Non-diet strategies to keep you on track this holiday season

The holiday season is when things start to feel a bit overwhelming.

👩🏼‍💻A lot of times it feels like crunch time at work and home trying to get things done before the year ends.

🥂Our social lives become more vibrant with endless holiday parties and back-to-back family gatherings.

🎁We add decorating our homes and shopping for as well as wrapping presents to our already busy task list.

As a result, our nutrition and fitness tend to fall to the wayside.

Nutrition especially seems to take the back seat because with so many holiday treats constantly around us and food-centered celebrations, we feel like eating healthy just isn’t possible this time of year.

This is why everyone waits until January to start some kind of New Year New Me diet. We push off our nutrition and health goals now with the belief that we will make up for it later.

This is the first mistake we make – assuming we need to be on a diet in order to feel in control of our nutrition.

The second mistake we make is being reactive instead of proactive. We wait until the post-holiday guilt to hop on an extreme diet versus incorporating healthy balanced strategies now during the season and maintain or even be well on our way towards our goals come January.

To help you out, I’m going to give you 3 non-diet strategies you can use this holiday season to stay on track with your nutrition.

STRATEGY #1: Eat slowly and mindfully to fullness

This strategy is the base strategy I give all my clients because it’s so easy to implement and it works! You can incorporate this every single meal as well as during holiday meals and it will INCREASE your satisfaction and enjoyment from each meal.

As you eat, focus on slowing down. Take smaller bites, set your fork down every few bites, and sip water throughout. Be mindful and focus on the taste and texture of your food, be present in the moment, and eliminate distractions (put that phone far away from your dining table).

As you’re finishing your meal, assess your fullness. 80% fullness is ideally when we want to stop eating. I describe this as you could fit more into your stomach, but you don’t need too. You’re satisfied and comfortable.

STRATEGY #2: Balance your plate

The goal is to incorporate protein, carbs, vegetables, and fats within each meal. Carbs are often the easy part for us, but focusing on protein and vegetables can help increase satiety and reduce snacking between meals.

When building your plate at home or at a gathering, consider taking smaller portions on your plate to begin with. Many of us struggle with the “finish your plate mentality” and are likely to still finish what’s on our plate even if we over-serve ourselves. By starting small, we can be better in touch with our fullness cues and we can always go back for more if we are still hungry.

STRATEGY #3: Ask yourself, “How can I make this just a little better?”

I mentioned above the all-or-nothing mindset – the concept that we see our choices in black and white causing us to miss other opportunities for us to succeed.

When you’re in a situation that goes against your best intentions to be healthy and in control, ask yourself, “How can I make this just a little better?” Look for ways you can improve your choices even just by 1%.

An example of this could be if you’re at a holiday party and you see many sweets but no vegetables. You could either:

1. Feel it’s a lost cause and binge on the sweets but feel ill from them later.
2. Aim for just a little better – focus on mindfully eating any whole foods available first and leaving some room for a moderate portion of desserts. This leaves you feeling so much better at the end of your night!

You do NOT have to be on a diet to stay in control during the holiday season (and quite honestly you shouldn’t be). Instead, you can harness balanced strategies to make the best decisions possible and feel confident while also enjoying yourself.

Want more non-diet strategies to help you navigate other holiday obstacles such as mindset, alcohol, travel, and more?

Check out my mini-course Thriving Through the Holidays. Over the course of 3 modules, you’ll transform your mindset to feel confident this season, harness strategies to overcome any obstacle thrown your way to maintain healthy decisions, and create a fool-proof plan to help keep you on track and feeling successful before the clock strikes 12 on January 1.

Purchase before 11/29 and you’ll also get my Black Friday bonuses:

• 1 30-minute 1:1 call with me to get personalized help in navigating your obstacles, applying the course strategies to create your rock-solid plan, and ensuring you are set up for success! You will head into the holidays feeling confident and empowered to take on any challenge thrown your way.  [$75 VALUE]
• Holiday at-home workout plan with 3 15-minute workouts for 4 weeks – these workouts involve no equipment, can be done in 15 minutes or less, and eliminate barriers to getting in movement during the holidays. [$40 VALUE]

Do you have a topic you want covered in next week’s Wellness Wednesday? Ask me here.

Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.

How you can work with Coach Diana:

1:1 Nutrition Coaching: I take you from being dependent on diets to independently intuitive through building foundational nutrition habits and with personalized guidance on portion intake based on your goals for a stronger, leaner, or in general overall healthier body.

Apply between now and 12/4 and you can also get my Black Friday Bonuses:

• Thriving Through the Holidays mini course – master the mindset, strategies, and implementation to eliminate post-holiday guilt and maximize confidence in your health journey. [$99 Value]

• Holiday at-home workout plan with 3 15-minute workouts for 4 weeks – these workouts involve no equipment, can be done in 15 minutes or less, and eliminate barriers to getting in movement during the holidays. [$40 VALUE]

• 1 extra 45 minute call to get personalized help in navigating your obstacles, applying the course strategies to create your rock-solid plan, and ensuring you are set up for success! You will head into the holidays feeling confident and empowered to take on any challenge thrown your way. [$150 VALUE]

• 1 month of Train With Confidence – choose from bodyweight, dumbbell or full gym and build strong, lean muscle, improve your overall fitness, and feel confident in your body and in your workouts in just 4 days a week!

Not ready to start until January but want these bonuses? Lock all of this in for a $150 deposit, get access to your bonuses instantly and then kickstart your coaching in the new year!

Thriving Through the Holidays Mini Course: An online mini-course designed to teach you the mindset, strategies, and implementation to eliminate post-holiday guilt and maximize confidence in your health journey.