as a health & fitness blogger, i get a lot of mass emails that contain tips & tricks related to the industry. since we are smack dab in the middle of the holidays, several of those emails are geared toward “surviving” the holiday season.
surviving? a christmas party? i didn’t know a christmas party was equivalent to warfare and surely wasn’t aware i needed to prep myself for survival. last time i checked, nobody died from an evening of egg nog, cocktail weenies, and christmas cookies. (okay, you got me, i’ve never checked. but i will bet on it.)
i get it. the holidays are a time where we are bombarded with social events, all which contain lots of delicious, less-than-healthy things to eat. i suppose it can make people nervous. they worry about over-eating and gaining weight. but that’s really not what they need to worry about. this quote says it best:
isn’t it so true? the world gets hyped up about fretting overeating during the holidays.. but that’s, like, a month out of the year. there are 11 other months to focus on healthy eating and fitness!
a lot of times marshall tells me: “just be a human!” when i am doing things that.. are.. well.. kinda ridiculous. for example, when i am trying to open a package with my teeth. he hands me a pair of scissors and tells me, “just be a human!” or when i throw something away in an already overflowing garbage can and grumble about it, he tells me to be a human and take the garbage out. those are just a couple examples.. but he tells me this on a regular basis, it’s pretty funny.. and i can be pretty ridiculous.
but when i read the latest of my never-ending “survive the holidays!” emails, i thought to myself… “people just need to be human!” coincidentally, i scrolled past this quote on instagram almost immediately after:
isn’t it true? we are meant to live our lives and enjoy our lives and not flip out about a holiday party or two. i mean, if you are going to 13 parties this holiday season, maybe don’t take my advice.. but remember:
you gotta look at the overall picture. if the majority of the time you are eating healthfully and putting effort into your fitness, enjoying yourself at holiday parties isn’t going to undo all your hard work. i know, i know.. this is a “healthy” living blog and i am sure in the past i have given tips JUST like these listed below. but part of being truly healthy is being OK with going out and not caring about how many calories are going into your mouth at any given moment. it’s healthy to let loose. to enjoy your food. it’s normal. it’s human.
i thought it would be fun to edit the latest email i received, my thoughts in red!
· Have a snack at home first: Never go to a party hungry because the minute you walk through the door, you’ll be more likely to stuff your face with unhealthy options. So have a small snack before to keep you satiated. no. don’t have a snack at home, because then you will not only have eaten the snack, you will also eat all the delicious stuff at the party, too, and then you will have eaten double what you would have had you skipped that snack. we all know spinach artichoke dip with pita bread is way more fun to eat than a rice cake, so just skip the snack and eat sensibly at the party, keep your portions in check but don’t worry about showing up to the party already full. let’s face it: you are still going to want that sausage stuffed mushroom whether you had a snack or not.
· You don’t have to avoid sweets – just be smart about it: Check out the buffet table before digging in, and pick the foods that you like most or want to try. Allow yourself one treat you’re dying to have, then, fill the rest of your plate with healthy options like fresh veggies and hummus dip to fill you up. okay, this is pretty solid advice. but when there are 18 treats.. it’s hard to pick ONE. i think having two or three won’t kill you.
· Use a dessert plate for your main course: Using a smaller plate is the perfect way to make sure your portions aren’t getting out of hand. You can always go back for seconds if you really want to. Be mindful when eating so you can feel when you’re getting full. just NO. use a normal-sized plate like the rest of the crowd. it’s okay to eat a normal-sized meal. you are a human, not a bird.
· Chat away from the food: Congregating near the buffet table makes you more likely to eat even after you’re full since you’re surrounded by food. Instead, grab a friend and head to a spot where you can take the time to enjoy your meal without being easily tempted to reach for more. more often than not, food is within reach anywhere you stand at a party. once again, be a human, not an animal. if you have already eaten and you are full, just stop. i know for some it isn’t as easy as JUST. STOP. EATING… but the more you practice stopping eating when you’re full, the easier it will become. the more you distance yourself from the food and look at it as an “off limits” thing that you have to stay away from, the harder it will be to actually stay away from it.
