Happy Monday! This week is a little different because it is a holiday week! For many, that means your normal weekly schedule will be thrown off a bit. Aside from Thanksgiving Day, you may be traveling, visiting with friends and family, going out an extra night or two, or getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. In addition, if you have kids, they are home for an extra long weekend/holiday break! Believe me, I totally understand how busy life gets over the holidays! In the past, this is the very week that I would throw my healthy eating out the door. I had that typical excuse of "it's the holidays" and/or "I'm busy!" It wasn't until last year that I really had a thought out plan in place, which prevented me from gaining those few extra holiday pounds as well as feeling guilty about what I was eating. It really is possible to find a healthy balance of staying healthy and still indulging in your favorites, which brings me to this blog post! I thought I would share with you how I am personally going to handle this holiday week as well as share some friendly tips that you can use to help keep you on track.
Let's talk about our Thanksgiving dinner first. Many of us not only have 1 Thanksgiving meal to get through, but 2 or 3! Between your family, your in-laws, and then of course the leftovers, it's hard to get away from the turkey for a couple of days! In addition, you may be getting together with friends at some point.
The average amount of calorie intake that people have over Thanksgiving is CRAZY! Seriously, think about your dinner plate on Thanksgiving day. Your typical dinner may include a protein, veggie, and carb and if you think about that Thanksgiving dinner plate I'm guessing you have double or triple in addition to some dessert. Yikes!! So, what do I suggest? For starters, let's mind your portions! 21 Day Fix trainer, Autumn Calabrese made this fantastic video that explains how you should handle your portions on the big day. You don't have to be following the 21 Day Fix to do this either! You can clearly see that your favorites are still included on your plate. The key is starting with veggies!
I'm sure you have some sort of idea as to what will be served at your Thanksgiving dinner. It's important that you have a plan in place on what foods you are going to indulge in, and what foods you are going to pass on. Having said that, let's get one thing straight...I'm not saying that you should sit in the corner and eat celery all day. What I am saying is try to have a little give and take with your dinner plate. If you insist on having gravy on your turkey, then stick with a small amount. If you know you are going to have some pumpkin pie, then pass on the other desserts. As for the rolls, are they REALLY that important? I can think of a lot of other carbs that are more worth your while :)
So, how am I going to spend my Thanksgiving Day? In all honesty, it's not going to be THAT much different from any other day! Like every other week, I have my meal plan in place! Monday-Wednesday are 100% normal. On Thursday, my morning and afternoon will be like any other day and we will be heading to my in-laws for our Thanksgiving dinner. I am aware of the foods that will be served and know that it will not be a problem for me to fill my plate with veggies, followed by a portion of turkey and a sweet potato. Of course, I do plan to have a small slice of pumpkin pie as well :) Here's the thing. Eating healthy shouldn't be thought of as a punishment. When I eat good foods, I feel good! When I overeat, eat too many carbs, and indulge in too many sweets, I feel tired and bloated. To me, it's not worth it. Thanksgiving isn't about eating tons of food anyways! While I may be eating a tad more than my normal dinners, I have my plan, I'm sticking to it, and I'm not going to feel guilty about it!
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| 21 Day Fix Meal Plan |
Ok so what else is on the agenda and what do I recommend?
Work Out! The first thing on my list for Thursday morning includes getting my normal workout in. For me, that happens to be Pilates Fix, which I really enjoy! In addition, I plan to incorporate a little Ab Fix as well. If it is important to you, you will find a way to get it done! If you are traveling and staying at a hotel or with family, there are tons of different workouts you follow on Youtube or you could even bring your workout DVD's. My suggestion is to get up early, before everyone else, and get it done. Otherwise the craziness of the day will allow you to create excuses and run out of time. If you are staying at a hotel then you can hit up the gym! It could even be something as simple as going on a brisk walk. Just get moving!
Stay Hydrated! Remember, you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces. It should be no different on Thanksgiving. Making sure you are getting all of your water intake will also allow you to stay full, preventing you from overeating. BE CAUTIOUS of liquid calories! You can definitely enjoy your glass of wine, a beer, or whatever other drink you want, but in moderation! Remember to count that as part of your calorie in take for the day.
Drink your Shakeology! If you are a
Shakeology drinker then don't forget to drink your shake! I can't tell you how awesome it was to have Shakeology over the holidays last year! Aside from it being super healthy, it was nice to be able to have a shake for breakfast or even just as a snack to help curb my cravings. Although I don't have it planned, I may end up pulling out my
Pumpkin Pie or
Vanilla Fudge Shakeology recipe if I feel the sweet tooth coming on.
Focus on Socializing, not mindlessly eating! What do I mean by that? You know after dinner when you are standing around in the kitchen or sitting around the table talking with your family and the bowls/plates of sweets are sitting around? Isn't it so tempting to just dip your hand without even knowing it! That's called mindlessly eating. While socializing, be cautious of the food in front of you. I recommend passing it up all together.
Take a healthy side dish! Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving or heading to someone's house, make something that is healthy. Healthy doesn't me disgusting! In fact, chances are no one will even notice that they are eating a healthier version of something. Here are lots of different recipes you could try:
Come Friday morning I will be up and back at it again with my morning workout and possibly some Black Friday shopping! If you are going to be out and about, be mindful of your food choices. In fact, I'd recommend packing yourself a little cooler with some healthy snacks. Stay clear of the food courts!
I wish you a healthy and happy Holiday!!
I am going to be starting my Healthy Holiday Survival Group on Monday, December 1st. It will last through the 31st and provide you with tips for staying on track, support, accountability, motivation, recipes, and more! If you are looking for that extra accountability then make sure you fill out and submit the form below!
The requirements are 30 days of Shakeology, a Fitness program (optional but recommended), and the option to begin with the
3 Day Refresh, Think about it this way, don't wait until after the holidays to get started. You can actually lose a decent amount of weight between now and Christmas! Then, you can set new goals for the new year!
Labels: 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, 3 Day Refresh, Accountability, Clean Eating, Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe, Holiday Tips, Lisa Decker, Successfully Fit, Thanksgiving Tips
