Should I wait until after the holidays to begin a fitness program?

NO!!! lol. Absolutely not. Think about it this way – Maybe you take 3-4 days in November where you eat or drink. Then 3-4 days in December where you eat or drink more. That’s only about 10% of the month. You can do a lot with the rest of the days….and NO IT WONT CANCEL IT OUT. Lets apply some science and math to your health and fitness plan below.

The math

Every 3,500 calories you burn you lose a pound of fat, and every 3,500 calories you consume you gain a pound of fat. If you want to lose 1 lb of fat per week then we need to be in a 500 calorie deficit per day for 7 days. 3,500 calories divided by 7 days = 500 calories deficit per day. So lets say your fitbit or apple watch says you burn a total of 2,500 calories per day. Then your total intake needs to be 2,000 in order to be in a 500 calorie deficit to burn 1 lb of fat. If you follow that for 7 days in a row then you will lose 1 lb of fat. Now back to the holiday thing. Lets say you follow the 500 calorie deficit 26 out of 30 days. Remember, we are say 4 days we will eat 500 calories more or in general eat more. You do this and you will be 3.7 lbs down in fat. Next, lets look at what certain types of food do below.

Water weight and food

For every gram of starch you eat you body retains approx. 2-3 ml of water. Suppose you eat more bread or pasta or low glycemic carbs for 4 days in November and December. Welp guess what, if you return to eating your normal portions and resume your regular types of foods the water will be gone. Your body will push in out in a few days and your water weight will drop.

Final Thoughts

With a little planning you can create a simple, easy to follow weight loss plan and still enjoy the holidays. Remember, a little bit of tracking and planning goes a loooong way. Theres no reason to wait until after the holiday if you have a little willingness, and a coach that will help guide you.