· Opt for virgin drinks: Most drinks come loaded with extra calories so try to limit your intake. If you must, alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. let’s see…if i am going to have a drink, it’s going to have alcohol. otherwise i am going to drink water—why . a virgin grayhound (my favorite cocktail) is 110 calories. a regular one (with the alcohol) is 175 calories. i don’t think it’s the 65 calories of vodka that is weighing me down. i would rather have a couple real cocktails and then water the rest of the night than alternate between drinking virgin (but still calorie-laden) cocktails and regular ones all night.
****************************************
so.. yeah.. don’t stress out so much about the holiday parties. focus more on the other 350-some odd days of the year. and enjoy yourself. and remember, just be a human.
full disclosure: i used to be one of those have-a-protein-shake-before-the-party and carry-protein-bars-in-my-purse-to-avoid-the-snacks kind of person. i would chew gum to avoid the chips and salsa or bread basket when eating out. back in 2008 when i did body for life, i think i was a little crazy about the whole stick-to-the-meal-plan mentality. i would take protein powder and almond milk and a suitcase of healthy “clean” snacks on vacation—to all-inclusive resorts, for crying out loud!! if you read blogs like mine, i am sure you have also been this way.. or are possibly still this way. it’s fine, to each her own, but personally i am real glad that i no longer worry about what i am going to eat and when. yes, meticulous planning yields incredible results.. but it’s also not very fun (for me.) and if it’s not fun.. then what’s the use? you can see more on my thoughts about this here.
Qs~
1. i know some may not agree with me. tell me, what is your approach to food & fitness during the holidays?
2. what is your favorite holiday party bite? and drink?
xo. janetha g.
Next Comments →
Love your commentary! It’s not even a week into December and I am already SICK of all those emails and blog posts. I was actually really angry by an article Mind Body Green posted yesterday essentially suggesting that every single holiday dish is poorly (food) combined leading to bad digestion, fatigue, and other problems. It just puts such a downer on the holidays and likely provides TOO much emphasis on food than necessary!
If you’re healthy year round I don’t think becoming extra-worried about the holidays is going to do anything for your health – good or bad!
Yes, just be a human already! This was a fun one. I’m in agreement…go for the drink if you want it. After all, it is the holidays!
love this!! we totally agree with you.
life is about living it and not stressing.
great words of advice! xoxo
A—– Freakin—MEN (AMEN)
Yes, I love this! So well said..
Holidays are for enjoyment- after all YOLO right..
You are an excellent role model Janetha!!
Such a good post, Janetha. I have struggled a lot over the past 10 years with food. I was NOT human. Right now, I do plan my meals during the week. I’m gone for 10 hours so it’s good to have my healthy breakfast, lunch and snacks. But a holiday party? Hell no, I’m not bringing my cooler of chicken breast! Honestly, I do it a very planned out diet 80% of the time. The other 20% is “fun”. That is a good ratio for me to perform in the gym the way I want and look the way I’m want. I’m sure I’d look “better” if I ate perfect ALL the time, but that is just not sustainable for me!!
Thank you so much for this! Perfect timing as just the past two days I feel as if I’m “over doing it” in the eating. Department. He’s the thing, for 9 months of the year (jan-sept) I am a Tri machine. I train, eat clean to fuel my workouts and sleep. Sure I have a drink here and there but it is 95% spot on good stuff. I am allowed to go hog wild the other 3 months of the year. I have to so that I am able to stick to my clean eats the rest of the year without feeling like I’m missing out. It’s cold out so I can layer up to hide the extra bulk I put on and who cares if my “fat pants” are a little snug. I know by feb I’ll be right back at fighting “weight”. It’s just nice to hear when other people are being, as you say human, and not healthy fitness robots.
Love ya lady
Ps during the holidays i love ALL OF THE BOOZE
I love you! Really… I just eat. :) Best holiday “advice” I’ve seen.
