10 Ways My Most Successful Clients Get Through the Holidays without Regrets

What are the success habits of those who avoid holiday weight gain? Aimee shares her most successful clients' strategies for maintaining a healthy lifestyle during the holiday season. Tailored for those recovering from a Type A mindset, she highlighting the importance of both planning and balanced indulgence. 

From strategies like starting the day with protein, minimizing depleters such as sugar and caffeine, and maintaining an active lifestyle to the value of mindful eating, preparing for special events without compromising goals, and cultivating an inner "food snob" Aimee adds insight to each success strategy that will allow you to enter the New Year with empowerment instead of regrets.

Key Takeaways:

• Prioritize protein intake early in the day to stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings.
• Minimize depleters: sugar, alcohol, and caffeine, which can lead to overeating and stress.
• Treat holidays as single days, not weeks or months, and return to healthy eating post-celebration.
• Collaborate with family, friends, and coworkers for support and accountability during the season.

Notable Quotes:

• "Holidays are days. They're not weeks, they're not months, but days."
• "My most successful clients treat days in between holiday festivities as they would any other time of year."
• "Shaming and blaming yourself is self sabotage at its finest."

Find Research Citations and Transcript at Blasphemous Nutrition on Substack

Work with Aimee

Photography by: Dai Ross Photography

Podcast Cover Art: Lilly Kate Creative

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Transcript

0:00

Hey Rebels, welcome to Blasphemous Nutrition. Consider this podcast your pantry full of clarity, perspective, and the nuance needed to counter the superficial health advice so freely given on the internet. I'm Aimee, the unapologetically candid host of Blasphemous Nutrition and a double degreed nutritionist with 20 years experience. I'm here to share a more nuanced take. On living and eating well to sustain and recover your health. If you've found most health advice to be so generic as to be meaningless, We're so extreme that it's unrealistic, and you don't mind the occasional F bomb. You've come to the right place. From dissecting the latest nutrition trends to breaking down published research and sharing my own clinical experiences, I'm on a mission to foster clarity amidst all the confusion and empower you to have the help you need to live a life you love. Now let's get started.

