Navigating Holiday Food & Cravings

00:00The word diet, like people think of it in terms of like I'm going on a diet because I need to lose 10 pounds in 30 days. And so I'm going to cut out everything that I've been doing and get to that goal in 30 days. And then once the goal is achieved, then I can go back to doing all the things I was doing before I set out to achieve that goal. That's not a lifestyle change. That's just like you getting on and off the hamster wheel of losing and gaining the same 10 pounds over and over and over again.

00:30What's up, everyone? Hey, so this episode and the next few episodes over the coming weeks are going to be mashup episodes. Today's is all about mindful eating and helping you get ready for the holidays, Christmas, New Year's over the next few weeks. And before we even dive in, I just want to say happy holidays to you all. Happy New Year and a big thank you. Seriously, like thank you guys so much for all of your support this year,

01:05all of your listening and downloads to the episodes, all of your comments, all of your reviews. Like I'm generally grateful for every single one of you who have listened in and tuned in and who have shared these episodes and has grown with me in this year and has taken the advice and actually applied it. All right, so let's get into this episode today because I know this season, like I feel like I blinked and it's already here. This season can be hectic. It can feel hectic. The travel, the food, the schedule changes, like it's a lot.

01:37But today, just take a moment to like, you know, just listen, let the stress just go away. And let me just walk you through some simple realistic strategies that will help you guys to feel more in control, feel more confident and aligned with your goals going into the holidays without missing out on the moments that matter. All right, let's get into it. Social events can feel like a landmine to your nutrition goals and to your fitness goals, right? So maybe you're wondering, how can I enjoy myself without feeling guilty or derailing my progress?

02:09Or can I really stay consistent when I'm surrounded by drinks and food and friends that are also indulging in these luxuries as well? And the good news is you 1000% absolutely can. So that's what I want to talk about in today's episode. I want to share some practical strategies to help you guys approach these social events with confidence, with balance, and most importantly, a mindset that lets you enjoy the moment without any regrets, and even afterwards without any regrets.

02:44So the first thing I want to talk about is that mindset aspect. That's the first thing that we need to address because this is where most people trip up. Social events aren't just about food. They're about the connection. They're about the self-abortion. They're about being present. They're about catching up with your friends. But a lot of the time, everybody makes it all about the food. And that's where the guilt or the anxiety and feeling like you messed up or you fail can totally creep in. So instead of going into like a social event thinking I have to be perfect, I've already tracked all of my meals,

03:16I can't eat anything off my plan, try reframing it as an opportunity to enjoy the people around you while making choices that align with your goals. It's not about the food. It's like a different, the really important aspect, no matter where you're at in your journey, is typically you have some type of story or limiting belief around what you're trying to accomplish. So what you want to do is you want to reframe that limiting belief in a way that's supportive. So we all know when you go into social events, it's about the food.

03:48What food is going to be served? What is on the menu? What kind of drinks? What do I have access to? Instead, reframe it. Instead of thinking about it that way, think about it like, okay, I'm going to meet, see family that I haven't seen in a while. And while you're there by communicating and catching up and connecting, you can then secondarily make choices that align with your goals. So it's not about being restrictive or on or off your quote unquote macros or quote unquote diet.

04:22It's about finding a balance that works for you in the moment. And let's be real. Hear me loud and clear. One meal is not going to make or break your progress. What matters the most here is the consistency of your habits over time. One of the best ways to feel confident at an event, I personally think, is to plan ahead. But don't overcomplicate it. So I want to give you guys a few things that you can do before you show up to the event.

04:55The first thing that I would say is like if you know what the event will have, like types of like specific foods, like if it's a barbecue, it's a buffet, or it's like a sit down dinner where you can plan your meals around it, then I would be more aware of that. Like if there's a menu, for example, you know where you're going to dinner and you can search the menu online. Then I would and I've told thousands of women to do this and it truly helps them mentally. I would recommend that you look at that menu and you see what options that they have. And then you can kind of plug and play that with your MyFitnessPal to see how you can plan your other meals around that meal.

