Ahhh, it is finally, the most wonderful time of the year! The tree is up, the presents are wrapped (or at least my list is made… #procrastinator). Personally, I love Christmas. The snow, the decorations, the movies… the food. It is all just magical. Or is it?
For someone who is trying to change their lifestyle and possibly lose weight, this season can be the most dreadful time of the year. When you struggle with food and lifestyle choices, the holidays are often your own personal slice of hell. Not only are there temptations around every corner, but it is also the busiest time of the year and the time of year when many of us spend the most time with family (I don’t need another lecture about your Keto diet, thanks aunt Karen…🙄). Not to mention it goes on forever! Christmas Parties, Get Togethers, Holiday Shopping Markets, Parades, Boxing Day Shopping, and of course New Year’s Eve and day!
But guess what!? It doesn’t have to be that way! With a little bit of planning and a whole lot of positivity, the holidays can go from fear to cheer! Oh and of course, You know I wouldn’t leave you hanging without an actual plan 😉 I have put together an extra special Holiday Survival guide for you this Christmas that will help you navigate the craziness without losing yourself and your goals in the process. Trust me, it can be fun and successful at the same time. Follow these 8 easy steps:
Focus on Progress, not Perfection
Before we dive in, the number one thing that I want you to focus on is finding ways to make progress. One of the biggest mistakes my clients make is thinking that lifestyle is either all or nothing. One of my goals for this website is to help Canadians realize that there is room in a healthy lifestyle for almost anything if you are doing mostly the right things. If you have a day that you would rate a 2/10, that is okay! Let’s try for a 3/10 tomorrow. That is progress. You do not need to be perfect. So, take a deep breath, open your heart, and change your mindset to one that is excited to do just a little bit better than last year.
Plan your days to indulge
We are almost 3 months into this adventure, so I am sure that by now you know, I am a type A personality who LOVES to plan things. That is one of the biggest keys to my success. Going into a situation blind, with no plan and no idea how you are going to get through it is a really great way to set yourself up for failure, especially when it comes to your lifestyle.
Let me walk you through it: It’s Friday and you are excited to go out tonight to your work Christmas party. You don’t really have a plan so when you walk in and discover it is an open bar, and it is catered by your favourite company that makes those delicious little appetizers, you check your coat (and your goals) at the door and head straight for the waiter with the mac & cheese balls. After a few hours you have had several glasses of wine and enough shrimp to sink a ship! Time to head home.
The next day you wake up a little foggy but no worse for wear. Your son in standing over you, all dressed and ready to go because it is winter fest today and you promised him that you would take him to the cookie decorating contest. No time for breakfast, you grab something at the event (hot chocolate and hot dogs anyone?)
It has been a whirlwind weekend and it isn’t over yet; you remember that you have grandma’s Christmas brunch the following day and you are supposed to bring a dish. No time to make dinner, you fill up on those treats that have been eying you all weekend and get to work. By Sunday, you have all but given up on your goals (or did you forget to pick those up at the coat check?) and you say screw it, I will start again on Monday. Except Monday is the week before Christmas, so how about the new year.
Does This sound familiar? I know it does.
Planning out your month and your days to indulge and days to say, oh no I already ate, will make navigating this season much easier!
I make December Calendars with all my clients.
So here is your challenge:
Take out a piece of paper and list out all events large and small from now until January 3rd. Choose 2 days to indulge and 2 days where you will do 50% Perfect. The rest you should be aiming for 80% Perfect. I will explain this 80% rule in a future post.
Eat before you go out
Eating before you leave the house is one of my sneakiest little tricks to keep myself on track. Even a quick protein shake, Some Yogurt and Berries or an apple with Natural Peanut butter will give you a huge advantage. It is the same as never going to the grocery store hungry. The snack you have before you go to the Christmas party or holiday event will ensure that you start your night feeling satisfied and minimize those cravings. Having a semi full stomach will help you to say “no thanks” to the 2nd round of appetizers and prevent over-indulgence.
