It’s that time of year again.  ‘Tis the season to pack on the pounds.  Despite our best intentions, we all seem to over indulge during the holiday season.  It’s inevitable, we are all going to go overboard a few times during the holidays.  Whether it’s that holiday work party, potluck at the office, or constant array of baked goods being givin as gifts.  We will all fall vitim to temptation.

In my experience, the greatest pitfall for many is to say they are going to “diet” during the holidays.  Rather than “DIEting”, how about we prioritize and strategize around of holiday feasts.  Here are some simple tips to avoid the unnessesary weight gain and set backs.

1-  Plan your training sessions around your feasts.  If you know, you are going to overindulge on a meal, try to hit a hard training session the day of and the day after the meal or meals.  Remember, its calories in versus calories out.

2- Eat lighter during the day so you can enjoy yourself at night.  This strategy will compliment the first tip.  Eat a lighter, nutrient rich, lower carbohydrate and protein dense meals during the day.

3- Avoid the unnessesary wasted calories in alcohol and soda.  Pick your poison.  If you do decide to indulge in alcohol, steer away from sugary mixed drinks and craft beer.  Enjoy a lower cal mixed drink, cider or glass of wine.  If you are a craft beer drinker, keep that in mind as you shovel finger foods down you throat.

4- Don’t be helicopering over the finger food table.  Choose smaller plates and try to fill up on the veggie tray first.  Assemble you smaller plate of goodies and then take a seat away from the finger foods.  One pig in the blanket…not so bad. 20 pigs in the blanket and you’ve got problems.

5-  Enjoy the holidays and treat yourself.  If you are training hard as most of our clients do, enjoy your cheat meal. However, as you are overindulging, try to remember all the hard work it took for you to get where you are.  5 lbs is super hard to lose, but sure is easy to pack back on.