Want to know how to survive that office holiday party, endless
happy hours and more without gaining the average five to seven pounds
this holiday season? Fear no more - Maggie Carter of Sports
Club/LA was kind enough to devise a plan just for us ladies on how
to stay fit and lean this hoilday season ... and all year round!
Holiday Nutrition Commandments:
Yes, yes – you’ve all heard this before.
Breakfast kick starts the metabolism for the day and helps you stay
consistent in caloric consumption. Skipping breakfast or adequate
nutrition earlier in the day can lead to cravings and a crash in diet
regulation later. We are more active (typically) earlier in the day and
have the best energy so fuel your body for these hours and taper
calories as you get more sedentary in the evening. Avoid snacking after
dinner time so that your body is 1) tired and ready for sleep and 2)
more prepped for fat burning while asleep.
- Eat like an athlete, not a dieter
Think about fueling your activities
properly and getting adequate carbohydrate loads on days that you are
working out your hardest. On days you are sitting at a desk or
relatively inactive, select more proteins for your meals and eat plenty
of veggies. Athletes need sound nutrition to fuel their muscles for
recovery and performance energy – you’re no different!
As grueling and annoying as it can feel
at first, this gets easier and can really help you enhance diet
awareness. You might be surprised at how all the little snacks/foods add
up or you may notice that all of your foods are in one category or
perhaps lacking in nutrient density. If you have to think about whether
or not you should write down a snack or “grazing” in your food log,
there’s a strong chance you didn’t need it in the first place. Be
mindful in your eating. Start now.
- Don’t eat late night snacks!
The body doesn’t need this energy at
night – oftentimes this is a mental craving or lack of adequate
portioning throughout the rest of the day. If you’re hungry try one of
the following: drink water, eat fruit or vow to wait 20 minutes to see
if you still really need that food. A great tip from nutritionists: If
you are craving something specific oftentimes you don’t need it. If you
are craving food in general, you’re probably getting a true hunger
signal.
- Plan ahead/avoid eating out
As we all know, portions at restaurants
are CRAZY! Oftentimes restaurant diners underestimate their caloric
consumption in a meal by 90%!!!! This is SUPER scary for those trying to
lose weight – play the safe route and assume you are ignorant to how
many calories you are putting in your mouth…in other words, eat a
balanced planned out meal at home or brought from home. Wouldn’t you
rather know the caloric cost of what you’re eating?? Imagine how long it
can take to burn 1500 calories…..now do you really want to risk
consuming that in one meal? If you find yourself at a restaurant, try to
opt for a dish that doesn’t contain a lot of calorie “unknowns” like a
creamy sauce or reduction or a crust or crispy/fried layer.
- Give into cravings once a week
Okay, so we talked earlier about avoiding
eating foods you crave…do that for 90-95% of the time. Make sure though
that you have a little something here and there that you absolutely
love but know isn’t great for you. You might find that by letting
yourself enjoy that food you’re less prone to other mindless eating in
attempt to avoid that food. It’s better to just let yourself have some
of what you want rather than try 5-6 other foods or snacks in effort to
put something else in your system and rid the craving. Ironically,
you’ll probably consume a lot more munching those other items than if
you just quit with the mind games and practiced restraint with
indulgence of your treat.
- Try front loading your calories
As we discussed earlier, try enjoying
your foods (and even dessert!) earlier in the day when you need the food
for fuel. Avoiding food earlier in the day can lead to low energy,
decreased productivity at work, cravings, crash binges, etc. Follow the
saying “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a
pauper.” – Adelle Davis
- Avoid the holiday sugar yo-yos
If you munch on holiday sugary goodies,
you’re sure to find you’re 1) craving them more often 2) less likely to
refrain from eating them 3) a little grouchy/moody 4) fluctuating in
energy 5) playing mind games and feeling guilty and 6) maybe
experiencing problems with sleep, complexion and even digestion. Sugar
is like caffeine; it raises the energy of the body up and then crashes
it, tricking the body into feeling like more sugar is the solution. Be
wary of falling into the “yo-yo” sugar intake – not only is it a “no-no”
for weight loss but it makes even the average person more susceptible
to diabetes, cortisol (stress hormone) surges (bad with regard to weight
in the tummy), and metabolic syndrome.
- Enjoy foods you don’t usually have the rest of the year when
at parties
When you’re at a holiday party with a
smorgasbord of delectable treats within arm’s reach, pause and
reconsider what you put on your plate. If you’re a chocolate lover who
usually enjoys a little piece or scoop of ice cream on a regular basis,
why not try something different? Go for the gingerbread! If you’re an
Italian food lover why not skip out on the meatballs and nibble shrimp
cocktail?
- Try not to hover by the food at holiday parties
If you’re self-aware enough to admit that
you’re not great at controlling your chompers, use your mouth to enjoy
talking and just make a silent rule with yourself to keep away from the
temptation. I promise, self-restraint is possible but it has to be
backed by willpower. Keep your goals in the back of your mind.
Remember though, this
is your current caloric requirement. In order to lose a pound a week
one would need to burn 3500 calories from exercise and nutrition
combined. Keep in mind moderation is key – too many of the calories
being cut from food could strip the body of important nutrients and too
many calories coming from exercise could result in overtraining,
inadequate muscle recovery and/or physical injury.
Holiday Cardio Commandments:
Not taking into account diet, on average,
individuals who do 150 minutes/week of cardio based exercise at or
above a moderate intensity level maintain their weight. Individuals who
lose weight do an average of 275 minutes. Now you have your baseline
goals of cardio to strive for assuming you’re currently below those
levels or fluctuate in them. If you do more than this, take your
baseline of minutes for cardio and divide by three. Add that third back
into your total. This is your baseline per week from here on out.
- Aerobic Cardio Exercise is The Foundation for Success
Keep 3/5 of your workouts aerobic – in
other words, hit a state of moderately challenging exertion and attempt
to maintain your pace and exertion at the level for the remainder of
your workout. The body wants oxygen and demands it for optimal function
hence this kind of cardio exercise is the foundation of success for
burning energy.
- Anaerobic Cardio – Dig Deep to Really Push Yourself
For Once
One of your workouts each week should be
extremely challenging, bringing you up to a near maximum heart rate and
then allowing for recovery. You should feel like you are working hard
enough that you would require a break in no more than 2-3 minutes.
Ideally, you will get comfortable pushing yourself to a peak of exertion
wherein you need a break after as little as 45 seconds. I will provide
these anaerobic cardio workouts each week. If you’re already doing a
workout like this each week and want to lose weight, add one more
anaerobic workout each week but no more – too much of this exercise can
stunt your recovery and therefore your results.
Assuming you are breaking your cardio
workouts into 5 segments, use one of the days to act like an athlete.
For example: If you love running, hop on the treadmill and see just how
fast you can complete a 5K or 10K. Pretend you’re at a race and give it
your all. If you have always wanted to do a triathlon, hop on the bike
for 15 minutes and then make your way to the treadmill for 15 minutes.
End with a swim in the pool for 15 minutes. With each exercise modality,
get yourself into the competition mentality and really see what your
personal best looks and feels like. Now is the time to try things that
are both creative and challenging to push yourself beyond your current
level of fitness.
