Kudos to Rachael for the fabulous Santa-Keto meme!
From Christmas eggnog, to Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, to Easter’s turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy …
Temptation is at every corner!
Holidays can be rough if one is following a ketogenic lifestyle. This doesn’t mean that you have to give keto up.
You simply need to plan and prepare so that you can stay on track.
You can avoid plenty of heartache, stomach growls, and cheats by planning ahead. Make sure that you aren’t arriving hungry to the holiday dinner.
Eat some zero or low carb snacks before the big event.
This would also be a good time to review your progress photos. Remind yourself how far you’ve come and acknowledge that you have the willpower to bypass those non-keto dishes.
Let the hosts know in advance that your eating choices involve zero/low carb foods. They may offer to create some low carb foods or, at the very least, will understand if you let them know that you will be bringing your own food along. Not only will the food you bring be ‘safe’ for you to eat, it doubles as a gift to the hosts and takes one item off of the list of foods that they need to prepare. You could bring along a simple salad with an oil/vinegar dressing or a salad made with broccoli.
You should also consider bringing along some keto snacks; nuts, sugar-free beef jerky, cheese strings, etc. In lieu of the dessert that is likely loaded with sugar, bring along a few sweet fat bombs to curb your temptation.
Lastly, make sure that you bring along a bottle of water to keep your belly full. Remember, staying hydrated prevents you from over-eating.
Nothing beats gravy with a turkey dinner and mashed potatoes. But, the gravy is likely made from flour; which could kick you out of ketosis. And the potatoes? Unfortunately, not keto-friendly.
Also beware of starchy vegetables, certain dairy products, and sweet cocktails. Make sure that you know what your safe foods are. Meatballs may work, but the honey garlic sauce? Not so much! Read the labels or ask questions of the cook.
Make sure that the carbs that you do eat are your favorites. Don’t eat a steamy homemade bun just because it’s there. Eat more of the keto friendly foods that you love. Be sure to eye measure your serving sizes and make every bite count!
You need to count all alcohol consumed in your total carb count. Therefore, avoid beer, sugar-laden holiday cocktails, and all mixes containing sugar.
Try and stick to hard alcohol with a zero carb count and use a diet soda or sparkling water as your mix.
Holiday gatherings are typically not the time to experiment with different types of foods. Ask the hosts in advance what will be served and what the ingredients are.
Fill your plate with meat and keto-friendly complex carbs (veggies).
Ignore those who chastise you for dieting over the holidays.
Also, be prepared to pick your battles. If your Mom is insistent that you try a slice of her pumpkin pie, take a bite and be polite. If your boss is pushing you to try her surprise spread dip with crackers, one bite won’t kill you.
But, if your goal is to maintain strict keto through the holidays, have a firm, but polite, response ready. “My doctor has advised me to stay away from carbs and sugars for health reasons.”
Don’t succumb to the pressure.
There will always be limitations when you are eating at someone else’s house. Talk to the host in advance and discuss the menu. Determine what you will be able to eat from this conversation.
It’s always a good idea to bring along a keto friendly dish or two. In case the meal plan changes, you will still have something that you can eat.
This is the easiest of all situations as you get to plan the whole menu. By now, you’ve come to realize that there are tons of keto friendly foods that are incredibly delicious.
I am the only one in my family who follows the ketogenic lifestyle. 95% of the time, my whole family eats the food that I make for dinner, even my son … although I never tell him that it is a keto friendly food!
Serve keto dishes! Odds are, most people won’t even know the difference!
If you plan on sticking with strict keto over the holidays, be prepared and have a plan. But, if you decide to celebrate the holiday season, don’t stress!!! Enjoy every single bite and forgive yourself!
We’re really good at not judging others for ‘cheating’, yet we’re very quick to judge, criticize, and condemn ourselves.
Consider your indulgence an opportunity to stop obsessing about the keto lifestyle and to learn how your body reacts to different types of food.
If you decide to let your hair down and indulge over the holidays, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
To avoid falling off the wagon and dipping back into those high carb, sugar laden food that are typical of office parties, eat in advance to avoid the mouth-watering foods.
Be sure to pack yourself some high fat, low carb treats; dark chocolate or some fat bombs.
Hit the dance floor or get caught up on the latest office gossip … anything that will keep you busy, engaged, focused and away from those unhealthy distractions.
Plan a 24-hour fast. This is the quickest way to get back in the keto frame of mind.
A 24-hour fast will allow your body to quickly burn up those carbs that your body has stored and will go back to using ketones. If you were in ketosis long enough before the holiday indulgence, your body will be accustomed to making its way back into its keto state.
If the idea of a 24-hour fast doesn’t appeal to you, try a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour eating window to get yourself back on the ketosis path.
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