This past weekend was a very eventful three days. Not a typical weekend for us that’s for sure. My company Christmas party was held this past Friday, and while I wasn’t particularly excited to attend I have to say that we spent a really good time when it was all said and done. The following evening, we went to dinner at a popular Mexican chain food restaurant to celebrate my sister in law’s birthday and afterwards went to another holiday party at a friend’s house. We also were invited to another holiday gathering on Sunday evening which we decided not to attend since we were pretty much burned out after the last two days and I realized I had some work reports to do for Monday morning.
All in all, it was a great weekend but for someone that has recently embarked on a journey to reinvent himself it was torture. On the one side, I made it through without binge eating everything in sight as I would normally have done (including the delicious chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant which was hard as hell). On the other side, I completely failed at moderating my alcohol intake, which is a habit that needs to be modified if I am to continue seeing progress throughout this holiday season.
Now that I know what doesn’t work for me, here are some things I learned that will help keep me on track and still be able to enjoy myself.
There’s a way to still enjoy going to parties, have a few drinks, and do the things that make you happy with the people and still succeed with your goals instead of setting you back and having to “start over” after the New Year.
- Half a workout is better than none whatsoever – If you know you’re going to be busy that day or are not going to have time to hit the gym and get a good workout session, then just take 30 minutes and walk around the neighborhood if you can or try to do some push ups and maybe some abs workout at home to burn some calories ahead of your night out.
- Plan your meals – The day of the party, make sure you have a nice breakfast and a somewhat light lunch and try to save most of your calories for the evening. Just because you know you might have some dessert or eat a little too much that night it doesn’t mean the rest of your day has to go to hell too. If for some reason you have an “off” day, then try something different the next to balance out the previous day’s “disaster”. Having one bad meal or an off day is not the end of the world, but if that one off day becomes an off week, that’s when it can really be a problem.
- Be smart with food choices/veggies are your best friend – Once you get to your party there’s bound to be a multitude of different food choices, from cold or warm appetizers all the way to multiple desserts.
- Don’t stuff your face with appetizers/finger food, no matter how good they are. These usually small bite size pieces of food are usually full of calories and fat. There’s usually a relish/vegetable tray at these types of parties which will be your best bet for the night.
- When it comes to dinner, if you have the choice fill your plate with greens or other vegetable. Go for the lean meats, thankfully Turkey and/or chicken is always served as an option during the holidays unless you’re in Puerto Rico where all you’ll eat is yummy delicious pork. Just remember that the more protein and healthy fats you have, the less room you’ll have for unhealthy sides like mashed potatoes, bread rolls, stuffing, and so on.
- Dessert? Of course, eat that piece of cake or slice of pie or whatever they have; just eat one serving and enjoy it.
- If you’re having some alcoholic beverages, pace yourself – Here’s the one I need to work on. You can make all the best decisions when it comes to your food, but it’s so easy to f*ck it up with a few bad drink choices. If you don’t choose carefully, it can make a huge difference in your caloric intake, not to mention that drunk you, might want to have a cheeseburger at 2 am on the way back home or hungover you might want to have some fried chicken or some really fatty cheesy pizza the next day which would make things even worse.
- Vodka is your new best friend – Now I didn’t have to change this about me as I’ve always been a Vodka kind of guy but the mixer you choose will determine how many drinks you should have (Vodka Soda is your best bet). Rum is also a good low calorie option, but watch what you mix it with.
- Red wines over white sugary wines always but if you prefer whites, then go for a more dry wine.
- Beer is your worst enemy – just get it through your head right now “Beer Bad”
- A tip I found while doing some research on how I could drink and still stay on track that I will definitely try next time, is to alternate a glass of water with a splash of lemon or lime with your drink. That way you will hydrate and pace yourself in between cocktails.
- Be okay with being who you are and say NO – Most of the times, the people you are with will not be the best influence. Have fun at your own pace and never be afraid to be who you are and what you want to be. It’s OK to say NO if you don’t want to eat something or if you prefer to pass on a jaggerbomb. Just do you!
Lastly, but most importantly, if you do have a bad night, don’t let that ruin all the hard work you’ve put up until then. After all, the intention was to have fun that night. The next day just pick up where you left off and continue on with your life and don’t stress out.