The holiday season is upon us, and that can mean a veritable death sentence for your diet if you aren’t careful!

So what can you do to avoid a massive derailment of your personal fitness train?

How can you brave the diabolical onslaught of Doctor Mashed Potato and his evil sidekick Gravy-Boy?

How Do You Survive the Holiday Intact?!?

First and foremost it is important to remember that is okay to enjoy yourself; having a commitment to a reasonably healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to eat like a monk and forgo all edible pleasure.

Unless you are an athlete, or on a strict diet due to an upcoming competition of some sort, all you need to do is remember to just moderate what you cram in your pie-hole.

The goal should be to enjoy yourself and make it out of the giant calorie-fest with both your waistline and relationships with family members still intact.

Behind Enemy Lines

I find that often the hardest part of the family holiday get-together is not necessarily the menu, but the absolute disregard for your personal health choices from other members of your family.

I don’t know what it is about someone trying to be responsible with what they put in their bodies, but it really seems to upset those who aren’t as vigilant on the health front.

Personally, I think that so many people know they should eat better and when someone else shows the willpower to do so in their presence it makes them uncomfortable. Rather than make the effort to build themselves up they take the much easier route of tearing you down.

I don’t believe that this is usually a conscious decision, but it is a very common occurrence nonetheless; and a frustrating one at that!

No-one wants to get into a discussion with their rotund Aunt Bertha about her butter-crusted apple pie…

“No Aunt Bertha, your butter-crust sugar apple gut-bomb is delicious.

Of course I like your cooking. I just don’t need to eat it…

Please stop crying.”

This is where the compromises and decisions need to come in!

Feel free to have a very small slice to meet social conventions (unless you have just managed to beat your sweet tooth into submission. Don’t reawaken that beast!) but make sure that if you know at the end of the day you are going to indulge that you prepare accordingly by avoiding other high sugar options earlier in the day.

No sodas, no candied yams, etc…

Just remember, willpower and portion control is the key to survive the holiday dinner (and avoiding the bread!) Pay attention to that and you should be golden!

One important point that I cannot stress enough though is this:

Making up for being bad, or un-planned cheating, is a flawed concept and a slippery slope that almost always leads to failures and setbacks!

Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to fall back into bad habits.

Don’t sabotage yourself!

Plan your meals for the day to accommodate the extra-large meal you know you are going have by eating a light breakfast/lunch full of fruit and colorful veggies (we all know the holiday meals are almost always nothing but protein and carbs) and by drinking a lot of water to help curb your appetite.

Don’t Be That Guy

If you are the one who has the joyous responsibility of hosting people for a holiday meal, remember to not be that holier-than-thou jackass who only serves tofu and wheatgrass; no matter how healthy and responsible you are personally trying to be.

Just as it is very annoying to have inconsiderate people trying to push their bad dietary choices on you when attending their get together, it is just as rude to try and keep Aunt Bertha from her favorite 5000 calorie green bean casserole when she is a guest in your home.

Cook all the tasty fare that people expect on the holidays, just make sure to include some healthier options as well!

Have a lot of colorful veggies available, keep sauces on the side so people can regulate their intake, and just focus on your own portion control.

If you don’t think anyone else wants your avocado-tomato salad that you plan on eating, then just make enough for you and enjoy it as your family eats buttered and gravy covered mashed potatoes.

Remember, your commitment to health is a personal journey; lead by example, not through evangelization!

Who knows, maybe after Aunt Bertha sees that you can still eat tasty foods and be healthy she might want to start making a change for herself too!

So everyone out there in Jerd-land have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I sincerely hope you survive the holiday dinners before you with your commitment to a healthy lifestyle still intact. Let me know what you plan to eat during the holidays!

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