Between holiday parties, sweets in the office, and comfort food cravings, the calories can add up all too easily this time of year.

Just because you might indulge more often, however, doesn’t mean weight gain is inevitable. In fact, you can absolutely maintain your weight or even continue making progress towards your goals.

To help you stay on track throughout the holiday fun, read on for four simple tips.

Breakfast is often the easiest meal to control, so starting your day with a healthy meal can help you make better choices during the rest of it. 

Aim to include protein, carbs, and fat, and make it more savory than sweet. Here are a few examples:

• Egg scramble with veggies plus a side of oatmeal with nut butter and cinnamon
• Ground beef hash with veggies and potatoes

This provides your body with plenty of low-calorie nutrients, greatly reducing cravings for more sweets. Plus, you’ll simply feel better throughout the day with less hunger, more stable energy, and better digestion.

Thankfully, even at holiday parties there’s usually some kind of option for each. Go for those first before the more indulgent foods.

Drinking essentially halts fat loss — and makes weight gain more likely — because your body has to focus on processing the alcohol and burning off the calories from it first versus stored body fat. Aim to limit consumption as much as you can to just the occasions when you’ll enjoy those festive beverages the most.

This also helps curb cravings and prevent you from overdoing it when there are holiday treats around. Plus, staying hydrated helps flush out toxins from processed food when you do indulge.

The big picture summary? 

Eat as healthy as you can for the meals you can control while enjoying the rest.

And come to think of it, that’s really the mindset I practice year-round for myself and what I aim to teach my clients.

If you struggle with finding a balanced mindset and approach to eating, I’d love to invite you to join the waitlist for The Performance Detox, my upcoming group program starting in January.

More than JUST a detox, it’s really a comprehensive health program that’s perfect for hitting reset in the new year. You can sign up for the waitlist here to be the first to know when enrollment opens.