Create traditions that don’t revolve around food
Looking back on my holiday memories, A large part of my family’s holiday traditions revolved around food. And Zack’s family is the same way. I bet yours is too. Christmas day breakfast, Christmas eve snacks, cookie decorating, the big meal, New Year’s Eve appetizers, chocolates in our stockings, the list goes on and on!
Here is your 2nd Challenge: Create 1 new holiday tradition this year that does not revolve around food. Maybe it is a movie you watch while you decorate your tree, maybe it is reading the Christmas story together on Christmas eve, maybe it is going ice skating at your local arena or maybe it is building a snow man then cuddling up next to the fire. Whatever your holiday tradition, it can be something that you and your family can look forward to each year and can help you get closer to your goals instead of further away.
Make the menu
This all comes back to the planning step. If you can oversee the menu for a Christmas
dinner, you can make sure that there are at least some better options to choose from. Okay this might be a hard one. Who has a mom or grandma or sister-in-law who always makes the turkey dinner? I am not saying you should cause a fight here, but even offering to make one or 2 dishes that are a little more in alignment with your values and goals will go a long way. Maybe try wording it like this: “Wow Grandma, you always do such a great job of doing Christmas dinner! I would love to be more involved and learn from you so I can host dinner one day! Do you think I could help you plan the menu and make a couple of the dishes!?”
Remember, Grandma has been cooking for her family for a long time. And she probably takes great pride in her stuffing recipe that has been in the family forever and she has perfected (4 sticks of butter and all). You don’t want to take that away from her or make her feel bad. You just want to gently steer your ship in the right direction for the future. So, offering to help can get you there and can also get you some much needed quality time with grandma.
Get rid of unwanted treats
Do you feel a sugar crash coming on when you even just look around your kitchen at the Holidays? I know I do. I live in a neighbourhood with extremely generous and friendly neighbours, I have wonderful friends and clients who love to give gifts and I can’t resist those sneaky little girl guides and their cookies at this time of year so we always have an abundance of treats on hand!
Remember: If it is in your house, you, or someone you know will eventually eat it. So, take that platter of treats and get rid of it! No, you do not have to throw it in the trash. Here are a few ideas of how to get rid of too many holiday treats:
- Bring them to the office to share with your co-workers
- Drop them off at your local roads crew office. The plow drivers will really appreciate the extra boost on those midnight drives.
- Share them with friends by offering to bring desert to the holiday party
- Bring them to a homeless shelter where they can be shared with others who could really use some holiday cheer
- Freeze them and keep them in a faraway dark part of your freezer where you won’t be tempted as much
Move your body
It is so important at this time of year to move your body. It can be easy to fall into the
trap of staying home and laying around when the weather is gloomier, and the days are shorter. But this is the time we need it the most! So, wrangle the family for an after-dinner walk, make sure you get your workouts in or even take up a winter sport like skiing or skating! At the very least get outside tobogganing or building snow men and igloos. Snowball fights burn calories and get your heart rate going too! Your body will thank you, especially after an indulgent meal.
Start goal setting early
The best way to keep your goals top of mind is to keep them close. We still have 16 days until the new year. So why wait more than 2 weeks to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2023. By starting your goal setting in December, you can get a jump on your year and hit the ground running, even before you get to January 1st. Challenge # 3 of this blog if to sit down and write down some things you want to accomplish in the next year. By knowing what you want to achieve and thinking about it now, you will have an easier time making those good choices. Find your why and you will find a way.
In conclusion, I know that this time of year can be hard. If it is not your most wonderful time of year, you are not alone. By planning ahead, focusing on a little progress, moving your body, and keeping your why close to your heart, I know you can crush this holiday season.
If you need help navigating this time, please feel free to reach out and we are happy to help! And of course, send us your challenges! We want to see them!
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