05:31Or another example is you go to dinner will be like a higher carb or a higher fat. You can aim for more protein and veggies earlier in the day in all of those other meals around the big meal. It's not about restricting yourself. It's about making adjustments that allow you to enjoy the event or the holiday without any type of stress. Another one is, is if you plan to drink, decide ahead of time how many drinks you're going to have and stick to that. But like opt for, like if you go into whether it be a wedding or whether it be an event or whether it be a dinner that you're going out to friends or whether it be Thanksgiving or the holidays coming up.

06:07Think about how many drinks you're going to have. Two, three. Okay. And then stick to that. You don't need more than that. I'm feeling happy and cheery and talkative after just one or two because I don't drink often. So just know how many you're going to have and stick to it. And then I would recommend opt for lower calorie options like the organic wines that are out there or if you're a wine person or me personally, I like tequila and club. You could do vodka and soda.

06:39More of like the higher end too. Like tequila is a prebiotic or probiotic, one of them. So it's good for your gut. That's why I love tequila. You won't find me drinking vodka. Vodka to the stock genes is just not good. Or you can opt for like those light beers or those light seltzers. But make sure, most importantly, that when you're having these drinks, you're also balancing it with tons and tons of water. It's like drink water, drink water. Now let's talk about what to do when you're actually at the event because you can plan all of these things, but like how do you follow through with it?

07:15And this is where the mindfulness and the balance really come into play. So what I would recommend first is when you arrive, just take a moment to check out what's available before like actually diving in. Like if you're at an event, you don't know what it is. This gives you a chance to prioritize the foods that you really want rather than just grabbing everything in sight. Because I've personally been in a situation where like I didn't survey all the options that were in front of me, maybe at a buffet, at like an event. There's so many options that are out there for you to enjoy, but you can ask yourself like what's worth it to me?

07:48What will I actually truly enjoy? You don't have to slap everything on your plate. You can just look at it like do I like this and am I going to truly enjoy it and is it worth it for me? So survey first. And then when you're ready to go dive into it, you already have kind of mentally prepared and brought mindfulness around what you're going to go for. The second thing that I would say is when you're there at the Christmas, it doesn't even matter. This all kind of coincides together. All of the events and how to stay on track while you're navigating these social events is if you're building a plate, start with protein, start with a veggie, start with a turkey, start with a green bean casserole.

08:27But know that the green bean casserole also, it has other ingredients and like carbs and fats too as well. But that's going to help you keep you satiated and satisfied and balanced because if you have more protein on your plate, the more protein is going to help you stay fuller and feel fuller. So it's going to lead you to less likely overindulging. So after that, you know, then add the fun stuff like small portions of your favorite size or desserts or, you know, if you're out to dinner, it's a little bit different. Like I would lean more towards that menu thing that I talked about earlier because it's just kind of like one meal.

09:01But if you're at an event, there's tons of options. This is the way that I would navigate it. OK, so here's like the mindset shift I want you guys to adopt during this holiday season. As you go into Christmas, as you go into New Year's, something is always better than nothing. If you can get in a quick workout, do it. If it's only 20 to 30 minutes, do it. If it's only 20, maybe it's not four days a week, but it's three days a week. Do it. If you're short on time, do what I had just recommended. Focus on the intensity over the duration.

09:33Bring down the sets. Bring down the reps. Challenge yourself with a little bit heavier weight. You're not here to be perfect. You are here to stay consistent. And trust me now, believe me later. But trust me that I believe in you. Even if you don't believe in yourself that you can do this over the next three weeks. I think that, like I just said, it's going in it with a little bit more intention. And that something is always better than nothing. And if you're showing up to that something and you're getting in what you can get in in that day, you're consistent. And that's all that matters.

10:05I know that one of the biggest challenges during the holidays is that your schedule is totally out of whack. What I want you to do, and this is what I did, is look at your calendar over the next year. I'm going to tell you guys exactly what I programmed for myself over the next three weeks. So this week is pretty normal for me. I'm going to get a workout on a Monday. I'm going to get a workout on a Tuesday. I'm going to get a workout on a Wednesday. I'm going to get a workout on a Friday. All of my days around that, that being Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, are off because I have plans for the weekend. Now moving into the holiday week of Christmas. This is what I did for myself, you guys. I put a workout on Monday the 23rd, a workout on the 26th, the 27th, and the 28th.

