Quick holiday survival guide

1. Eat your regular meals throughout the day.

Don’t skip breakfast to leave room for the large meal at night. Sumo wrestlers do exactly that – eat one or two meals a day and go to sleep. I’m sure you have the visual of your uncles going to the couch to nap after stuffing themselves. Having your regular meals throughout the day won’t leave you starving when the feasts come, preventing you from overeating.

2. Have one hell of a workout an hour or so before.

That way, even if you overeat, your body will store the excess calories as energy, not fat.

3. Choose wisely and make sure you have digestive enzymes at hand.

I would also suggest some type of glucose disposal supplement like ATP’s Gluco Control and Enzymatik Control to maximize digestion for those over sized meals.

4. Portion control

Split your dish into three sections. One third is protein, another third is vegetables, salads and greens, and the last third is what I call category-two vegetables, which are usually higher on the glycemic index like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams or rice.

It's recommended to stay away from sauces and pies. Sauces always contain some kind of sugar, which makes everything harder to digest. The crust from the pies always contain gluten, unless specified otherwise. Gluten is also used in most sauces and desserts. Unless it was planned as a cheat, stay away from desserts and pies.

5. Have fun

Unless you are competing the following day or week, have fun! One night won’t mess up your gains or fat loss, especially if you have prepared before. The holidays are not the time to start a diet. Enjoy family time and the well deserve cheat meal.

Coach Eric