Holiday Weight Gain - Tips for December Damage Control

The holiday season is in full swing.  Occasions to make merry are aplenty.  And temptation to deviate from your nutrition and exercise plan lurks around every corner.  In fact, it’s Sunday morning and I’m currently suffering from the aftereffects of a rather indulgent Saturday.  Yes, fitness professionals fall prey to the holidays too!

I think it is more a question of when you will fall prey rather than if.  Unless you are much stronger than most, you are going to break from your clean eating and perfectly timed exercise.  The trick is getting back on track quickly.

But getting back on the wagon the day after a slip can be a challenge.  I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.  Just a little bit of this and a touch of that wouldn’t hurt today would it?  I’m already off track, I might as well just take advantage of it for a while longer.  Maybe I can just ease back into my regular routine later.  I could put my training off until tomorrow, right?  It’s a slippery slope that we’ve all been on before.  What you might not know is how much of it is due to the hormonal aftereffects of everything you pumped into your body the day before.  And it takes a monumental act of will to press the reset button and get your engine running right again.

The real danger is to just let yourself go through the holidays with the idea that you will make everything right in the new year.  And if you are a guy, you might even listen to that little devil on your shoulder who whispers the suggestion that December would be a good time to embark on the mythical “mass gaining phase” (in other words - the “let yourself get really fat” phase).  I should know, I came within a hairs breadth of succumbing to this very idea this morning in the shower.

Chances are you won’t be losing much weight for the next month or so.  But you can put a plan in place to ensure that you limit the damage as much as possible.  A few simple rules can help you weather the storm and come out on the other side of the holidays ready to forge ahead rather than spending time lamenting all that you have squandered.

Tips For December Damage Control

90/10

This one is pretty straightforward, eat impeccably 90% of the time, do whatever you want with the other 10%.  Generally, this should keep you from doing too much harm over the season of mirth (and girth). 

What don’t you eat?

Usually I find it is most helpful to concentrate on the things that you do and should eat.  But there are certain times when you must concentrate on what you don’t and won’t eat.  During the 90% of your time that you are “eating clean” over the holidays you should make some resolutions about what you will not indulge in.  For example, if your weakness is cheese or macadamia nuts, strike them from your list.  Even though they are whole and healthy foods, you have to be ultra-disciplined during your 90% right now because the other 10% is likely to be a total washout.

On/off switch

At most times, the “all things in moderation” motto is entirely applicable.  But when you are trying to execute a damage control strategy, I believe in the “all or nothing” approach.  So when you are not indulging, you are eating perfectly.  Make a plan and stick to it.  The simplest strategy is to go paleo when you are in your 90% phase.  That means if it did not recently walk, run, swim, fly, or if it’s not green and from the ground , don’t eat it.   Pretty simple, huh?  But not necessarily easy.

Law of averages

This one takes a little more calculation, but if you like running numbers it can be useful.  For those who keep track of their daily caloric needs, averaging out daily calories can be a valid approach.  If you generally need 2400 kCal to maintain a stable body composition, and you estimate that you ate 5000 kCal on the day of your office Christmas party, then you would have to eat somewhere in the ballpark of 2000 kCal the day before and 1500 kCal for the two following days in order to maintain a stable intake and avoid fat gain.  Obviously this is just a crude example, but it gives you the idea.  Of course, fat gain is a lot more complex than just calories, but calories definitely do still count!

Partition your calories

This is not a science, but if you train intensely before eating you increase the chances that at least some of those building blocks you are consuming will be used to replenish muscle stores and rebuild tissues instead of going straight for the fat cells.  If you pig out, you’ll still store lots of it as fat, but every little trick counts.  So if you know you are going to be indulging later in the day, try to schedule one of your more intense training sessions for the hours directly preceding the event.

Hit the reset button

One final strategy that I sometimes use is Intermittent Fasting.  The other day, I fasted for the first time in about a month or so.  And it was much tougher than it was when I was doing it regularly!  So if you are not used to it, I don’t necessarily suggest that you start now.  Wait until you stabilize your diet in the new year and then give it a try if you are interested.  But if you have played around with it in the past, the holidays might be a good time to use it to good advantage.  I prefer the 24 hour fasting approach promoted by Brad Pilon.  Not only can it help you with the Law of averages, but it can also provide you with a reset for your hormonal balance and with a break for your digestive system.  But be careful in how you break your fast, or you can start a whole new swing of hormonal mayhem in very short order.

Even with a solid strategy in place, you may still gain a few pounds of fat over the holidays.  Don’t beat yourself up about it.  Enjoy the season.  Enjoy the food and drink.  Enjoy the company.  Stressing out about weight gain will just make you gain more weight (there are hormonal and biochemical mechanisms at play behind that statement that I won’t get into here…).  As long as you keep things reasonable, you’ll quickly drop the extra weight once you get back on a regular schedule of exercise and solid nutrition.

Comments

[Sagan]

These are some great tips. It's also useful to figure out what you really WANT- if I have a treat and decide that it's not worth it, then why bother eating the whole thing? I'd rather indulge in what I'm really going to enjoy completely.

I also like how you say not to beat ourselves up about it. We all slip up a bit at this time of the year, and as long as we are aware of that and can get right back on track when the excitement is over then we are good to go:)