5 Tips to Help You Survive The Holidays Without Derailing Your Weight Loss Goals

To help you prepare for the holidays, here are 5 nutritionist-approved tips on how to get through the holidays without completely derailing your weight loss and wellness efforts.

#1 Make Your First Meal of the Day Count

The first meal that you eat is extremely important; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. Enjoying a breakfast with the right balance of protein, healthy fats and fibre rich foods will balance your blood sugar and balance your hormones, which will help you feel satiated and keep cravings at bay. Whether your first meal of the day is in the morning or at lunchtime, make sure it is balanced with healthy fats, a quality source of protein and fibre rich carbohydrates. If you're not sure what that looks like in real life, download a copy of my free guide with includes a one-day meal plan with an example of a healthy breakfast: Guide to A Powerful Metabolism

#2 Drink Water with Fresh Lemon

It's really important to hydrate when you wake up, especially over the holidays; alcohol and sugar both cause dehydration and we all consume too much at this time of year. Being hydrated improves many things, including mood, brain and body function, digestions and elimation, to name a few. As a man, you should know that hydration is also of key importance when it comes to the quality of erections; being dehydrated can have a negative effect on the quality of your erections, so you need to make it a priority to drink water. Adding some fresh lemon to your water adds flavour, but it also adds vitamin C and can help improve liver function. If you are waking up feeling sluggish, the best thing you can do is drink water with lemon within the first half hour of waking up.

#3 Feed Your Hormones

Eating to feed your hormones doesn't have to be complicated. Remember this quick formula: Quality Protein + Healthy Fat + Fiber Rich Foods = Balanced Hormones. Remember that it's not just the formula, but the quality and the quantity of each that will help keep your body balanced and in weight loss mode. Eating to support your hormones will keep your energy stable, your mood balanced and your cravings low. PLUS, when you get the formula right your body will also start to drop the stubborn excess weight.

Inside my program The Belly Fat Fix the majority of meals are ready within 30 minutes, using every day ingredients - you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to lose your belly fat and keep it off!

Feel free to Grab a copy of my free guide which includes a few recipes and examples of eating to feed your hormones: Guide to A Powerful Metabolism

#4 Support Your Digestion

You can improve your digestion by slowing down when you're eating, chewing your food before you swallow and avoiding drinking large quanitities of water or other beverages with meals. Your body secretes digestive enzymes to help break your food down, in your mouth when you chew and in your stomach after you swallow. Eating quickly and not chewing enough means your not secreting enough enzymes and your food is not getting digested (or absorbed) optimally.

Make sure that you are eating fiber-rich foods at each meal, as they are important for healthy digestion. Try adding leafy green vegetables to your plate, aiming to have half of your plate filled with green, fiber rich plants.

If you aren’t already taking a probiotic, this will help support your digestion and keep your bowel movements regular. You can also add in some fermented foods like sauerkraut or even add apple cider vinegar (you can add this to the lemon water with ginger in the morning) to help with bloating and digestion. I also love a hot cup of good quality bone broth which is not only super nutritious, but it's super healing for our gut & digestion as well - especially when combined with an eating approach that supports healthy hormones. 

#5 Eat Before Drinking Alcohol

If you are having holidays cocktails please remember to support your liver before and after. Before you go out, first drink a ton of water (add lemon to get your liver ready for the onslaught) and then make sure you eat a snack or meal that balances your hormones! Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach will spike your blood sugar and cause weight gain.

When you get home drink even more water. And when you wake up in the morning drink water and then have quality protein, healthy fat and fibre-rich foods for your first meal.

Those are my 5 tips for surviving the holidays without completely derailing your wellness and weight loss goals!

Try and pick one or two of the tips above, whatevery is doable for you, and do them consistently over the next few weeks. Leaving room to enjoy the holidays and endulge without letting loose completely will help you feel great after the holiday season and then you can start he New Year feeling in control and ready to attack your weight loss goals!

🎄Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones🎄