MacBook Air Microphone-1: 1:00

Welcome back to blasphemous nutrition. I'm your host, Aimee, and these days, I'm all about sipping on some turmeric chai. After running through the wet leaves. I hope that you too are enjoying the best parts of the season, wherever you are. The holiday season is here. And no matter where you live, this is the time of year where things in my field get very quiet. Many people prefer to put on their blinders to get through the holiday season without feeling guilty, kind of kicking that can down the road until it's January 2nd. And they're feeling bloated. Disappointed, regretful, but resolved to begin a new. Now. I made just work with a specific demographic, but nearly all of my clients are self-professed type A's with an all or nothing mindset. But I've come to think this probably reflects the nature of our Western industrialized culture that we come from. More than anything else. After all, this is what gets rewarded. And at least in the United States, it's pretty much how we are trained to be from birth to view the world, starting as early as Sesame Street's, which one doesn't belong Two bush Junior's proclamation that you're either with us or you're against us. But reality is always more nuanced than this. And the holidays are not any different. For my clients who are working on losing weight, I strongly advocate that the holidays are a time to practice maintenance and to take this eight to 10 week season as one of avoiding weight gain, rather than dogmatically holding on to any regimen or guidelines that were laid forth before. We worked together to create a realistic plan that holds on to some of those foundational principles that we've been working on while allowing room for holiday favorites, as well as unpredicted events. Now, if someone is struggling with managing a metabolic disease or an auto-immune condition, it does get more complicated than this. Mainly because the consequences can be far more dire. But for the sake of this episode, I'm going to stay within the more benign goals of maintaining a healthy weight and preventing chronic disease. The reality is this is the exact time of year where having a nutritionist or a personal trainer is like having an ACE up your sleeve that allows you to step into the new year ahead of the curve and energized to resume a more structured plan. Without carrying the poor energy inflammation, lowered immune system bloat and excess weight that you have to work so much harder to recover from. Just to get to where you were back in September. If I had my way, October and November would be the time of year when there would be a rush of people looking to improve their health, rather than waiting for January, but I don't control the world and it is what it is. So today I wanted to share with you my top 10 strategies that my clients use to have an enjoyable holiday season that has them feeling successful and proud. Come January 2nd. Number one. They have a good source of protein early in the day. Protein digests slower than carbohydrate, which is a typical Western breakfast focus, right? Our oatmeal, our cereals, et cetera. But by choosing protein, you allow that meal to stay in your stomach for longer because it digests More slowly. And it also has a very stabilizing effect on blood sugar. For many people, having protein in the morning significantly reduces their need for sugary snacks and caffeine mid day, and can even go so far as to reducing the desire to snack after dinner in the evening. So aim for a minimum of 20 grams of protein at your first meal. But if you are intermittent fasting, you are over 40 or you're active reach more towards 30 or 40 grams of protein for that first meal. Number two. My most successful clients are mindful of and minimize depleters. These are sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. They set us up to eat more and overindulge. I often refer to these as depleters, because they typically cost the body more than they give. By throwing our blood sugar out of balance, depleting our body of nutrients that they do not replace and weakening our immune system. Sugar, alcohol and caffeine are often ubiquitous and heavily utilized during the holidays to get through all of the activities and all of the traditions. But they're also the culprits that leave us the most depleted come January. Now you might be surprised that I included caffeine in this list. And that is mainly because caffeine while for some people can act as an appetite suppressant. For some people. The stress response that caffeine gives them. Ends up causing blood sugar issues and cravings later in the day, it can also disrupt our sleep, which then is really a setup for all sorts of problems, because we rely on even more caffeine to get through the day. We're more likely to reach for sugar because we're tired and we're less likely to stay committed to any kind of exercise protocol or meal prep if we're exhausted. So this is why I've included caffeine in the list. You want to minimize the use of sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. Aside from small doses at specific planned events. Number three. My most successful clients stay active. They find ways to stick to their exercise plan. The extra food during the holidays, coupled with reduced activity is often the root of most individuals, holiday weight gain. So you want to keep your appointment with physical activity sacred. It's not only crucial to maintaining your fitness level as well as your weight, but it does go a long way to combating stress eating. By keeping your mood high. This is also a really great time to hire a personal trainer or grab a walking buddy for greater accountability. If you need it. And if your typical fitness routine is totally at odds. With the holiday schedule, then keep a bare minimum your priority and make sure that you get out and get those endorphins. Even if it doesn't look perfect. On days that you really lack the motivation or you simply don't have time to complete your exercise routine. Just do 10 minutes commit to just 10 minutes of activity. You will likely end up doing more than that once you get started. But even if you only end up doing the 10 minutes, this is still a lot better than nothing. This still is a very strong commitment to the activity and to keeping physical activity a part of your routine, no matter what. Even if it doesn't look like you want it to look like. And this goes a long way in helping you maintain your weight, reduce food cravings. And counter the all or nothing mindset that exacerbates an already challenging situation. Number four, my clients never save their calories for that big party or holiday meal. Minimizing food during the day is only a setup to overindulge in the evening. If you're attending a holiday function, it's really best to eat ahead of time to lessen your hunger. If the party is in the evening, eat breakfast, lunch, and perhaps a snack beforehand. Treat it like you would any other day, since you have eaten meals early in the day, you'll be less tempted to go overboard and make choices that you will regret later. However, if you choose to starve