So the holidays are over and New Year's is around the corner which means people are going to be flooding to the gym in order to keep their new resolutions, and to work off all the food that they ate.
But, I think it should be much less stressful than that. I did not track a single thing on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, or even that much of yesterday. I didn't feel like tracking a whole lot of my macros yesterday so I didn't, no big deal! Today I'm right back on track and I have no regrets or guilt over what I ate this week.
I don't think that people should try to overcompensate for what they ate during the holidays by exercising to the extreme or drastically cutting back their calories. I don't think people should get stressed over feeling guilty for eating certain foods. It's all in the past and nothing we do can change that. When did it all get so complicated?
It's very simple in theory: eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full.
Yes, yes, SO MUCH easier said than done but it's something that I have been working on all this year while trying to gain balance. And I think I finally got the hang of it back.
The holidays are trickier because you're around foods that you're usually not surrounded by on a daily basis. Which means that it's harder to say no to them because you may only get the chance to eat those foods around this time of year. For that, I say go for it!
What you can do is eat lower carb and lower fat during the first part of the day so that you can save up some room for the more fun foods. NO TRACKING allowed but just consciously pick choices that you know are less dense in carbs or fats.
If you're able to then try to squeeze in a workout at some point during the day. This isn't a necessity at all but I'm fortunate enough to have the free time to do so. I don't have to travel at all during the holidays so I can stick to my regular workout routine. I did a long run both on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning so I was able to add 50g of extra carbs back into my diet. Again, I didn't track them but I just knew that they were available.
For those of you who are wondering, my coach has me add in 50g of carbs for every run that I do that's over an hour. The official equation is 50g carbs per hour of running so say you run an hour and a half then you get 75g of carbs and so forth. That can be different for everyone depending on their goals and their plan. I only do 50g no matter what because that's what my coach thought would be best for me at the moment with my reverse diet. Things will obviously change, though, once I start incorporating much higher mileage with my training. Again, she is a professional so I highly recommend talking it over with someone who knows what they're doing!
Anyway, both days I knew I'd have some wiggle room with 50g of carbs which translates roughly to 200 calories. That can be a lot to work with, think of all the cookies! ;) haha but seriously that can help out if I need it. I definitely went over my macros both days but my metabolism was at least kicked into gear with the running and extra carbs.
I know that it can also be difficult because family and friends might be pressuring you to try certain dishes or they made you something that you know is your favorite. I'm not saying you should turn them down at all but if you're really not hungry at the moment then let them know. If you are hungry then go ahead and enjoy that slice of homemade pie!
Try doing smaller portion sizes so that you can eat a wider variety of foods. On Christmas Eve, I knew that basically all my favorite foods (besides cherry pie) would be there so I knew that I planned on having a bit of everything. And that's just what I did! I had pork tenderloin, sweet potatoes, plain mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, brussel sprouts, green beans, and homemade apple pie. My first plate I had pork, sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts with a roll. The second plate had plain mashed potatoes and green beans. Then, I had a very small slice of pie for dessert a little while later!
The key is to eat slow, and make sure that you've had plenty of water. Often times your body will confuse you with signals that you might interpret as hunger pangs when really it's for water. By the time dinner rolled around, I probably already had 3/4-1 gallon of water. I drink a minimum of a gallon of water a day but often times it's more like a gallon and a half or even two. Also, if you're eating slowly then your body has more time to register the food, and to let you know when you're full. Take time between courses so that when you go back for seconds, your eyes won't be bigger than your stomach!
I also had a high-protein snack about 1-2 hours before dinner so that I wouldn't be totally starving and want to eat everything in sight. A common mistake that I used to make is I would eat hardly anything during the day so when dinner came and I was around all those delicious foods that I had been depriving myself from, well, needless to say I went crazy. I would eat too much too quickly, and lost all ability to listen to my body.
The last thing is I changed my perspective completely. This year it wasn't about the food, it wasn't about what my body looked like, and it sure wasn't about my macros. It was about celebrating the birth of Jesus with my family and friends.
I didn't look at it as a "cheat" meal, I didn't see it as a chance to go crazy, and I didn't think it was a time to just let all the food consume my every thought. It was about eating when I was hungry, enjoying delicious homemade foods, and respecting my body. I knew that the last thing my metabolism needed was a giant binge completely off the charts especially since I have been working the past several weeks to repair it.
And what happened? My body thanked me for that. I woke up each morning still feeling lean and not bloated at all. My stomach didn't hurt and I woke up feeling refreshed, and ready for breakfast. My metabolism was able to handle all the foods that I threw at it, and I'm really excited about that!
I know that this is late as it's after Christmas but this is all a learning process for me. This is the first Christmas that I've been able to really enjoy since about 2011. While some part of me regrets that the past couple years I haven't paid my proper respect to the true meaning of the season, another bigger part of me is thankful that I learned it now in my younger years.
I wasn't sure what would and wouldn't work since this Christmas was kind of a trial for me. I put what I've been learning into practice, and it ended up working out! I wanted to be sure how it would go before I'd share any of it with you guys, if that makes sense at all. I never want to share stuff unless I know from personal experience or from a reliable source that I trust!
So, in essence here are my main points about this post:
1. Listen to your body and try to eat only when you're hungry
2. Eat lower carb and fats when you can
3. Drink your water!
4. Try to get some lean protein in at some point
5. Have smaller portions so you can have a wider variety of foods
6. Remember the reason why you are gathering together with your loved ones. Hint: it's not about the food :)
To end this post, keep in mind that today is a new day and a chance to get back to the normal routine!
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