Planning For Parties During the Holidays

Ahhh it’s that time of the year again. The time of many parties, events, and dinners. The time when people gather together around food, drinks and laughter. Why do people stress so much over a time of celebration?

At this time of year, people normally accept the victim of gaining weight and losing progression before the event season starts. It’s funny how at a time like this people want to lose weight and at the same time anticipate weight gain.

What if I told you that you can still progress in your goals while still having the ability to enjoy your celebrations? Preparation is the key to success during the holidays. The principle of a calorie deficit is the simple explanation of losing weight and, it can still be applied through different methods.

Fasting

The holiday season normally revolves around lunch or dinner. The best thing to do is not to break your fast too early. Breakfast is the name of the meal because it literally means breaking the fast. Without getting into it too much, the later you break your fast, the feeling of hunger generally doesn’t get too bad. Breakfast can vary from 300-600 calories for the average person. Subtracting this from your daily amount of calories can help give you leeway for your total amount for the day.

Banking

Banking basically means saving calories throughout the day. Sticking to foods that can keep you satisfied with little calories can help you not feel hungry. The macronutrient that brings the most calories to your total is fats. 1g of fat equates to 9 calories. My advice is to eat lean proteins and vegetables. Try to save your fats for when you go to your “celebration meal” The more you bank your fats, the more room you have to play with. You can combine this method with fasting.

1 Plate Rule 

This method is simple. People feel that going to these lunches or dinners can lead to overeating and will not be able to control it. Essentially, you can go to the party and eat whatever you want. However, you can only have one plate and one plate only. You can get a standard-sized plate and put as much food as you can on the plate. The rule is simple. Only get 1 plate and fill it. This has less room for error depending on what you ate prior to or after. It will be hard to measure food although it allows you to take control of how much food you consume at the party.

These 3 methods essentially have the same principle which is preparing yourself for a high amount of food. It is still possible to progress during this time if you are prepared. Playing the victim of weight gain takes energy out of being able to be prepared. Using these methods would be helpful all year round! Goals don’t have to go on hold every time there is a holiday. Dieting doesn’t have to be not enjoyable. You can still make it enjoyable and you can learn a thing or two about building great eating habits and willpower.

If you need help with staying consistent and achieving your goals, book a chat with us today. Our coaches are here to help you come up with a game plan to achieve your goals, in a sustainable and enjoyable way.