By Christmas is a wonderful time of year to celebrate with family, friends and food! It’s quite challenging to stick to a macronutrient budget, especially when people around you are encouraging excessive eating! I’m sure all of us are feeling a little bit of apprehension when it comes to Christmas celebrations.
I’ve got a couple of tips, plus a suggested Christmas recipe book that you may want to have at your fingertips. Why not eat healthy and optimally, whilst fooling all the family into doing it as well! Before we go into food options, let’s first get into some ways to stay on top of your weight loss goals.
4 lessons I’ve learnt to stick to my weight-loss goals at Christmas time.
- Keep training, even if you have to get outdoors.
I’m fortunate to be part of a 24/7 gym now, and I can train at any time of the day, even during holiday season. This was not always the case, and it left me frustrated and believing I was taking a couple of steps back in my training efforts. If this is your situation as well, why not get outdoors and train? This of course, will depend on the weather in your country. If I could not go outside, I would attempt to train in my home garage, or a room in my house or apartment. Invest in some resistant bands, and perhaps a skipping rope. Check out some very effective ways to use these bands, and create a mini circuit drill, incorporating the skipping in between, to really elevate your heart rate. If you have a 24/7 gym, get to it and train as usual. - Be smart about what you eat.
We can all use a treat every now and again, and that’s realistic and expected during Christmas. What I am suggesting is that you pick and choose your food and treat options wisely. What I mean by this is picking some wholesome protein sources (such as turkey, or any vegan options) and accompanying those with salads or baked vegetables. If you are opting for some heavy starches like baked or fried potatoes, pastries and pasta, then I recommend you skip the dessert. This over consumption of sugar, starches and fried foods, will leave you lethargic, bloated and feeling horrible. I’m pretty sure the guilt will set in. In order to bypass this, opt for a heavy carb option for your meal, and no dessert, or a light meal option, for a heavy dessert. The choice is yours really. Pick the option your heart desires most, and try not to pick both – If you are very serious about maintaining your shape during Christmas. - Try not to “stuff your face” with food, just because it’s in front of you.
I know that Christmas leaves us with an array of beautiful food choices that’s hard to resist. We all want to try one of everything! This is normal, and why not put little portions of the things that look interesting, on your plate. Don’t forget to add as much salad and baked green vegetables as you can. Eat to feel satisfied, but not stuffed and rolling off the couch! If you feel like seconds, by all means, help yourself – but do keep in mind that you watch your bodies signals of fullness. - Optimise your eating to maximise your gains
This process is really quite simple, and you can use the same protocol to prepare for an upcoming event at any time.For about 2–3 weeks before an event, go all out on being extra lean with your meals, even opting to skip your treat meals during this time. Then when Christmas day finally arrives, you are free to indulge and over indulge on your hearts desire! You’re body will actually benefit a lot from this over-consumption of calories, making you some what of a fat burning machine! The next day, you will most likely look leaner than expected! This is a great kept secret form the bodybuilding community, although we would eat lean for consecutive months at a time to prepare for a show. You only need to do this for a couple of weeks, maybe even a month if you are game! That means you can follow up NY day with a big feast as well!
For extra sensational results, train the day after. Watch your energy reach new highs and your muscular gains increase! Give it a try and thank me later
Now, in terms of recipes, I do have a great recipe book, with macronutrient controlled recipes that’s available to you. All you have to do is click on my website link below, and it will take you straight there. It’s filled with 12 macronutrient controlled recipes, even desserts! You can bring one of these meals to your chosen Christmas destination, and share it with everyone else.
I do hope this has answered your question. Merry Christmas!!
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