all day long in an attempt to save up your calories for the party, you will step in. So famished by the time it begins that it will be difficult to make wise choices. Number five, my most successful clients treat days in between holiday festivities as they would any other time of year. Holidays are days they're not weeks. They're not months, but days. My most successful clients treat them this way. Definitely enjoy yourself on that particular holiday, but then go right back to your healthy eating plan at the next meal. If you are hosting, send leftovers home with others and avoid taking any leftovers home with you. If you are a guest. And if you're in one of those situations where the host will not take no for an answer and they shoved the leftovers in your hands, as you're leaving. You can choose to give them to someone who is sleeping out on the streets or just take it to the dumpster and put it in the dumpster. You are not obligated to eat foods that are not good for your body. Now, if you're in a situation where there are numerous events within a week. Make a plan beforehand about how you will put your health at the forefront when there's lots of unhealthy foods and terribly delicious temptations available that can derail your efforts. If you do not plan ahead, you are at the mercy of circumstance and this more often than not, does not turn out well for you. Number six, my most successful clients cultivate their inner foods knob. You want to be discriminating with your treats? If you're like me and you really love pumpkin pie, but you're kind of ambivalent about mashed potatoes. Then skip the spuds and only have the PI. Choose the highest quality yummiest options available and have a portion of that. Honestly, a lot of what is offered this time of year. Isn't actually that exciting or doesn't even really taste that great. But we have a tendency to nibble on it or pick it up and bring it home because it's there, or others are participating or it's just seasonally appropriate. And it's what we do. So you want to maintain this mindfulness and also elevate your standards. Be discerning, choose what is really going to satisfy you, not just emotionally, but physically as well. Number seven. My most successful clients never forget about their own needs. Meeting everybody else's demands and expectations leaves you spent and stressed. And highly likely to reach for an extra cookie or glass of wine to unwind. So you want to schedule time to restore your reserves several times a week. This could be a 15 minute brisk walk. A massage, a meditation session with an app or a yoga session. These can do wonders to help you stay grounded and help you keep your commitments solid. My most successful clients are the ones who are as committed to their own health and happiness as they are committed to their loved ones. Number eight, my most successful clients stand far away from the food table when they're at potlucks. They also. Implement various tactics that are. Kind of old school, like what our mothers and grandmothers did, like carrying a beverage in your dominant hand. Keeping a clutch or like a little hand purse in your hand, keeping your hands occupied, right? Keeping temptations out of sight. All of these things can actually go a long way to prevent mindless snacking. Now, when you do make your food choices, start with your vegetables and your proteins, and this fills your belly with the most nutrient dense options and help stabilize your blood sugar. It also leaves less room for some of those treats that you definitely want to enjoy, but ultimately aren't supportive of your goals. At a social event spend as much time as you can socializing. When you do get your plate. Eat your protein and your veggies first. And keep your hands occupied so that you're not tempted to grab some of the little nibbles that may be stationed at various places at the event. Number nine. My most successful clients will often bring healthier options to parties and gatherings. They do not expect nor rely upon others to know exactly how they need to eat. They take responsibility for that, and also brings something enjoyable to offer to others. Holiday parties are a great time to experiment with preparing a healthier dish before trying it out in your own family. Or you can create and bring an option that fits within your health goals so that you're not exclusively reliant upon what other people are preparing for the crowd. Number 10. My most successful clients often recruit support from others. They don't have any intention or aim to go it alone. They reach out to friends, to families and coworkers to find creative ways to help them stay accountable and mindful for their longterm goals. This could be reaching out to your partner and asking for a commitment to a 10 minute walk after dinner during the holiday season to look at the lights. And stay active while connecting together. This could look like collaborating with your coworkers to go for a lunchtime walk. Many, many people are concerned about their health and most of us find this time of year a challenge. So collaborating with others. Be at your coworkers or family members were a good friend to stay active during the holidays. Can be a great way to gather support, to stay committed to your goals. So use these tips to create an overall plan to mitigate the impact that the holidays may have. And you'll be able to slide into the new year without regret and better tools to even navigate future holidays as well. By having even a loose plan in place, you do give yourself some guidance before stepping into attempting situation. And listen. Nobody's perfect. So if you end up making a choice one day that you regret, just pick yourself up and take the very next meal to get back on track as though it never happened. Shaming and blaming yourself is self sabotage at its finest. The only thing that you may want to look back upon is an assessment of how you might do it differently next time. And if there's anything that you take away from that, keep that in mind for the future, but then just dust yourself off recommit to your health and begin with the very next meal or scheduled workout to get back on track. All right, folks. I hope that this has been helpful for you. And empowering you to step into the holiday season with plans and guidelines to keep your health a priority. Until next week, my blasphemous buddies. Stay connected, stay committed and question the status quo when it doesn't serve you.

17:46

If you have found some Nuggets of Wisdom, make sure to subscribe, rate, and share Blasphemous Nutrition with those you care about. As you navigate the labyrinth of health advice out there, remember, health is a journey, not a dietary dictatorship. Stay skeptical, stay daring, and challenge the norms that no longer serve you. If you've got burning questions or want to share your own flavor of rebellion, slide into my DMs. Your stories fuel me, and I love hearing them. Thanks again for tuning in to Blasphemous Nutrition. Until next time, this is Aimee signing off, reminding you that truth is nuanced, and any dish can be made better with a little bit of sass.