Oh my gosh, almost spit my wine out while reading.. I completely agree with all of these beliefs. I had been thinking lately about the first one and not going to a part hungry.. but I know me, and i know I will still eat the yummy food I don’t have everyday even if I had a snack, which I have everyday. So it’s better for me to forget the snack! This was excellent, though, and just what people need to read. I love the quote about the other months of the year!
this is great! i love you for putting this out there! :)
Yes! I totally agree especially the one about having a snack before the party (or dinner or whatever). Every time I’ve tried to do that, I’ve just ended up eating twice as much because I’m eating the snack and the food at the party.
Also, virgin drinks are boring.
ALL OF THIS.
It can totally be done without being, well, disordered. If you don’t want to “mingle” near the food, eat the food, drink the drinks, or do anything at the damn party… why are you there? Clearly, I have strong feelings about this.
haha I actually DID post about “staying fit during the holidays” today (I know… don’t hate me) without mentioning any of that. Because it’s dumb. And I like to drink wine and eat cookies.
Amen sister! I really like, and agree with your thoughts today. Unfortunately not enough people understand what this type of moderation means. Maybe it’s not “healthy” but, for me, the whole suitcase-full-of-protein-bars taught me that that lifestyle is unrealistic. But hitting that “bottom” taught me that I couldn’t sustain that. I don’t want to re-gain the last 10 pounds I lost, but I think experiencing what it took to loose them taught me the better way to live a more balanced week. The holiday aren’t why people gain weight every year, it’s eating poorly year round. Hope what I said wasn’t too extreme in any way, your post just really hit home in a good way :)
I definitely DO agree with your thoughts! People freak out so much about the holidays, when really it’s not that big of a deal – you don’t need a plan or a backup to to eat a protein bar before a party. Just go, enjoy yourself, and move on. I know that if I eat before a party, I’m still going to end up eating the party food, so really, why would I bother?
I heart you and this post. The end
I pretty much agree with your comments on the “advice”–I’ve just been deleting all of those emails, too. Not very realistic for myself…
Anyway, I’m a calorie counter but from Thanksgiving to New Years, I don’t. I already know how and what I should eat and still mostly follow that but I allow myself to bake more and sample more. The key is to keep up my workouts and not to go hog wild at EVERY opportunity. I’m just maintaining through the holidays and I’m okay with that.
i think we read the same articles – i just saw these exact reasons somewhere and they’re so dumb. years ago, i tried the first one and found that i’m STILL going to pig out on whatever i want when at a party so eating beforehand is a waste. i def don’t do that anymore. and i love the reinforcement of “one salad doesn’t make you skinny, one cupcake doesn’t make you fat.” such a great mindset. thanks for the laughs. that was an easy post for me – no workout and no guilt about partying! woohoo! ;)
I’m learning that I don’t need to get back on track because those are really just a few days of enjoyment. The rest of the year, I eat really well/clean and I’ve done it for 3 years. It’s unlikely I’ll completely fall off the wagon.
I like to make healthier versions of food and drink seasonal beers.
I loved this! Such a great reminder and a healthy way of thinking! Got my Advocare, BTW. Thanks so much!
I caught up on some of my ‘health’ magazines Sunday evening. I got hungry but couldn’t find any clean, organic, gluten-free, paleo friendly, sugar free, artificial color free, vegan, dairy free, GMO free, low carb, low fat, low calorie, non-processed, locally raised, non-mircrowaved food items in the house so I went to bed. Great post :)
AMEN. I hate all those emails & articles in those magazines….hence why I don’t read a single one. Hah!
omg. i love the just be human advice. i want to tell kevin, but i’m afraid of how much he’s going to repeat it back to me!!! haha. i do pre-eat on occasion, but mostly because I’m also a picky eater and often really like my other options. i have a plan that if i’m going to eat junk food, it’s going to be something i really like!
Excellent post! I just came from a wonderful Christmas party. Salmon, roasted asparagus, small salad and turtle nut cake…..I only had a couple bites of the dessert and it was plenty!
I
Posted to soon!!
I generally workout and eat the same during the holidays as I do the rest of the year!
Favorite bite would be a real yummy dip… Something incredibly creamy…
I sure love you and your wisdom
This couldn’t be more perfect. I’m not going to spend my time with my family calculating what I should be putting on my plate. It’s one day!!!!
