No one has to live with regret during the holiday fun, don’t allow your old habits to come back and bite you, instead consider planning out your festivities in advance, don’t change your workout habits on the account of turkey and apple pie, make people aware of your progress for support, if things get to be hard, consider using one or more of the 10 suggestions.

This is a blog collaboration written by Shay-lon (Fitnessgrad) and Jen (Gojenbefit). You can learn more about both of them below:

Hello everyone, my name is Shay-lon. I am the writer behind https://fitness9555.wordpress.com/, I am a fitness/health blogger, degree in exercise science and working on my personal training certification. I don’t like telling people what to do with their bodies and mind, I would much rather cater to my audience and clients with helpful suggestions and providing a starting point. I struggled with body shaming throughout my life without actually knowing what it was. My story is upside down, because I was considered “thin” and that just goes to show no matter your body type, someone out there won’t like it. I provide a means for people to feel this internal boost of confidence, I want men and women to focus on having a positive outlook on their bodies & with that I also want men and women to have a positive mindset. “Nothing will be perfect, I know this, I just want to know that I made you smile, walk with a hint of confidence and not be afraid to be who you are” -Shay-lon Moss

I am Jen. I’m the creator behind https://gojenbefit.com/ which was developed about 1 year and a half ago, to document my weight loss journey. I have loss 95 lbs, going from 242 lbs to 147 lbs.  I am a fitness blogger and AFAA/NASM Certified Group Fitness Instructor. Now my new journey is to help as many people as possible jumpstart their weight loss journey and/or lifestyle. On https://gojenbefit.com/ you can find weight loss tips, tricks, and overall wellness content. I post new content every Wednesday, check it out. Also, get your free weight loss and goal setting downloadable worksheets in “The Library”

Here are 10 Suggestions on How to Avoid the Holiday Plump

Suggestion by Shay-lon (Fitnessgrad) 

1. Don’t stack your plate high with food, think about it, if it doesn’t fit on the plate properly, probably something you can wait for later. Nothing wrong with going back for seconds, but no reason to stack a plate high (thinking you will need to finish the food when you might be full)
2. Don’t change your workout habits, if your someone who works out 4 times a week, don’t change it because of the holidays, plan your workouts around your holiday plans; stick with your routine (don’t make excuses)
3. Have an accountability partner. The holidays can be tough, actually the toughest period of time for people who want to stay within their fitness/health goals. You might have gone this long with no accountability partner because you didn’t need one, you kept yourself disciplined. During the holidays everything you worked hard for can go out the window because you are focused on having a good time and don’t think nothing of the choices you make, that is usually when you make decisions that you regret later on. I would say having someone who helps to keep you accountable will be a life saver! Trust me, not everything can be done alone.
4. Watch your alcohol consumption, you don’t need a drink to have a good time. Although if you drink wine and take shots like I do, then you will know that you need to have yourself a limit so that you don’t go overboard. What is a party if your blacked out in the bathroom? Lol
5. Eat until you’re full, not beyond that. I say this for many reasons. On the holidays some people are social eaters, they will eat even when not hungry as long as others are doing the same thing. Secondly, forcing yourself to eat more food after you are full is not healthy and can cause issues. Thirdly, many of you will have more than one party to attend on the same day, it is okay to eat at the parties, but you don’t have to eat at both parties (you are not rude for not wanting to eat at one party because you ate at the other), it is okay to say “no thank you”, some people feel obligated to eat at every event because they don’t want to come off “rude”. Truth be told, most people will understand once you explain to them that you have eaten previous to their party.

Suggestions By Jen (Gojenbefit) 

1. Invites: Monitor the invites that you accept. You don’t have to attend every holiday festivity that comes around.
2. Decide: If you are going to attend a party or holiday festivity make sure to decide what you will eat BEFORE you arrive and stick to it.
3. Get Active: During the holiday sessions it get a little chilly and the last thing any of us want to do is get ready and hit the gym in the cold. I suggest a at home workout DVD or create your own circuit. For example : 10 squats, 10 jumping jacks, 10 mountain climbers (Do each 5 times at your own personal pace ) you just got in a mini workout in the comfort of your own home
4. BYOF: Bring your own food. It’s okay if you attend an even and bring something you can snack on so that you don’t indulge in all the goodies that are available (you can have some but NOT all lol)
5. Leave some: If you count calories make sure to leave some calories available so that you can have some goodies at the holiday parties. For example: Your calorie intake is 1500 and you know you are attending a party tonight. Eat 1,000 calories throughout the day and leave the 500 for grandma’s famous pie or dad’s secret stuffing.

 

 

 

Here’s Our experiences with the Holidays and how do we handle it

 

Shay- Lon’s Experience for the Holidays & how she handles it:

I got lucky with a big family, plenty of food and multiple gatherings during the holidays. I have to admit, it isn’t normally a happy ending when I am finished eating, I tend to pack my plate with the goods, come back for more, and drown myself in god knows what kind of drinks. I typically don’t think twice about what I am eating and why, I just fall asleep and wake up the next morning regretting my decision to fall face first into a pot of mac & cheese and turkey, licking the leftover apple pie from my fingers. Seriously, I am “that” chick on the holidays. I “used” to be anyways, followed by my obsession to check the mirror to see how much weight went to my stomach, it is not a life to live, let me tell you. I find it strange that this year, I am going to do things completely different, I mean last year I said this same exact thing and ended up with a hangover. Lol.  Hmm something tells me I am on a losing streak, but don’t give up on me now, I am only human. This year I have things planned out and I will hold myself accountable, I have gotten better at saying “no” and have done a better job at watching what I eat since I do IIFYM. I am going to handle it like a “boss”, and I’m not going to regret my decisions, I will watch my portions on my plate, be more attentive to what is in my cup, slow down on the apple pie, eat at a decent time, include my workouts on the holidays, and allow my family to know how far I have come so they can support my decisions in my eating habits and exercise. I would say that is all a great start, so join me this holiday, and let’s get through this together. I have faith in you! Have faith in me too!

 

Jen’s Experience for the Holidays & how she handles it:

During the holidays it is hard for me to not indulge in the sweets because I work in an office where people are constantly baking goodies all year around but it triples during the holidays and I am a sucker for anything sweet. I have had my few shares of too many sweets, but I negate it with staying active and packing my own lunches. I usually pop in a workout DVD when I don’t want to head to the gym. There are days I wake up, shower and head to the gym because if I don’t do it that way, then I just won’t go. There are times when I pack my own lunches but sticking to it is the hard part, I am a true believer that if you calculate your calories wisely you can have what you packed for lunch and still leave room for if you want a small brownie. I make a huge effort to log my food so I can know what I have eaten and to see what else I can have. I hope that at least 1 of our suggestions is useful to you.

Best of Luck!

If you have read this far………..

Giveaway time:

Answer this question in the comments. How do you avoid gaining extra pounds during the holidays?

We will pick a winner and email you a $5 e-Starbucks card! By Tuesday October 26tth, 2016