Enjoy the Holidays and Don’t Feel Guilty about It

Fall is here so that means we’re now in a season of gathering with family and friends and a lot of good food! How do you navigate through the next few weeks enjoying each other and the meals while also being mindful and even possibly sticking to your

macros? One word…Moderation.

I’ll be the first to tell you to enjoy the dressing, have the slice of pie, and don’t you dare miss out on breakfast Christmas morning.  I won’t.  I look forward to eating my mother-in-law’s dressing & my sweet potato casserole (with marshmallows & pecans) every Thanksgiving.  My father-in-law’s homemade biscuits and gravy on Christmas morning are my absolute favorite breakfast, so I’m going to enjoy those dishes with my family every year.  When you work so hard all year long, these few meals here and there are not going to disrupt your overall progress whether it’s weight you’ve worked so hard to lose or healthy habits you’ve built.

What we do between New Year's day and now is much more meaningful that what we do between now and New Year's day.

My Advice

The first thing I’ll say is don’t step on the scale the day after either of these big food holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You already know it’s going to go up, but that’s not because of fat you actually gained in 24 hours.  It could be a number of different things like high levels of sodium and water retention or simply food sitting in your stomach.

Next, don’t skip meals.  People make jokes and comments all the time like, “I just won’t eat tomorrow.”  Again, this isn’t going to speed your progress up.  You may not eat as much because you may not feel as hungry, but your body still needs food for fuel and nutrients.  Instead of skipping a day of eating, you can use this day to get back on track if you’re counting macros or just working on building healthier eating habits such as portion control or including more fruits and veggies during the day. Don't forget the water to flush your system and replenish your body.

Finally, if you want to log or track your festive meals, you can take the time to record the recipe(s) in your macro tracking app ahead of time or search for the foods you’re choosing to eat and try to get as close as possible.  Logging your food may lead you to feel better about what you’re eating or how much. It may also guide you through making choices.

It is possible to enjoy the next few weeks while still working toward your health and fitness goals.  Plan and think ahead about when and what you know you’re going to be eating.  Use this as motivation to help you stay on track all of the other days before and in between your family gatherings.  This time of year is all about enjoying each other and delicious family recipes.  Don’t let macros keep you from it!