It’s that time of year. Mulled wine, Warm Apple Pie, Christmas Ham and all the sides that come with it. How does one enjoy all the delicious, festive treats you crave yet manage or even lose weight?
If you’ve read this site before you know my obvious first suggestion would be to meal track and make sure you still hit your protein. However, I am aware most people will find any reason to boycott meal tracking and so we will move along to my second suggestion: Weekly balance.
Let’s pretend you weigh 145 pounds and are looking to lean out a bit. I would put your calories needs at about 1600 per day. 1600 x 7 = 11,200 calories per week. Naturally, we do not eat the exact same number of calories every day, nor do we need to.
For the holidays we can use this to our advantage.
Look at your calendar in advance. Find the holidays parties, family dinners, outings with friends or festivals in the next month. Maybe you have an event on a Saturday. Eat and drink you way to 2,200 calories that day, but adjust the Friday before and Sunday after down to 1,300. (If you are not going to track your calories, make sure to have lots of lean protein and vegetables on Friday and Sunday and that will keep your calories lower).
It’s all a matter of give and take. The more proactive you are about your plan, the better it will work. And the more you will be able to enjoy the nights when you really want that extra glass of wine or cup of hot chocolate.
hello.strength. 