Getting Through the Holidays AFTER GBS...

After my horrible Thanksgiving Day experience, I have decided to be more mindful of what I am facing during Christmas this year. I am not preparing the meal, much like when I was at my parent's for Thanksgiving.   I have thinking and rethinking how I am going to get through this.  Thankfully, I only have to spend one night away from home which makes things easier to plan for than extended time away.  So what are some things to keep in mind?

1. Holidays are loaded with carbs!!! Make sure that you load up on protein bars, water, protein based foods like beans, cottage cheese, yogurt.  I failed to pack these in a cooler and bring them with me. Lesson learned!!!


2. Avoid picking or grazing...  It is much easier to do this because of the amount of food that there is at any family get together.   Instead keep a set schedule and drink plenty of fluids if you are traveling

3. Don't avoid exercising,  What I did was walk daily and try to do "some" weight bearing exercise.  This helps avoid being bored enough to eat.

4. Keep yourself busy with a book or music instead of obsessing about what you can't eat and the stress of it all.

5. Find healthy alternatives to the traditional foods.  Many websites have low fat and low cal versions of holiday favorites.  The goal is to either maintain or lose weight NOT to gain any!!! Easier said than done, I know!

6. Focus on the future not where you have been, so if you hit a plateau or gain a pound or two, you can move on instead of living in the past stifled by guilt and shame.

7. Remember it is ok to focus on YOU.  People who know you, know that you need the support of everyone nd that you might even need a push to do something nice for yourself.  This prevents stress eating.

These are only few tips of how to work through the holiday season.  Keep in mind that the main reason why we see resolutions so close to the ending of the major holidays, is due to the guilt we feel from having had indulged the last three months. For more tips, please consider signing up for my friend Ali Holman's website: http://coreconditioningtraining.com/  I swear by it!!!

Have a wonderful holiday!!! And Merry Christmas!!!