if you bale. Otherwise, you might drive right past your gym for the shopping mall. If you’d rather work out at home, my free 4X4 Workout provides a fast, effective 15-minute workout: far less time than it takes to find a parking space at the mall on a December Saturday.
Step 2: Don’t Leave Your Dignity at the Party Door
You’ve employed my five golden rules for fat loss, and tonight’s your big holiday party. You feel confident, you’ve got your little black dress ready to go, yet a lingering fear pervades that your enemy will be at the party.
I’m not talking about your snotty receptionist who always gives you the cold shoulder. Nope, I’m referring to that one food you love and always succumb to. It will be there, awaiting you at the holiday party. With these strategies, you can bypass temptation and keep your dignity at any soiree:
1. Eat before you go. Think about your last dinner party: It probably started late, right? You arrived famished, savored a drink or two, and suddenly one ham-and-cheese mini quiche became five. By time dinner arrived (an hour late!), you were tipsy and felt disgusted for over-indulging so you figured you might as well keep going since the night was already a lost cause. Take control and go to your next social function pleasantly full. You needn’t eat a giant meal beforehand: a protein shake can curb cravings and hunger for hours. You’ll still enjoy dinner, but friends rather than mini-quiches will become your focus as you await dinner.
2. Employ the 2:1 rule. Stop downing Cosmos at the office party like you’re at an open bar at your old sorority house. For every alcoholic beverage you consume, have two glasses of filtered water. You won’t drink as much, you stay hydrated (no morning-after blahs), and best of all you won’t rack up a catastrophic caloric count. Avoid the drinks-as-dessert trap: trade the sugary spiked eggnog for pinot noir.
3. Keep my three-bite rule. A world-renowned pastry chef has catered your office party with his caramel pecan tarts. Have three polite bites – we’re talking how you would eat it on live TV, not in your living room – of dessert and step away. You’ll appease your sweet tooth without coming off as a wet blanket. Just be warned. Not every baked good your coworker brings in and other holiday indulgences constituent the three-bite rule. Choose judiciously.
4. Go for the healthy stuff first. Holidays are synonymous with buffets and endless potluck dinners. Just because you have an all-you-can-eat invitation doesn’t mean you need to do so. One trip through the line and call it quits. Fill up on lean protein as well as cruciferous and leafy greens first. You’ll be less likely to dive into the candied walnut sweet potato casserole.
5. No cheating. “I’ve eaten really well all week, so I’ll just splurge at brunch with my girlfriends on Sunday.” You know the routine. Suddenly, a cheat meal becomes a cheat day. Take the word “cheat” out of your vocabulary. You’re setting yourself up for psychological disaster and the hormonal imbalances trigger further cravings. Stick to my three-bite rule but otherwise eat clean. You’ll thank me January 1st when everyone else is dieting but your skinny jeans still fit.
Fat loss appears in nearly everyone’s resolutions. Implement these strategies now and you can scratch that goal off your list. (If you’re always setting the bar higher for yourself like I do, I’m sure you’ll easily find another goal to add to that list!)
I’d love to hear your top strategies to stay lean and bypass dietary temptation during the holidays. Please share your thoughts in the comments section or on my Facebook fan page. Happy holidays!
About the Author:
New York Times bestselling author, JJ Virgin is a prominent fitness and nutrition expert, public speaker, and media personality.
Her latest book, The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days, has appeared on numerous bestselling non-fiction lists, including The New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal.
JJ is a Board Certified Nutrition Specialist through the American College of Nutrition, board certified in Holistic Nutrition, and a Certified Nutrition and Fitness Specialist. JJ has completed 40 graduate and doctoral courses, and continues to learn every day to keep her audience informed of the latest science.