Great post. I relate to you in so many aspects about parties and being surrounded by food. It is easy to forget about actually enjoying yourself and the people you are with and start obsessing over to consume and what to feel guilty about. Thanks for writing about this, it screwed my head down to my shoulders a little tighter :D
I love this post! I am not in the States for Christmas this year so I won’t have to worry about as many parties to attend, but it used to give me an insane amount of stress just trying to figure out how much I could/should eat at parties, did I work out that day, etc. When in reality like you said, it’s just one day, one “meal”, and we all need to be real humans and just enjoy the friends and family we are with at the time! If that means one more cupcake than usual, then so be it :) We need to remember to enjoy ourselves, not stress about the food we are putting on our plate
I love this! And I never really “got” that “eat before you go” advice. That doesn’t ever work for me. I end up eating twice and feeling worse. Sometimes these parties are the only places I ever get to eat something like scallops and bacon, etc. It won’t kill me.
YES YES YES!! that quote summed it up so perfectly!! the holidays should definitely be a time of enjoyment – not a time of survival!! it doesn’t mean people have to totally throw in the towel and not be active at all, but hello BALANCE!
Love it!I hate that tip to eat before. I ALWAYS end up eating the stuff no matter what.
I completely agree! Some of us are so concerned with counting numbers and stressing over the scale we forget to stop and enjoy this time of year. Enjoy your friends and family and just have fun!
AMEN!! YES YES!! Thank you so much for the realism And debunking the unrealistic , expected yet torcherous ideas to not gain weight over holidays. I too used to bring protein bars to concerts , eat before parties or flat out not go out of not being able to eat anything.. Or I’d eat so many damn veggies I’d look like a freakin rabbit. I have since let all that go and my hubs regularly tells me how much more fun I am again. ( mind you I HAVE Gained weight due to knee surgery and soul searching over last year which actually Has been a blessing. ) I’m much happier , strong as hell at the gym and feel more balanced. I now HOPE for lots of holiday parties bc I’m going to go and have a blast and create memories that will last a life time!! Screw obsessing over every little bite or later ” punishing ” myself in the gym. Life’s to short!
THANK YOU. I have never felt guilty at holiday parties. theyre meant for fun times, not stressing over macros/calories. I only go to one or two holiday parties a year, so I let loose a little and enjoy myself.
love
I really enjoyed this post. I come from a place where I would try to follow all of those ‘rules’ and I’m trying to be over it. I lead a healthy lifestyle most of the time but occasionally it is ok to eat the meal that my family or friends worked so hard to make! Thank you for this post and making me feel better about my choices :)
Love this post! I always appreciate your frankness. My only real holiday goal is to never drink too much at my firm’s holiday party.
Nothing to add except I couldn’t agree more. :)
Thanks for this post. This reminds me of the “office to night out” fashion magazine articles. Like…seriously? I go HOME before I go out in the evening, so I can CHANGE MY CLOTHES! :0)
Anyway, this year it feels like I’m being more mindful of my hunger, energy levels and cravings. Sometimes it’s “worth it” to eat dessert (i.e. wonderful taste and the experience of going for it), but I generally eat quite clean, so often I just don’t want the cookie, brownie or whatever, because I’m happy eating more healthy and I’m satisfied with my meals. I also try to “think through the treat”…fast forward to a few hours when my energy crashes (because it’s all about sweets for me). I am totally amazed that as I’ve adopted the eating 6x per day thing, my cravings have REALLY gone down. Overall (not 100% of the time, but a lot of the time) I just feel peace about my eating and body lately, and that’s such a blessing. It has taken a LOT of practice and trial and error though. Like…years.
As far as taking protein bars etc. on vacation…I still do this and I probably always will! Protein bars and nuts REALLY come in handy for me at the airport or when I wake up before my husband and I’m starving in the hotel room, lol.
Oh, I am with you on that.. I still take bars and snacks for the airport and for random snacky times.. but not a whole suitcase of healthy stuff to avoid eating what’s at the resort lol
Yah, totally. I just like my emergency stash. :0)
I’m with you! Love how you deconstructed the usual suspect “advice” – couldn’t agree more!
