I Survived Thanksgiving

To assist me with my routine fitness and eventually training for my first triathlon, I’ve employed the assistance of a new trainer. He specializes in endurance and strength training –two areas necessary to swim, bike and run a great race.

Luckily he’s strict, disciplined and encouraging…all characteristics I need in a trainer. He’s created a regimen for me that includes completing Crossfit-type exercises twice a week, cardio on my own three times a week and a meal plan based on my specific nutritional needs and weight goals.

Simply stated, my aim each meal is to “eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar,” as said on Crossfit's website. Ideally I am trying to eat a balanced meal consisting of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent proteins and 30 percent fat. Notice how sugar is not mentioned in this plan and therefore carbohydrates are derived from vegetables. 

At first I was worried because it seemed so limiting not to have any desserts or added sugars but apparently excessive levels of glucose leads to Hyperglycemia, which results in other diseases including diabetes. Honestly I’ve been on this plan for a few weeks and already I’ve lost weight, maintained a healthy blood sugar level and feel great!

Fast forward to Thanksgiving, the holiday where we not only celebrate our blessings but also the 3 F’s: family, food and football! This year I consciously didn’t want to unravel all that time, energy and sweat equity spent at the gym so started the holiday season armed with my plan (and the fear that if I gained a single pound, my trainer would make me pay for it later on that week). As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail:

• Say yes to the meats and no to the sweets. For lunch, I had a few slices of turkey and ham which kept me full and helped me steer clear of the dessert table.
• Load up on the veggies and lighten up on the starches. My contribution to the feast was a string bean casserole which is a great side dish alternative to mashed potatoes and stuffing.
• Smaller portions more often. For dinner, even though traditionally a big meal, I divided it up into two smaller meals, two hours apart and drank a lot of water in between.

Here’s the fine print - obviously this may not work for everyone but it certainly helped me. I honestly did not gain a single pound over the long weekend (just one more thing to be thankful for) and kept to my rigorous workout schedule. I plan to use the same tactics going into Christmas and hope to do more than just maintain! We all know it’s not rocket science - outtake must exceed intake. But sometimes the motivation to stick with it are key so if this helps, you have tips or if you would like to share your own success stories, then please let me know because I’d love to hear them.