10:39I'm giving myself the 24th and the 25th off. And if I need to, this is the beauty of having only working out four days a week. Let's say that I don't feel like it on the 26th. Like I'm still feeling the holiday bliss. Like I'm still relaxing. I'm really kicking it back with family. Maybe there's some plans that we decided to do on the day after Christmas. I will move that workout. I'll move everything a day back. So I would do the 23rd, the 27th, the 28th, and the 29th.

11:11It doesn't matter. Let's say you have four workouts in a week. You have seven days. It doesn't matter when you do the four workouts as long as you complete the four workouts in those seven days. So you have some leeway to move things around with the extra days that you have added to your week, right? The following week, I did pretty much the same exact thing. I committed to the 30th, the 2nd, the 3rd, and the 4th. Look, me, personally, I am most likely, not going to say 100%, because maybe I will find myself in the gym on New Year's Day.

11:43But most likely, you will not find me in the gym on New Year's Day. It's going to be absolute chaos. If I do go, it will be later in the afternoon when everyone's gotten it out of the way. I don't know, but it's probably going to be mass chaos. So I planned around those New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Again, the same thing, like I have four workouts in my week. There's seven days. I can move. I have an extra day outside of the holidays that if I don't get it in the day after New Year's Day, I can get it in still in the rest of the week.

12:16So that's what I would recommend that you guys do too as well. It's like I know you have travel. I know your family obligations. I know that there's holiday events. And it makes me feel like there's no time to work out. But I promise you, there's always a way. And it's doing what I just said. Like if you can carve out 30 minutes, 20, 30 minutes for a workout, it doesn't have to be full blown. It doesn't have to be an hour-long session in the gym. If you know that you'll have a window of time in the morning or right before dinner, lock it in like an appointment. Write it on your calendar. Write it on your planner.

12:46Set an alarm. Treat it like a non-negotiable commitment. Because like I said at the beginning, once you show up for yourself, you're going to feel so much better. And at the same time, you're also going to show up not only better for yourself, but those that are around you and in your space during the holiday season. Okay? Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating or a review, or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat, and feel confident.

13:20Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. Actually, I think this is a really cool topic to be talking about because we just kicked a similar thing off inside of the Warrior Baby VIP program. We did a 60-day – the babes inside are doing a 60-day lifestyle challenge. And so we are encouraging the babes to give up alcohol, to focus on meal prep, to focus on their steps, to focus on strength training, and to focus on their mindset. And, you know, I think all of these pillars really make up a lifestyle change rather than just focusing on another diet to follow.

14:01So many people often use a term of diet and lifestyle change interchangeably. However, while they kind of like seem similar, I believe that there are some very, very important differences between the two. Diet is like let's just take a temporary approach to food and it's usually focused on achieving some specific like health goal or addressing a particular health issue. Or, you know, for instance, someone might adopt a like a low-carb diet to lose weight or to go gluten-free because they're managing some type of like celiac disease.

14:37And like diets can be helpful in the short term. Like I don't want to totally like discredit the fact of that word, but they often require a lot of willpower. They often require – they often are very difficult to sustain and they may not provide like the necessary nutrients that your body needs for optimal health. Not just to speak to the word diet in terms of like people having to achieve specific health goals or addressing specific health issues. Women out there jump on tons of different diets in hopes of achieving some type of instant gratification result in X amount of time.

15:17And so like they're all out. There's low-carb diet. There's keto diet. There's freaking like the 21-day fix. Like there's so many things out there that require one to drastically stop all of the things that they are doing, put on mad restrictions and rules in order to get to X amount of weight loss in X amount of time. Typically, it's like 21-day fix, 21 days. Some people expect immediate results with a keto diet.

15:47And I've talked about that in previous podcasts on what happens with immediate results. But then what happens when you start actually eating that one macronutrient that you can't give up forever because it's not sustainable. The word diet, like people think of it in terms of like I'm going on a diet because I need to lose 10 pounds in 30 days. And so I'm going to cut out everything that I've been doing and get to that goal in 30 days. And then once the goal is achieved, then I can go back to doing all the things I was doing before I set out to achieve that goal.

