I really love my holiday season meals. So, getting through that time while still on my SlimFast diet was challenging to say the least. I devised a healthy 5-step plan that helped me stick with my diet while fully enjoying everything I love about the holiday season – including the meals. I think if you keep these five things in mind you’ll successfully stick with the plan and feel great. Consider this your holiday present to yourself!
Holiday meals have always been some of my favorites of the year. Whether it’s a warm and crispy roast chicken, steaming heaps of buttery mashed potatoes, or those delicious chocolatey Christmas cookies my mom has always baked, I couldn’t get enough. So, the thought of starting the SlimFast diet during the most wonderful time of the year was, to say the least, intimidating.
I thought to myself, how will I be able to stick to the plan when I normally gain weight in November and December? I knew that with the SlimFast diet, in addition to my two meal replacement shakes, I would be able to have one meal filled that included a favorites holiday delight each day. But would that satisfy my holiday cravings? Could I stick to this? I wasn’t so sure. I realized in order to succeed at my goal I had to make a plan. Here’s what I did to enjoy the holidays on my own terms and get my SlimFast diet off to the great start I was hoping for:
1. Time Meal Replacement Shakes Just Right If you’ve ever cooked or baked warm scrumptious cookies, you know.
So, I made sure to have one of my SlimFast shakes while I was baking. This way, I didn’t feel hungry and wouldn’t be as tempted to snack on the things I wanted to stay away from. Take that you handfuls of dark chocolate chips!
2. Have That Sweet Snack You Want I have a sweet tooth. I know this, my kids know this, everyone knows this. So giving up sweets altogether for the holidays was out of the question. But I wanted to be smart about it while satisfying those cravings. In order to indulge, I would enjoy a SlimFast chocolate peanut butter snack which both tasted great but held me over until the next meal. 
3. Get Moving! Physical Exercise Helps There are lots of ways to get some exercise during the holiday season besides literally dashing through the snow – but hey, if that’s your thing, do it! You can choose forms of activity that you really enjoy. For me, it was often putting up and working on Christmas decorations. Maybe for you it’s taking a long walk through the crisp fall air or blowing off some holiday stress at the gym with your favorite tunes pumping. Make exercising your time to burn calories the way you like most.
4. Let Restaurants Dining Work for You For me, holiday time always meant lots of meals out with my family. So I had to find a way to make restaurants work with my diet. I did this in part by going to restaurants where I could scout out the menus and – even better – the nutritional information ahead of time. I also let my family eat the restaurant’s desserts while I finished off with a tasty SlimFast snack. By the end of the meal, I was completely satisfied and felt proud of myself rather than full of thousands of calories and regret.
5. For Daytrips, Pack a Lunch and Bring It If you don’t bring any food with you when you go out for the day, it’s tougher to stick to a weight loss plan. One solution that really worked for me was packing a meal to bring along with my meal replacement shakes or bars. I never had to worry about needing to grab quick, unhealthy food while out because I was unprepared.
Here’s a Reason to Be Jolly about Your Holiday Diet This year as the holiday season arrives, things are a little different on my SlimFast diet. After losing a lot of weight, I am now maintaining my healthier weight by having one shake a day followed by eating well and exercising. I am still baking, and I even take the time to look up healthier versions of foods to bake for the holidays. I finally understand how to eat healthy and controllably. I can’t say it’s always easy, but now I know that I can do it even when it’s difficult.
So as we continue rolling into the holidays, I want to remind you of three things. Be kind to yourself. Remember that a setback on your diet at a meal here or there is going to most likely happen and that’s totally ok. And finally, focus on having a wonderful and joyous holiday season with the people you love most.