I started the holiday season being in the best shape of my life. Proud of my progress, I was determined to not let anything get in the way of my fitness goals. And then… our social life got a bit busy. My family and I have been invited to a lot more parties this year than we have in the past. I absolutely LOVE it! But of course, where there are parties, there’s also party food. Thankfully, we’ve surrounded ourselves with people who are committed to good health, so that helps a bit. However, being in a competition performance (3D) meal plan created by my awesome coach (the one and only David Esparza, Sr.), doesn’t make going to parties easy. At one point I turned to my hubby and said “remind me to not be prepping for a competition for our next holiday season”. I even wrote to one of my friends one day and told her that it was getting a bit hard. I wanted to partake in the wine and pecan pie. I wanted chips and some of the awesome guacamole and salsa that I prepared for one of the parties. I kept asking myself if it would be even possible to go through this holiday season with all the celebrations while staying on track with my fitness.
I admit that while part of me wanted to go wild with the party food, part of me was afraid of undoing all the progress. My training is about to get even more interesting and intense. I’m in no way willing to start at the same place I started in 2014. But the temptation to eat more than I should kept peeking its ugly head. And yet, here I am today, having not gained weight during these past few days. I nailed it! I survived my inner bitch. The one that tells me to go crazy and eat. I focused on loving the part of me that wants to stay true to my meal plan and training. I remained true to my commitment to be in a space of joy. For me, that joy comes from feeling healthy, fit, and surrounding myself with people I love.
Since the holidays aren’t completely over yet, I decided to write a few tips on how to stay on track with your fitness:
- Prepare your meals ahead of time. This to me has been a HUGE lifesaver.
- Try your best to not skip workouts. I don’t know about you, but I’m a lot more committed to eating healthy when I workout.
- Eat before going to a party. Bring some of the foods you prepared ahead of time with you if you need to. Yes, I’ve done this too.
- Drink LOTS of water. Staying hydrated will help you eat less.
- If you do allow yourself a treat, do it in moderation. I had 1 tsp of a taste of a dessert, about 3 chips and a bit of salsa… just to take the edge off.
If you do happen to have more than you intended to at a party, then simply do the following:
- Drink water, drink tons of it. Weight gain after a few treats is more due to higher sodium levels and water retention than anything.
- Have greens and protein. By protein I mean, real protein. Not a protein shake. Eat chicken, turkey, salmon, bison, etc. Healthy sources of protein that you chew.
- Workout. I don’t care how tired you feel. Jump back and get back on track with it.