It comes down to balance......

The "old wise tale" say's that most Americans gain 5-10lbs. from Thanksgiving to the new year. Whether that's true or not really doesn't matter. Mainly because if you are exercising and eating right, you are doing better then most Americans. However, with the holidays coming up it is almost impossible to stay on track with extremely clean eating. Exercise on the other hand can be accomplished whether you want to admit it or not. The key is to balance out the working out and negative eating so you can actually make progress during the time of year where most people take a few steps back.

To be completely blunt, there is no reason that this weekend you have to eat bad from Thursday to Sunday. No reason at all. Save your caloric surplus for Thursday afternoon and that's it- no more! Now that we have that out of the way let's talk about how to eat leading up to Thursday. Starting today reduce your calories by about 100-200 per day. Keep the protein the same, but cut out some carbs first, and then some fat. Something as simple as cutting out some fruit (normally I don't recommend this- its only temporary) or cutting out a serving of nuts. If you feel hungry add in non-caloric veggies such as cucumber, lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, peppers to your meals where acceptable (salads, omelets , wraps).

On to Thursday, my first suggestion is to eat a high protein, high fat breakfast. Something like red meat or eggs and a serving of nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews). After that meal eat every 2-3 hours and have green fibrous veggies and lean protein (chicken and broccoli, or asparagus) Don't drink anything but water, unsweetened green tea, or black coffee.

Around 3, 4, or 5pm- whatever time the eating begins, enjoy yourself. But do so in a systematic manner. Eat protein first, followed by veggies, then indulge in the stuffing-sweet potato pie- or whatever else is loaded with "non-ab getting" calories. Chances are you will probably eat less of the bad stuff if you fill up on protein and veggies first. If you have appetizers even better, a lot of times their will be a vegetable tray- just avoid the dip or dressing. If you drink alcohol- avoid the calorie mixes, stick with club soda. Chose wine over beer, and light beer over regular beer. If you have desert and coffee, drink the coffee first then eat desert. The caffeine might reduce your appetite.

Hopefully by this point, you enjoyed stuffing your face, and maybe you feel a little bloated and disgusting. Now would be a good time to go for an evening walk and let your food digest. Have nothing but water for the rest of the night. I will discuss some exercise tips tomorrow that will help burn some more calories during this time of gluttony.