GENIUS! Sooo refreshing to read this among all the “how to stay healthy/fit/skinny/whatever during the holiday” stuff. The holidays are about enjoying time with friends and family and if you are going to stress out so much about what you are eating aren’t you missing the entire point?! I plan on indulging in multiple cocktails, desserts, and rich food over the net few weeks and not feeling guilty about one little thing!!
Thank you for this post. I read on average about 5 fitness/healthy living blogs a day… And you are the first that hasn’t displayed complete panic mode over the holidays.
I am on a weight loss journey, and recently my Fiancé and I joined another couple for dinner. The other couple has started what the very adamantly call a life style change (poor soul who called it a diet last week nearly lost her head).
When we sat down and began to look over the menu they gave me hell for not whipping out my phone to crunch the numbers of every dish listed before making a choice.
I try to be human, even on this incredibly difficult journey. I knew that morning that I would be enjoying dinner out and adjusted my day to reflect that plan. I didn’t starve myself all day and I didn’t order a side salad and lemon water for dinner.
I kindly told my friends that my focus is sustainability and movement and living a 90/10 lifestyle while working on this journey… And that snapping and obsessing weren’t going to get me anywhere but to a diseased relationship with food, which got me where I am today.
Thank you again for this. It was much needed!
Bring on the gingerbread latte!
oh my god. Even before I started reading this, I thought about the fucked up (sorry) suggestion to “have a snack before the party”. Actually no. I eat a lighter breakfast and lunch and then I completely indulge in whatever the hell I want at the party that night. THAT’S WHAT PARTIES ARE FOR!!!!!!!! Sorry about the rant. Also, I completely agree with the cocktails. Sorry, but unless the drink has booze in it, I do not drink my calories (except smoothies obv). Seriously, what’s the point!?! I’m 100% on board with ya girl.
Perfectly said!
Seriously love this. I agree, I didn’t know that we needed to SURVIVE anything during the holiday except all the laughter and joy that we get to feel and experience with our family and friends.
Survival goes right a long with the words “sinful” and “dangerous” when referring to food. I promise that eating a cookie does make you a bad person and that bowl of ice cream is in no way dangerous.
“you are a human, not a bird” – couldnt have said it better myself. Once again, awesome post Janeetha. LOVE YOUR BLOG!! :)
Agree with you!
I especially dislike the tips of having a snack before a party I so agree with you, are you Really not going to eat there? And tell people you already ate… why would you eat if you were going to a party? So awkward!
I workout the same, and I eat regular most days, unless I have a family dinner or get -together.. and I then eat what I want.. Oh and virgin drinks are Such a bummer. I Don’t think alcohol is wasted calories, but virgin drinks sure are! Seriously, what’s the point?? ;)
When I was experimenting with a vegan diet, the holidays were soo lame! I felt so left out.. and hungry lol. Life is too short, eh?
Love this post! I’ve reached the maintenance stage of reverse dieting, after metabolic damage from restricting for way too long,and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m planning on fully enjoying the holidays. I’ve found that the less I restrict, the less I want to dive into every sweet and treat, anyway. I’m literally having my cake and eating it, too.
Love this post. We have become such an “all or nothing” society that we have forgotten “moderation in all things- including moderation”.
I am a fitness- loving pastry chef (from Canada) and the idea that we can NEVER indulge is ludicrous. Enjoying wonderful food with the people we love should not be a guilt inducing proposition!
85% of the time, I share your current mentality. 15% of the time, I have stupid freakouts and think I need to be perfect. I’m working towards 100%. This was a great post. :)
I absolutely love this! I used to be soooo obsessed with all the rules and tricks I set for myself but.. I spent so much time worrying about food/what I was eating/bringing a snack in case I had to eat while I was out…that I couldn’t enjoy the activities or holiday parties with my family! Now I try my best to eat as much as I need, then stop. Am I still sporting a full belly on Thanksgiving? of course! but it’s my choice and if I want to break some rules I can! And if I want to stop eating, I can do that too!
Comments on this entry are closed.