Planning for Success: How to Conquer the Holidays by Planning Ahead

The holidays are stressful for everyone; traveling, making travel arrangements, preparing food for guests, preparing our houses for guests, shopping like maniacs, missing loved ones that have passed away, family drama, and in most cases – overeating. We rush around like “chickens with our heads cut-off” to make ourselves happy and make others happy, but do not take enough time to focus on the last stress that I just mentioned. How many of you reading this post have thought: gosh, I hope I don’t gain to much weight during the holiday season; I love/hate that feeling of being too full after Thanksgiving Dinner; or who has time to go to the gym with so much to do? I know I am guilty of thinking those same thoughts, but there is an answer to those questions and that answer will allow us to remove at least one holiday stress from our proverbial plate.

You must go into the holiday season with a plan. A wise person once told me, “failing to plan, is planning to fail.” I have spent the past week brainstorming all of the food that might appear on every table I will be sitting at over the Thanksgiving holiday and deciding whether or not I can consume it. I encourage you to do the same. I will be honest with you, it does leave very little possibilities, but I know that going into the holiday and it allows me to make a plan for myself ahead of time. Therefore, I am planning to bring my blender for smoothies, steamer for veggies, and packing a variety of raw nuts, fruits, and vegetables to take with me as well. The key here is, to not find yourself hungry, thirsty, or alone, thus removing the potential for cheating. Also, make going to the gym a family event. My father and step-mother recently joined a gym in their hometown and we have already made plans to visit the gym each day that I am visiting, together. Planning what you can eat and planning when to exercise are two very easy ways to ensure that the holiday season does not wreck your holiday experience and weight-loss progress, because the holiday is truly about family, togetherness, and being thankful for each other – not all the other stuff we have added to it. I am determined to conquer the holidays by planning to succeed and I hope you will too!

As of the writing of this post, I have gotten rid of 95 lbs. which puts me just 5 lbs. away from the half-way point to my initial annual goal. Thank you again for coming along on this journey with me!