Folks, we are entering a sacred time of year. The time when Starbucks cups go red, the weather gets cold, and food and booze flow like water. Also, its when everyone gains about 10 pounds without really noticing it. I am aiming for a no gain November. As in, not gaining ANY weight, unless its muscular.
How can I do this?
Food is fantastic, and I want to keep eating all the good things. So, I will plan. I am planning. Meals, that is. And I have set myself a goal of at least 3 workouts a week. Lately, I’ve been rocking the 21 Day Fix workouts – they’re 30 minutes, on a DVD, need minimal equipment, and totally crush me, especially since I have almost no upper body strength. I mix in running on days that I want to avoid the DVD workout, and on days I feel really unathletic and know that I have eaten terribly…I do both. Lord help me, I’ve become some sort of crazy monster who works out and attempts to eat well. In other words…
I am earning my body.
I worked hard for it over 6 months with what I was consuming, and now I am so motivated (most days) to earn what happened to it, and to tone it and make it even better. But I want the leftover fat and flab and flub (all very scientific terms) to disappear or shrink. One thing I surprised myself with was that even 50 pounds down, there are things I desperately want to change. I acknowledge that I am so much better than where I was, but I would love to slice off a chunk of my upper thighs, the batwing under my arm, or the excess skin from a pregnancy and 50-pound weight loss across my stomach. While I can’t change all of that (here’s looking at you, stomach skin!) I can work at changing some of it, or at least improving it.
In that vein, I present to you the ways that you can join me in a No Gain November!
- Plan your meals
- If you know there is a day you might overindulge, like Thanksgiving, plan for that! Be smart about your meal plan and eat clean and healthy leading up to it. It allows you to enjoy your slight overconsumption without totally derailing you. Holidays are just that – a DAY. Don’t let you holiday turn into a holiweek.
- Portion Control
- Trying to lose weight? Go heavy on the protein and the veggies, and light on the carbs. Building muscle? Protein and carbs. Maintaining your weight loss? Stick with protein and healthy fats. Building meals off that thinking is easier than trying to do math of find specific foods for you, especially at buffets and other peoples homes! Within that, remember that your fist is about the amount of veggies that you should eat, your palms is your protein, and the cup of your hand (center of your palm when you crunch up your fingers) is about how much carbs you should load up.
- Indulge, just not too much
- Some people are great with saying “No, I won’t eat that” and feeling perfectly content. I am not one of those people. However, I am good with taking a taste of something and feeling content. I would rather allow myself to have a bite of creamy delicious scalloped potatoes and be done with it than stare at them longingly all night. Is there something you can’t resist but you know you shouldn’t eat it? Take a tiny portion, a bite or two, to satisfy that craving and not have it derail you!
- Work out to pig out
- My favorite thing. I love working out before big meals, or on the mornings of holidays. Why? Because I feel successful, and can allow myself to enjoy my meal more, knowing I’ve already burnt a few hundred calories that day. Go on a run the morning of a holiday or event or do some weight training or full body cardio. You’ll work up a good sweat to match your appetite. But be careful – don’t trick yourself into eating 1500 calories because you have burnt 300.
- Don’t drink your calories
- Or do but avoid other things. If you are someone who would rather drink your calories, do it, but then avoid those mashed potatoes, or that roll with dinner. If you want the bread, avoid the booze!! You are more likely to overindulge on food if you are drinking, and you won’t go for veggies. You’ll dig right into those mashed potatoes.
- Plan your plate
- In buffets or sit-down dinners, plan your plate. Make your goal to fill up your plate (and your stomach) first with veggies and proteins and have a bit of the other stuff as a filler. Your plate should look like the image below – half veggies, ¼ protein, ¼ other stuff (carbs, sugar, etc).
- Remember, you can have seconds…
- You can ALWAYS go back and get more food, so err on the side of less. You cant give food you’ve already eaten back (insert weird mental image) so don’t overload your plate. Your eyes are ALWAYS bigger than your stomach!
- …But wait before you have seconds
- Give your body time to catch up before you go back for more. If you finish round 1 and are still hungry, wait and chat for 10 minutes before you decide to go back. Have a glass of water and see if you are still hungry for more. If after 10 minutes your body is still saying “feed me!” then go back for more, but more likely than not, your body will be totally content at the end of that time.
- Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!!
- Stay hydrated. Daily, you should be consuming half your weight in ounces of water anyway, but drinking a glass of water before you eat, during your meal, and immediately after will help you to feel full and curb cravings, so you are more likely to eat the right amount of food.
SO – will you join me in a no gain November? What steps are you taking to hold back your weight gain, or even maintain where you are at?
Share some recipes, a good workout, or some motivation below, and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of that from me!!!
