How To Enjoy Parties Without Weight Gain

Happy Tuesday from your St. Pete Personal Trainer and Transformation Expert & WELCOME BACK  to my Battle The Holiday Bulge and WIN Series. If you missed Secret 4:  My 5 Best Tips To Stay On Track click here to catch up.

So, for most people, this week starts Holiday Parties .. at work, at friend’s, at the clubs … everywhere we turn, “Jingle Balls” and Holiday parties full of alcohol and fabulous appetizers surround us. These calories add up quickly….especially in specialty coffee drinks and alcoholic beverages and before you know it, the pounds creep on and the clothes start to get more snug!

Over the holidays, it’s really important to make sure we keep an eye on what we’re eating and drinking to avoid that dreaded holiday weight gain and belly bulge.

It’s been the primary topic of conversation  in our St. Pete Group Fitness Training sessions and In-Home & Outdoor Park Personal Training Sessions alike so today I want to share with you the strategies our group personal training members and private training clients are using to eat , drink and be merry while keeping their weight in check.

Today I wanted to share some tips and a few of my fav lower calorie holiday drinks to enjoy friends family and parties without belly bulge & weight gain.   

Keep your goals firmly planted in your mind.  We all get “caught up” from time to time. While in “the moment”,  it is quite easy to lose sight of your ultimate vision and why you  began your fitness or nutrition program in the first place. I always spend time,  prior to the beginning of the Holiday season, reinforcing our client’s “Why’s”.

• How will your life be better when you are living at your goal weight?
• What will you be wearing? How will you be feeling?
• Where will you feel more confident or energetic?
• How will your weight loss benefit your family ?
• How are you feeling in  your current condition?
• Why the heck do you want to lose this weight anyway ?I suggest that people make a “why card” and keep it visible for those times when the going gets tough.You can also pick out a favorite outfit which  no longer fits , find a picture of an outfit that you would love to be able to wear, find a picture of yourself or someone else that represents your goal or find a “before” picture that represents something that you never want to go back to.  Keep them handy for a constant reminder of why you do  want to make the choices that will lead you to your goals.

**** YES, I have mentioned this in previous posts and will  continue to mention it until you understand how absolutely VITAL this is to your success. A strong WHY will beat “will power” any day. In fact, a strong WHY is the very SOURCE of will your will power

Keep an eye on serving sizes and portions – Any food (even not so healthy ones) can be worked into your food plan, it’s just a matter of awareness and balance. Many people label foods “good” or bad. In reality, it is all about portions and serving sizes and a generally balanced diet of whole, fat burning, nutrient dense foods. (That whole 90/10 rule … or 80/10 for the holidays)

Avoid the “All or nothing” mentality – Let’s face it, no one’s perfect.  Chances are,  there will be a time or two when you go overboard. Don’t let this lead into an “I already blew it” binge that lasts until January 1st.  No one or two days is going to make or break your fat loss efforts. The key is to get right back on track the next day and consider adding  some extra cardio in to work off the extra calories.

Make a plan –  Plan how much you are going to drink before you go out and stop when you’ve reached your limit.

Have something healthy and filling to eat before you go out –  Food slows the rate of the alcohol absorption. Drinking on a full stomach will also limit your alcohol intake.

Have  non alcoholic ‘spacer’ between drinks like sparkling  with a splash of juice or a plain water. Alternate alcoholic drinks with these non alcoholic alternatives.

Avoid drinking in ’rounds’ – This will allow you to drink at your own pace and to control your consumption.

Avoid cream-based cocktails and specialty drinks.

Compare the alcohol content of different drinks and select those with lower content.

Mix your drinks with sparkling water  or choose light beer instead of full strength.

On the rare occasion that I drink, I love martinis.

It’s true.

If I’m going to have a drink I want a sugary,sweet martini.

Pineapple, apple, pear…

If its got a fruit in the name then chances are I’m going to love it.

I’m going to guess that  you have a favorite drink too…and that you want to enjoy it  over the holidays.

As you know, I am a big advocate of cutting back alcohol if you want to reach your goals, but every now and then it’s ok to enjoy life a little. It’s what keeps you sane and on track the rest of the time.

And I want to help you do stay on track this holiday season…in the healthiest way possible.

That’s why I have been going crazy with the live Facebook broadcasts, blog  posts and emails since October.  I want you to enjoy the Holidays AND make the BEST choices possible this holiday while still working toward your goals and avoiding any extra weight gain or regret.
I wanted to give you a taste of one of my favorite Holiday libations:

Holiday Pear Cosmo:

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. Maple Syrup
• ¼ cup Pear Juice (preferably organic-fresh or
bottled)
• 1 cup sparkling water
• 1 ½ ounces of Organic Vodka
• 1 pear as garnish

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a glass and enjoy!

Committed To Your Success and Awesomeness,

Dianne Villano – THE Fitness & Transformation Expert For YOUR Over 50 Body
Fitness St Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness
727-742-0816

P.S. Need Extra Accountability and Support? Come Join Us in Our FREE, Private Facebook Community St Pete & Tierra Verde’s Fit Over 50 where you will be surrounded by some of our most successful clients and we get real and talk about what REALLY works when it comes to losing weight, reshaping your body and having a body you LOVE ! This is Community for St Pete and Tierra Verde residents who want to get tips, recipes and strategies for living a healthy lifestyle and learning how to eat more, train less and achieve a body they love