The Holidays are upon us. Now is the time of year that everyone struggles to stay on track with their diet. You can avoid a lot diet detriment by following a few simple rules, of which I outline here. These tips can be used at any time. They are not exclusively for the holidays. They can be implemented for any social event or gathering.
1. HIGH PROTEIN
Don’t act like you didn’t see this coming. Eat a high protein meal(s) before going to any event. I’m not talking about a protein bar with a measly 12g of protein. I’m talking about protein, upwards of 100 to 200g of protein — more than likely you should be eating this much daily already. Assuming that the event is at night, this gives you all day to get this protein in. Eat all your protein for the day before the event. This will increase your satiety and keep you from going crazy trying to find a good protein source at the event. From my experiences, protein sources are rather slim at such outings, unless you want to dissect 50 turkey and cheese croissants. For more info on protein, check out my video blog.
2. HIGH FIBER
Fiber is another key nutrient. It has some pretty eye opening benefits, and it’s surprising to me that this stuff isn’t that well known. For me, fiber ranks right up there with protein.
Studies show that those with higher fiber intakes have much lower risk for developing coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, and gastrointestinal disease. Adequate fiber intake can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Fiber is also found to be significantly important in the — slightly popular — weight loss category. Pre-biotic fiber has provided evidence that it could help with immune function (Anderson et al).
I’m not one to endorse many products and the ones I do, I firmly stand behind. As of now, I’m not affiliated with any company/organization and make no money by endorsing their products or information. Having said that…
My favorite way to get fiber and pre-biotic fiber is Quest Bars. They’re convenient and a delicious way to get more fiber in one sitting than many do in a 4-5 day span. By far, they are one of the best protein bars out there, taste and nutrition-wise.
Aside from all the benefits above, it’s also gonna keep you satisfied longer. A good amount of fiber (along with protein), will keep you very satisfied. Fiber gets a bad rap. Many think it’ll have you constantly running to the bathroom. Although it does keep you regular, it is not going to cause you any gastrointestinal distress in the proper amounts. In fact, it does the opposite.
What’s the proper amount?
In reference to the aforementioned study, it is recommended that fiber intake be in a ratio with calories of 14:1,000. So for every 1,000 calories you need for whatever your goals are, you will need to eat 14g of fiber.
| Calories | Fiber |
|---|---|
| 1000 | 14g |
| 2000 | 28g |
| 2500 | 35g |
Don’t set yourself up for failure by going to the event hungry. Get the nutrition your body needs first. Eat mainly high protein/fiber foods that are low in carbs and fat. Basically, create a caloric buffer so that you can enjoy some holiday treats without feeling guilty.
3. WORKOUT
When you find that you have a special event to attend, do your best to get a solid workout in that day. I’m a big fan of getting a caloric surplus on a leg day. However, a full body workout may be better. In this case, there is a good chance that these extra calories will be used for recovery purposes. It doesn’t take much to open up the muscle receptors to call for nutrients. Kraniou et al concluded that there was no significant difference in activation of GLUT4 with varying duration and intensities. The study compared groups who exercised at an intensity level of 40% and 80% of VO2 Max. GLUT4 plays a crucial role in glucose uptake in muscle cells. Activating this mechanism (via exercise) could help shuttle nutrients into muscle instead of being used for fat cells.
If you cannot make it to the gym, get some activity done at home or in your office. Bodyweight squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc. Cardio is not ideal but would be better than nothing. The goal is to use as many body parts as possible in order to activate as many muscle receptors as possible. Cardio will not trigger as many of these GLUT4 receptors. A good workout will definitely benefit you and should be high on the priority list so refer to FlexMasterGeneral to benefit from reviewing information about the right fitness equipment, supplements, and other health tips for you.
4. CAFFEINE
Caffeine has demonstrated some potential to speed up gastric emptying. This could come into play when a bunch of excess calories may be consumed. By revving up the digestion process, one can possible expect for some of the ‘bad’ calories to be pushed through a lot quicker than usual, resulting in less fat gain. There have been several studies concluding that caffeine (via coffee) increases gastric emptying. These results are far from conclusive but are significant enough for one to, at least, consider.
My personal favorite is coffee. However, diet beverages (i.e. Coke Zero) can be an effective tool as well. I don’t recommend full calorie beverages as this will cut into your calories. I recommend and prefer eating my calories but to each their own. If you’d rather have a regular calorie beverage, by all means go for it. However, don’t neglect it in your daily calorie tracking.
5. LIMIT CHOICES
Have an idea of how many grams of fat and carbs you can afford based on your particular diet. Once at the event, limit your food choices to 1 or 2 items. Pick only your favorites. Often times, people will eat less if they only have a couple of things to choose from. It’s funny how you can be completely full, and once presented with another option (i.e. dessert), you find yourself having a little more room. Don’t let this happen to you.
Limit your choices and try not focus on the amount (I say this with extreme caution). Often times, you will not eat as much as you think of one or two items. Again, don’t neglect to eat mindfully. If you stay within your calories and macronutrients goals, you should be able to eat without any regret.
Closing Notes
Although not bullet proof, these tips will be helpful to you as you try to survive the holidays. Survive may not be the best word to use here. This is a time to enjoy family and friends and reflect back on the year. So by all means, enjoy some good food, great company, and not back tracking on your fitness goals.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, & Cheers
2 Comments
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