QT: Walking the Food Tight Rope this Holiday Season

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All. The. Food.

Ready or not, the food holidays are coming and they are coming quick!

As runners, how do you walk the food tight rope during the holiday season?

Do you just go ahead and eat all the things? Do you try to hold the line and remain disciplined? Or do you try to find some semblance of middle ground?

First Things First

Before we dive too deeply into the topic de jour, one thing I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t indulge over the holidays.

But if you are trying to walk the food tight rope this holiday season, hopefully one or more of these tips will help you stay on the wire.

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Be Prepared

The most important thing you can do this holiday season, from my perspective at least, is to be prepared on multiple fronts.

Being prepared doesn’t mean you won’t have a wobble or two on the tight rope, but it at least gives you a fighting chance at staying upright.

Be Prepared: Have a Plan

Trying to walk the food tight rope is going to be difficult, but if you don’t at least have a plan to try and follow it’s going to be virtually impossible.

So what am I talking about when I say you need to have a plan in place?

I’m certainly not saying that you need to have every meal and morsel from here to January planned out perfectly.

What I’m saying is that it’s helpful to have a few guidelines in place that you are going to follow, for the most part, throughout the holiday season.

It’s also helpful to have a plan for when you’re going to indulge.

Let’s not kid ourselves, we are all going to indulge at some point over the holidays.

For me, the plan is pretty simple and straight forward.

I’m planning to stick to my high fat/low carb diet for the entire holiday period, with the definite exception of Thanksgiving day and the possible exception of Christmas day.

This Thanksgiving? I’ll be indulging, 100%.

Other than Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas, however, my plan is to do what I normally do from a food perspective.

Minimal carbs, lots of fat and protein. No food until at least noon each day, though preferably I’d rather not eat until 2 or 3 pm.

Am I going to be perfect? Probably not.

But will I stick to my plan most of the time? No question.

Be Prepared: The Pushback is Coming

You are going to encounter resistance.

Friends. Family. It doesn’t matter.

The people nearest and dearest to you, those that love you unconditionally, are going to try to knock you off of the tight rope.

I wish I could say there was a way to prevent this from happening, but I haven’t been able to figure out any work-arounds yet.

All you can do is know that it’s coming and brace yourself for it.

Be Prepared: Bring Your Own

When you’re showing up at various holiday parties this year, more often than not you’re going to bring something with you right?

It might be a bottle of wine. Or a fruit cake. Or some chicken wings.

One of the most difficult parts of walking the food tight rope through the holiday season is being at a party/gathering but having no food options that work for you.

Instead of hoping that there will be an option at the party that works for you, just bring your own.

That way you know you’ll have something to eat/drink and it’ll help you avoid some of the pushback from others that can’t figure out how come you’re not partaking.

Treat Yo’ Self (Intentionally)

The most important thing to remember this holiday season is that it’s ok to indulge.

That said, I think it’s equally important to be sure to indulge intentionally.

Enjoy the items that you really enjoy, but skip those that you don’t really care for.

So if you love gingerbread cookies or your nana’s apple pie recipe, treat yo’ self!

Have a handful of gingerbreadmen. Eat a couple slices of apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

But the sugar cookies and fudge that you don’t really care for?

Say no to those things, and you’ll still be on the tight rope when the new year gets here!

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What are Your Favorite Holiday Treats?

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