How to Prepare for Holiday Eating when You're Trying to Lose Weight

It's always easier to solve a problem before it becomes a problem. I'm an advocate of having a plan in place for anything and everything that needs one. That said... let's create a plan for how to eat before a holiday meal kicks in.

If you're not the disciplined type then there is a chance you'll overeat during the holidays. If you've been on a weight loss program or self-constructed diet then you may use this chance to splurge a bit; and that's fine. I believe everyone should have a cuisine splurge every once in a while, as long as it's not every day.

Depending on what your weight loss goals are we can tackle this one of three ways: weight loss before the holiday, weight loss after the holiday, and simply maintaining during the holidays. I'll discuss each of these briefly.

Focusing on weight loss before the holiday

This may be the most disciplined group of all. Knowing that holiday food may not come without its share of calories and goodness you may want to tackle holiday eating with some extra stringent rules a week or so before the holiday comes. Maybe for you it's cutting out certain things or replacing certain food items, whatever it is don't go the "cold-turkey" route right before the holiday... you're setting yourself for overeating by doing that.

Whenever I knew I was about to partake in good sweets what I would do is focus on not drinking sugary beverages two weeks beforehand. I'd also do my best not to eat anything I considered sweets within a week or two of that event. That way I'm not setting myself up for extra calories and I'm getting my body ready to enjoy the sweets that I've disciplined myself to stay away from during that time. I'm not going to go overboard when the time comes, but I'll be able to enjoy myself without any guilt or condemnation that I'm partaking of this food.

You may also consider a little more exercise prior to that holiday meal as well. Chances are it's something you wanted to do anyway, so why not start now?

Focusing on weight loss after the holiday

The damage has been done and now you're working hard to burn those extra calories that you gained over the holiday season. Some might say you need to cut out an extra 200-500 calories per day until you get back to pre-holiday weight, or that you need to exercise an extra 15-20 minutes until you've burned it off, but that's not realistic. If you didn't have a consistent exercise regiment before the holiday, you're not going to just jump into one afterwards. If you haven't been eating right before the holiday, you're not likely going to all of a sudden forsake everything for the cause of health and wellness.

To focus on weight loss after a holiday, ease back into your regiment. You may have gained a pound or two, and that's okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I recommend holidays to enjoy yourself as far as what you eat. It's only a day or two of eating a certain way; just remember to keep it in balance and not to go overboard. This is the advantage of having health and fitness as a lifestyle and not a program... when you deviate it becomes the exception and not the rule.

Focusing on maintaining weight during the holidays

You're not changing anything before the holiday and you aren't doing anything extra after the holiday... if this is you, then you have a few options:

1) Eat healthier during the holiday. This may mean fixing your own meals while everyone else is eating the traditional holiday fare.

2) Stick to your regular routine and do only a little more to compensate for abnormal eating. It could be something you do that day or before a meal.

3) If you're cooking, cook in a way that everyone is eating healthier. Basically with this option you're in control of what's going in not only your system, but everyone else's as well.

4) Snack throughout the holiday while the main meal is being prepared so that you don't overeat at lunch or dinner. It is recommend that we eat smaller meals more times instead of three bigger meals anyway, so by snacking you're taking the edge off and you won't be as hungry during the main meal. Your body will process the food better as well since you're not cramming it with food like you're traveling to a non-food country.

5) Drink water more during the holidays than normal. Drinking water is a way to make yourself think you've eaten well when you haven't eaten anything at all. I've heard you should drink at least 64 ounces of water in a day. As we continue to strive toward that, we should do what we can in that area and drink more water consistently anyway.

Whatever route you take, remain consistent and you'll see the pounds fall off. Continue to eat right, exercise regularly and it's okay to splurge every once in a while. Enjoy the holiday and enjoy your food.