Diet: no guilt during the holidays!

Fellow cyclists, what if we made “holiday season” rhyme with “enjoy” rather than “panic”? Before we start, you need to know this: the delights of the holiday season will not ruin your efforts of the year, nor compromise the achievement of your 2023 goals.

By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: Depositphotos.com / DR

Obviously, during the holidays, we know we’re going to go beyond our limits. In any case: those cookie smells in the street that tickle our nostrils, the diffusion of cinnamon or mulled wine in shops and markets, the beautiful tables under the roofs of cottages, family, all these guests, the boxes of chocolates lying around, all these excesses of generosity, are all temptations that are difficult to fight. But who already said that “the best way to deal with temptation is to succumb to it“?

At this time of year, we’re going to keep it simple: we “let loose“! Which doesn’t prevent a small recurring anxiety for many. We’re all a little concerned. The fear of a little bulge! Or the fear of the weight gain! So before sitting down to celebrate Christmas and the end of the year, no one said you had to suck on green beans, but it is advisable to limit fat intake as much as possible between holiday meals.

=> SEE ALSO: Eating healthy to be fit

Habitual junk food eaters

For all those who are used to consuming junk food daily or who cannot do without the famous spread, chocolate bars, pastries, biscuits, drinking sodas or even the little beer that goes down so well, try to limit yourself in the days leading up to the holidays. This is the only effort. Let’s say it’s the tangible counterpart to pleasure.

The objective

All this with one objective: to focus on healthy digestion. Let’s say your stomach and gallbladder will be heavily solicited in the days following these excesses. And if you are really thinking of letting loose at the end of the year, you can also, a few days before, make yourself a salad or just a soup in the evening. Another tip, ensure sufficient nutrient intake, water, minerals, vitamins, thanks to vegetables and fruits. Also, prioritize leaner meats to limit saturated fats, which will be abundant during holiday meals.

Savor without guilt

These holiday meals, indeed, savor them. They are only a few meals, so there’s no need to deprive yourself excessively. And accept the fact that your weight will fluctuate throughout the year anyway. With a target weight that will return when desired.

=> SEE ALSO: The single-food diet before the season

Winter or the calorie season

In winter, the cold encourages us to seek out much more energetic foods. This is completely normal and the phenomenon occurs naturally. So it’s not surprising that we gain a few extra pounds on the scale. Nothing abnormal! Rather than trying to limit the damage on the scale, focus instead on your digestion!

The day after a feast, lighten your digestion. Try a single-food diet, for example.

Remember to rest your stomach! You’re not going to load up every day between Christmas and New Year’s Day, or even until Epiphany for the bravest. So, the day after a feast, lighten your digestion. Try a single-food diet, for example. It can be an experience. With its known virtues: a “black radish” day, for example! In any case, the next day, focus more on vegetables, without overdoing raw vegetables, which may promote bloating.

Alkalize!!!

And go back to the classics: rice, quinoa, vegetables. In addition to black radish, which is the liver’s best friend, think of cabbage, broccoli, artichokes, fennel, and salads like arugula or lamb’s lettuce. Also turn to fish and lean meats. With two tablespoons a day of an oil rich in essential fatty acids (walnut, soy, or rapeseed) for omega-3s.

=> SEE ALSO: No Diet Day, or the secret to lasting

And alcohol?

Be wary of alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates, and we know the impact poor hydration can have on tissues or the body, and how much it increases the risk of tendinitis and other injuries. So between meals, don’t finish the bottle bottoms. In fact, it should be a golden rule: alcohol is for sharing, alcohol is not for drinking alone. So, at the table, celebrate the feast with drinks, but between meals, drink, drink, and drink, but drink water!

To conclude

We monitor ourselves before. We monitor ourselves after. But we enjoy ourselves during. And finally, we are lucky, we have the opportunity to counteract more quickly than anyone, so, between two Yule logs: put on your shoe covers and long gloves and put 5 bars in your tubeless tires, it’s time to go for a ride!

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