St. Pete Personal Trainers I #1 Trick To Beat Halloween Weight Gain

 St. Pete Personal Trainers Share #1 Trick To Beat Halloween Weight Gain

HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON from your Personal Trainers in St. Petersburg Fl ! The (barely) cooler weather marks the beginning of fall for us here in St. Pete along with the beginning of  the most hectic, calorically dense time of year!

The conversations in our group fitness training sessions have already started revolving around Halloween candy, parties and schedules starting to become more hectic so I am guessing it’s starting for  you too!

This year I am challenging St. Petersburg and Tierra Verde residents to maintain instead of gain and I am going to give you all of the tools you need to be successful!

You’ll get the same Holiday fat loss tricks  that have helped our clients beat the Holiday Bulge for the last 23 years including  How to enjoy parties without weight gain  & member favorite  Healthy Pumpkin Recipes . Be sure you’re subscribed to our feed on Facebook so you won’t miss a thing when I go live.

The next couple of months are filled with treats, parties, family gatherings, alcohol, and a packed schedule.

So how do you continue to pursue your health and fitness goals despite this time of year?

Well, my friend, it’s sure not doing the same things that haven’t worked for you in the past

The definition of insanity is…

Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result.

This year, as the holiday season approaches, do things differently than you have done in the past. It’s not about “depriving” yourself of your holiday favorites but rather substituting with healthier behaviors and foods that will make you feel fabulous instead of over full and bloated. (Although I would argue that choosing your health and well being over sugar and less healthy food as well as the health of those you love is NOT deprivation.)

WELCOME to my first post in the “Battle The Holiday Bulge and WIN”  4 Part series (I will even throw in some of my fav recipes).  During this time of year, we coach our  private clients and group PT members “not to gain” weight although many of them continue on to lose fat and inches during the most hectic,  caloricly dense time of year.

In fact, by actual count over the past 22 years, only 6% of our clients have gained weight or quit their programs between October and Years and 34% managed to drop a few pounds and inches while enjoying family, friends and their favorite foods.

This series is designed to give you the tips, strategies and recipes  that have made our clients so successful year after year (after year) !

Secret 1: DITCH THE “BEST & WORST” Candy Lists

This is the time of year when every magazine and “fitness expert” comes out with the “best” and “worst” candy and treat lists for your waist line. Every year I cringe at the implications of these lists so, this year I finally decided to write about it and I CALL BULL !! We are all adults and  know that sugar and candy are not the most conducive to reaching your fitness goals in the shortest amount of time but, let’s face it, this is the time of year when it’s everywhere along with our favorite foods …  and, we want to enjoy friends, families and parties.

“Fat Free” items like starburst, skittles or loli pops and licorice are LOADED with sugar and “natural” and artificial colors and chemicals which wreak havoc with your insulin, blood sugar levels and hormones and generally contain minimally fewer (or the same) amount of calories of calories as chocolate or other like items. DON’T FALL PREY TO THE “GLUTEN FREE” or “FAT FREE” Hype !

I’m here to tell you that if you  aim for for no worse than changing the 90/10 rule to 80/20,  and limit  “junk”  to a single serving or 2  per day, you  absolutely CAN work it into your food plan and enjoy the Holiday festivities without sacrificing your fitness goals. Any food (even not so healthy ones) can be worked into your food plan, it’s just a matter of awareness and balance.

Most  people label foods  or bad and are “on a diet” or “off” when the reality  is that it is all about portions and serving sizes. Imagine, having that Snickers bar or Reese’s peanut butter cup  … and still reaching your fitness goals – YES, it is possible.

Anyone who knows me knows I always preach about being SURE to eat a sugar or carb (be it fruit or candy) with a protein and/or fat to slow down the breakdown of the sugar and it’s effects on insulin and blood sugar levels.

The main tip I give our clients aside from eating a “single serving” is to chose items which have carbs/fat and protein. Something like a snickers or almond joy has as much sugar as the skittles BUT, they will also contain fat and protein to slow down the break down of the sugar which minimizes the damage.

The problem is blood sugar and physiology often cause that “one single serving ” to become “one single binge”. If you haven’t read it yet, check out “How To Eliminate Sugar Cravings” for tips on how to keep your “treats” from playing nasty tricks on your waist line and starting in on a 2 month binge that will lead to hiding from cameras and wishing you had made different choices.

Non-Candy Alternatives – What if you handed out something that wasn’t candy? My guess is parents would Thank You and your house wouldn’t get egged!

Ideas include:

Glow Sticks

Temporary Tattoos

Stickers

Plastic jewelry that is glow in the dark

Mini Play-dough containers

Mini Slinkies

Halloween themed mini-toys: plastic eyeballs, fake fingers, etc.

Bottom line is be creative. Ask  kids you know what they would like to get other than candy.

Better Choices :
 
The biggest issue with Halloween candy other than the obvious  is the high amounts of high fructose corn syrup and GMOs (genetically modified organisms).. You can bet that any product that contains high fructose corn syrup is a processed industrial food that is void of any nutrients. To increase health we want to seek whole, real, unprocessed foods that are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.

If you still want to hand out candy here are some better choices free of the ingredients above:

Individual packets of roasted and spiced pumpkin seeds or nuts

Meat Sticks or Jerky

Small bags of dried apples or fruit

Mini Lara Bars

Yummy Gummy Candies

Annie’s Gummy Snacks

Organic Pops

I have seen most of these products at Trader Joes and all Whole Foods

More From Fat Loss U: healthy pumpkin recipes

Stay Tuned for The Secret Of The “Switch Witch” and more of  My Signature Tips For Trick Or Treating &  My 4 Halloween recipes your kids will LOVE . 

Want More Tasty, Healthy Pumpkin Recipes That Won’t Keep You From Your Fitness Goals? This Is Your Ultimate Guide To Guilt-Free Pumpkin Recipes. Best Of All, It’s Completely FREE Just For Being Part Of The FSP L TVF Family !

Just CLICK HERE To Download Yours Now. (Don’t Worry, You Won’t Be Asked For An Email. I  Hate That Too

Committed To Your Success and Awesomeness,

Dianne Villano – THE Fitness Expert For Your Over 50 Body
Fitness St. Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness
727-742-0816