16:21That's not a lifestyle change. That's just like you getting on and off the hamster wheel of losing and gaining the same 10 pounds over and over and over again. And that's what these diets give you. They have their own set of rules. They have their own set of restrictions. And what I firmly believe, on the other hand, is a lifestyle change. You've heard me say this if you listen to the podcast. If not, you're going to hear me continue to say this. This is the first time you're hearing it. But I believe that macronutrients are not a diet. I believe that they are a skill set that can serve you for the rest of your life.

16:54If you understand what you're putting in front of you that consists of food on your... Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle,

17:28and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. If you have a plate and you know what that food is made up of, then you have empowering skills to be able to make decisions for every other meal that you eat moving forward.

18:13I believe that to be like a lifestyle change because you're gaining skills, you're gaining understanding, you're learning insights about nutrition that are able to apply to long-term commitments for you to living a healthy and balanced life. So you don't have to set specific rules with macros. You don't have to set specific restrictions like other diets do. Sure, there's rules with macros, but they allow you to eat the foods that will help you to manage a sustainable plan in the long term.

18:47Like they're not, we're not, macros aren't asking you to eliminate anything. They're not asking you to drastically cut down on calories in one specific group. They're saying, hey, here is what you should be eating based off of your lifestyle, based off of your goals, based off of your, you know, you as, where are you, where you're at as a human. I mean, diving even deeper into maybe some lab work and understanding how metabolic processes work for you or where sex hormones are, where your hormones are in general, where your cortisol is.

19:20Like what is so cool is that there can be a unique number for you to follow on a regular daily basis. Nobody should be following the same macronutrient numbers because we are so vastly different. And what the diets offer you is like, hey, here's a cookie cutter program that I found from online. That's a PDF that came from my cousin's friend's sister's daughter and they're all following it. And so you should follow it too.

19:52At Warrior Babe, we pride ourselves on not giving like meal plans for our babes, our clients to follow on a 60, 90, 24 month period. Right. We give them meal plans at the beginning to see that this is a tool and resource on how you're able to like identify how to put some macros together and some meals together on a daily basis. But a meal plan is restricted in itself because it's like a meal plan is telling you, oh, you have to have this for breakfast today. You have to have this for lunch today and you have to have this for dinner today.

20:24Like there is a wide variety of so many foods out there in our world that you can incorporate into your plan rather than the three options that are given to you in each one of these meals. Which some people don't find enjoyable, but they eat it. But then the reason why they get off of it after 30 days is because they don't like it and it's not enjoyable and it's not sustainable.

20:55And so they go back to all of the things that they were doing prior, which is that hamster rail of gaining back and losing the same 10 pounds over and over and over again. People are only looking at the surface level what diets can offer you right quick results if people can shift and this is what I'm hoping that you guys understand within this podcast episode if people can shift from that mentality that mindset of instant gratification. And, oh, here's just a simple plan that I can follow for 30 days and shift to like, oh, okay, this lifestyle bit that Nikki's talking about may be a little bit harder to do, which it is.

21:40But anything worth doing, you guys, requires hard work, consistency, and changing the way that you are navigating the type of result that you're going after. Same result that people want, losing weight, getting toned, building muscle. The diet aspect has a different type of mindset to get you to that goal. It's probably, it's easier, but like, it's also not sustainable. It's not long-term and you're constantly, I would actually argue that it's easier. It's harder because you're constantly in this loop of gaining and losing and restrictions and rules and pressure and unhappiness.

22:19Same goal, though. That's the diet aspect. Lifestyle, sure. The lifestyle change. Well, more so comes is like, okay, you can find any fitness program out there. You can find somebody giving you a workout program. You can find somebody doing an app. You can find somebody giving you a nutrition protocol. You can find all of that. But like, what makes a long-term change, a lifestyle change entirely applicable and like, one that you are able to, you know, jump on board with. Like, what makes that, that is the behavioral changes that have to come into play.

