Tis the season of parties, social gatherings, family time, cookie baking, pie eating, gingerbread baking, and hot chocolate drinking! There is really no other time of year where it is okay to eat your weight in Christmas Cookies or drink it in gallons of hot chocolate (with lots of marshmallows of course). This time of year it is “okay” to do those things because it only happens once a year … right??? That’s at least what we like to tell ourselves.
After Christmas is New Years, and after New Years is the Super Bowl, which has basically turned into a holiday. So, how are you going to make it from now until February!? That is quite a long stretch of endurance! But, you are fully capable of staying on track! Here are some tips and tricks of surviving the the season of eggnog chugging and cookie gorging.
1. Have a Plan
Make a plan/goal for your weight loss and write it down! Do you want to wear a certain dress for Christmas? Do you want be at a certain weight? Do you want to impress your relatives you have not seen since last year? Whatever your goal is write it down and how you will accomplish it. Post it on your fridge, your mirror, in your car, and on your desk at work. Don’t lose sight of it so you can constantly remind yourself of your goals. JOURNAL your food! It will help you stick to your plan … do it!
2. Find an accountability partner
Find or make a friend on the diet or someone you can just to help you stay on track and not cheat. Have them call you every day and ask about your plan. Or, call them when you are feeling the urge to cheat and go off track. This person should be someone who you can trust and who will support you. Don’t pick a person you know who will encourage you to give into that chocolate craving … “it’s just once.” That “one time” can lead you down a path of a Christmas Cookie Coma and you do not want to go there! Choose someone who will tell you the truth; not just what you want to hear.
3. Be prepared
This somewhat goes along with making a plan. When you go to parties, there will be food there you cannot eat. Mentally prepare yourself ahead of time to say no to those foods. Bring food with you. Save your ‘X’ product of choice and eat it at the party. Something that helps me to stay on track is to repeat a mantra to myself. For example, as I was doing p90x this morning, when I would get tired during a set I would repeat “skinny jeans” over and over because one of my goals after having a baby is to fit comfortably into my ‘skinny’ jeans again! It reminded me to push harder and keep going!
Also, plan ahead for meals. If you are the one doing most of the cooking, you don’t have to cook all the bad stuff. I’m sure your friends/family could eat healthier too and that will benefit them and you! Or if you are going to be cooking say sweet potato pie, then before you even start tell yourself this is not for you! Bring your celery sticks with you to dinner and enjoy them as you eat them while wearing a smaller size clothes then you used too and remember that is better than that one piece of pie.
4. Think Long Term
What is your ultimate goal? Why? Do you want to extend that goal by a month or two because you did not have self control over the Holidays? Think about the money wasted, your time wasted, the catch up work you will have to do, the difficulty of getting back on track, the failed goals, and ultimately, the set back to your healthy self. The peppermint mocha is not going away anytime soon; it will still be here next year and the year after that. Your health and weight loss is more important than a fleeting moment of temptation.
5. Stay positive
In those times where you do give in, do not beat yourself up. Recognize your mistake and move on! Do not miss your next coaching appointment or stop journaling because you feel ashamed. Own up to your mistake and keep moving forward. You can do this and we will help you along the way!
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