Surviving the Holidays without Gaining a Pound! (…Even Lose a Few!)

We all want to enjoy the holidays, and of course, the good food, but most of us don’t necessarily want to sign up for extra pounds of weight gain that is so typical between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Add to that the lowering of our immune defenses with sugar and other unhealthy foods, which allows colds, flus, and other diseases to get a foothold in our bodies. With weight gain and lingering sicknesses, how can we really ‘enjoy’ the Holidays? Is there a way that we can enjoy the company of others and the food without gaining a pound, and actually even lose a few in the process? The answer is, absolutely YES! Here are some tips and guidelines to not only allow you to survive the holidays, but to feel great and move into 2019 with a healthy lifestyle:

(We will unpack each of these in more detail over the next few weeks, so stay tuned)

1. Stay Well Hydrated (1/2 BW in oz. of Water)

Quality Spring or Artesian Waters

2. Cleansing Nutrient Dense Breakfast

Eggs & fruit (1 cup or 1 piece)

Fruit Only (1 cup or 1 piece)

Fresh made smoothie

Fresh made vegetable juice

Bone broth

Kombucha

3. Snack on Raw Foods Throughout the Day in Between Meals

Raw veggies

Raw nuts and seeds (walnuts, pecans, almonds, brazil, pumpkin, & sunflower)

Raw Food Bars

4. Start Your Meals with a Large Salad

5. Use Healthier Substitutes:

Proteins: Free range poultry & eggs, grass-fed meats & dairy, & wild caught fish

Sweeteners: Organic, Raw honey, maple syrup, & stevia

Cooking Oils: Organic Avocado oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, grass-fed butter, & Ghee

Flours: Organic Coconut and Almond flours

6. Prepare a Healthy Dish and Let that be the Main Portion
7. Pair Your Food Properly

Veggies, Protein, & Healthy Fats (Raw nuts & nut butter, seeds, olives, & avocado)

Veggies, Protein, & Healthy Carbs (Root Vegetables)

Veggies, Protein, & Dessert or Alcohol

8. Incorporate Intermittent Fasting

• 5:2: This method allows you to eat normally five days a week. The other two days are your fasting days, although you do still eat. Just keep it between 500 and 600 calories.
• Eat-Stop-Eat: With this one, you restrict all food for 24 hours, once or twice a week.
• 16/8: You eat all your daily calories within a shortened period — typically 6 to 8 hours — and fast for the remaining 14 to 16 hours. You can do this every day, or a few times a week.

9. Support Digestion with Targeted Supplementation

Digestive Enzymes- before cooked meals

Betaine HCL with Pepsin-after cooked meal.

10.Exercise Regularly (At least 20 mins 4X a week)

SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS WITHOUT GAINING A POUND!