22:55So like, diets are like, get rid of my habits for 30 days that have gotten me to where I am, to where I'm not happy to make change. But then the habits come right back. The bad habits come right back. Whereas a lifestyle change is like, okay, I'm learning these triggers that I have with myself when it comes to food. I'm understanding that I am not eating enough and this is why and being insightful into taking this information and getting rid of the bad habits that got you to this point or understanding the triggers more that got you to this point or learning the knowledge as to, oh, eating less actually isn't ideal.

23:39I need to eat more and you're learning all of these facets about you, which you should because you're so individual. There's different triggers that you would have than somebody else. There's different beliefs and stories that are being told about not about eating less food than somebody else. There's different habits that you have than somebody else that got you to where you are that you're not feeling comfortable with yourself right now. That led you to want to make a change, but I want you to not make the diet change. I want you to make the lifestyle change and I want you to understand and learn these behaviors about yourself, which is what we do at Warrior Babe.

24:14And we're able to work. What we pride ourselves on is like our coaches don't just give you these plans that I'd mentioned. They build a relationship with you to understand how you operate, how you think, your stories, the narratives that you're telling yourself on a daily basis, the triggers that you have. And from building that relationship and being able to professionally give you some tools and resources to create new habits, to shift the behavior, that's going to lead you to the ultimate transformation.

24:46That's going to lead you to a lifestyle change. The goal is not to eliminate cravings entirely. Like that's entirely unrealistic. Instead, it's about building a healthier relationship with food and learning to manage cravings in a way that supports you and your goals. Cravings are a 100% normal part of life, a normal part of the journey that you're on. Like I still today have cravings, but it's about handling them in a way that means that you're not feeling guilty or that you feel like you're out of control or it's just a balanced approach.

25:24Like again, like things are neutral. And like if you have a craving and then like the craving doesn't go away and you allow yourself to have a piece of candy in the next couple of days, weeks, or maybe that's already been you because of the holidays. It's just like the mindset of which you have behind it. It's like, okay, cool. I'm having a piece of chocolate. All right, whatever. It's not going to fuck me up. But like, and then you get back to it. This is what I would recommend you guys do. If you can approach cravings with more curiosity instead of judgment, then you can start to understand them better and make decisions that aren't aligned with your journey without feeling deprived.

25:59And like, remember, a craving doesn't define you and indulging once in a while isn't going to derail your progress. You control the cravings. Don't let the cravings control you. I know that's easier said than done, especially at some parts of whatever, wherever you guys are at in your journey. But I can promise you, like, if you can get through what we talked about today and more so along the mindset aspect of it as well, you will be, you will recognize that you are more in control of it than you are allowing the food to be in control of you.

26:31And so, again, like to sum it all up, like cravings are an absolute normal part of your journey that you are on. And they're not something that you should fear or you should feel guilty about. They're simply just a signal from your body and or your mind. And by understanding why these cravings are happening, by being curious about them, by bringing awareness to them and using the strategies that we talked about here, how to handle them, you can stay on track with where you want to go and where you are going with your journey, with your fitness journey, with your nutrition journey, and just without feeling like you're constantly fighting against yourself.

27:07Welcome cravings. Honor cravings. Bring awareness to cravings. Be curious about the cravings. Why am I having this craving? What is happening in my external reality that is bringing me to have this craving? Cool. I have awareness to it. I'm curious about it. I don't have any judgment about it. I'm just super curious about it. And then you're going to act better and be more aligned with like taking the next steps and you're responding instead of reacting in this moment. And then the more that you do that, that's how you rewire these habits, these thoughts and these feelings to be more supportive of, be more supportive for you in your journey.

27:44All right, guys. So I hope this was helpful. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you. Again, if you guys have a second, please go find a way that you can leave a review for the whole podcast show. I would really appreciate it. I read every single one of them. And then those reviews not only help this show, but they also help other women to find this show and to listen to the show. So I am one person, but you guys are many. I lean on your guys' support to be able to spread this show to other people. All right.

28:14So I thank you guys so much in advance for your reviews. And I will see you next time. Peace out. Hey, really quick before you go. I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all of the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey.

28:45Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

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