I can't believe Thanksgiving is 2 days away! This year has absolutely flown by.
Seeing that it’s my 1st holiday season where I won’t be on prep, I’ve been thinking about how I want to approach the next 4 weeks of being repeatedly punched in the face by the amazing food that comes with Thanksgiving, holiday parties, and Christmas.
Depending on the day, I have very limited to absolutely ZERO self control around food. Being in the off season and with no competition in sight until late 2020, one of my goals is to build but maintain…ideally build muscle and maintain a consistent level of body fat. Considering that my last show, I was down to 12% body fat, I think maintaining around 18-19% in the off season is a good spot. Seeing that I’m already around there, the goal is to not add a ton of fat by eating like shit over the holidays. The holiday season is no excuse to throw everything and all I have worked for out the window. This applies to every body…not just me, not just competitors, but EVERYONE. That being said, I will keep my goals at the front and I will not go crazy over the holidays…this is my accountability.
Though I will not be 100% on my ‘diet’ over the next week, I plan to stick to it as much as possible. Wednesday I am traveling back to Western Mass for the weekend to be with my family. I am bringing the food I prepped along with me.
Yes, I will break for Thanksgiving and other gatherings.
Yes, I will break to grab lunch with friends/family.
Yes, I will break to enjoy a glass of wine at dinner.
But everything else around those meals will be on point. Yes, I will be flexible through the holidays, I will indulge a bit, but I’m not going to allow myself to fall completely off the gain train 😝. Thanksgiving will be a solid cheat meal, but I’ll be right back on my meals the next day.
My plan going into Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings…
- Continue to track in MyFitnessPal. This can be tedious, but I’m a macro-based person. It honestly freaks me out a bit when I don’t have some idea of what I’m hitting for macros each day. I plan to throw the pie(s) into MFP first and then see what I have left for macros and plug & play from there.
- Have a glass of water with me at all times…and maybe a glass of wine too. But water helps to make you feel more full = less likely to stuff your face with food.
- Don’t hang around the kitchen/table of food. Walk away from it, go hang out elsewhere and socialize with family/friends.
- Have meals prepared for the next day. If I have food prepared, I will eat it. I won’t be scrounging around the kitchen trying to find something to eat and then overeating/snacking on stuff I shouldn’t be.
A benefit of traveling for the holidays…I don’t have to cook/bake. Which means none of that shit is coming back home with me!
Whatever your goals may be at this time, keep them a priority and apply the strategies I’ve listed above to help yourself survive the holidays this year!
Happy Thanksgiving!🦃
