I just LOVE the holidays!! Don’t you? Family time is my favorite and watching my kiddos youthful spirit and first time joys is so heartwarming.  But let’s be honest if you are trying to stay fit or accomplish weight loss it can feel a bit overwhelming with all the idol time, desserts, and carb loaded goodies.  I’m here to tell you it is possible to both enjoy the holidays and stay on track with your weight loss and fitness goals. These top 7 tips will have you looking forward to your party and leaving happy, satisfied, and proud!

1. Eat a filling Breakfast and Lunch – Do not starve yourself as prep!! The hungrier you are the more likely you are to make poor food choices.  Fuel your body for success!
2. Hydrate– Be sure to drink plenty of water this will help deter mindless eating and help to keep you full and satisfied. If you are new to water and often find yourself saying things like “I don’t like water” or if you just want some diversity.  You can spruce up your water by heating it up and adding lemon and a drop of honey or you can keep it cool. Any citrus is a nice additive to water. Herbal teas are nice as well- place a tea bag in your water bottle before adding your water.  I like to let it sit for 2-5 minutes and then remove the tea bag.
3. Avoid “Grazing”- Decide what times you plan to eat. Keep your eating opportunities to your meals. Commit to those times and be done (“dinner and done”).  Mindless grazing is hard to keep track of and keeps us from our goals.
4. Prioritize your Treats- Let’s be real.  Going to a holiday party and telling yourself you cannot have a treat is setting you up for failure. After your meal browse the treat table and pick 2 or 3 treats that you just really want to try.  This doesn’t mean the whole apple pie, but a small slice. Savor each bite. Allow yourself to really enjoy the treat.
5. Be Active- Get busy doing something to get your endorphins up and leave you feeling good from your healthy distraction.  You can get your workout in before the party or get busy at the party with fun games or toys. Play with the kids, start a fun football game… my family is very competitive so we always have some type of relay that we just make up on the spot.  There are a ton of hilarious holiday relays.
6. How do you want to feel when you leave?- Do you want to feel stuffed or happy, satisfied, and proud?  Think about this now and before you head to the party. This will keep you focused.  No one has ever shared with me that they felt good when stuffed. In fact many tell me that the guilt lingers into the following days and spirals into poor choice after poor choice.  Choose happy, satisfied, and proud. Having a goal crushing party doesn’t mean leaving starved and hangry either. Balance will give you the biggest reward both in the way you feel and the readings on your scale.
7. Incorporate Healthy Food Swaps- When preparing dishes for the holiday swap ingredients in your favorite dishes or if you aren’t susie homemaker google search clean eating recipes.  I have swapped Greek Yogurt for mayo in dressings. Veggie noodles have been a success even with the kiddos. And Cauliflower is all the rage right now, including cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes (scared of change- try ½ cauliflower and ½ potato).  Deserts are super fun to switch up because fruits with various spices are YUUUMMY!- baked apples with cinnamon are an all-time favorite that my mom used to make.

Remember what the holidays are all about.  It’s not about the food or the gifts despite the social message.  The holidays are about your faith and family. Enjoy those things and spend most of your energy focusing on the truly important things. Be sure to stay positive.  If things do not go as planned, don’t beat yourself up (this does no good). Kindness matters in your weight loss and fitness journey, it keeps us realistic and on track.  Stay focused on your weight loss and health goal and the weight loss and health will follow. Happy Holidays!!