Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Do you love and hate the holidays all in the same breath?
I love the way the holiday make me feel, all warm and fuzzy inside...but I don't like all the willpower that has to be enforced to not gain 10lbs while enjoying.

Here are 10 tips to avoid the holiday weight gain:
1.  Drink an 8oz glass of water before every meal
2.  Drink a meal replacement shake 1/2 hour before you go to a party

• I recommend Shakeology as it makes you feel full and curbs cravings

3.  Have a treat at the parties you attend, just not 5!  Then you won't feel like you are depriving yourself.
4.  Workout for at least 30 minutes/5 days per week
5.  Lift weights 3 of those 5 days (Muscle Burns Fat)
6.  Eat whole foods as much as you can
7.  Drink 1/2 your body weight in water each day (If you weigh 150, drink 75oz/day)
8.  Buy a large water bottle, so drinking water doesn't feel like such a task!  I have a 40oz. bottle!
9.  Over the next couple months, track your calories and close the kitchen after dinner.

• MyFitnessPal is good app to help w/ tracking food and water intake

10.  Follow the 80/20 rule...eat clean 80% of the time, so you can have treats 20% of the time.

Teena's Top Ten Fit Tips

I'm not claiming to be a fitness or nutrition expert, these are just tips that have worked for me throughout my weight release journey.  I like to call it release vs. loss, because when you lose something you want to find it.  And no thanks, I'm not trying to find those 50+lbs I got rid of!!  So here goes...I don't want you to struggle like so many do, here's my list:

• Follow the 8 hour ab lifestyle designed by Melissa McAllister (essentially eat breakfast later and close the kitchen after dinner) - Eat in a 8 hour window, fast for 16 w/ non-caloric beverages.
• Always eat protein for breakfast
• Water intake:  Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces - so 150 lb person, drink 75oz (Hint, by a big water bottle, I use a 40oz HydroFlask that you can get on Amazon.)
• Eat protein at every meal
• Close the kitchen after dinner (this is hard, if you don't eat a hearty dinner w/ protein and fiber)
• Schedule your workout and don't make excuses, you have to be an example for your kids
• 30 minutes of high intensity is better than 60 minutes of low intensity (and honestly I'm a working mom w/ busy, athletic kids), who has time for 60 minute workouts?!
• Track your food intake w/ myfitnesspal (there's an app for everything)on your smart phone
• Get a calorie burn tracker. Bodybugg I think is the most accurate, but Fitbit, Nike Fuel Band, Garmin, they all have them.  To lose weight, you have to create a deficit, how do you do that if you don't know how many calories in a day you are burning?  3500 calorie deficit in one week to lose one pound.
• Get an accountability partner, they are priceless!!