Welcome October — us Southerners have been waiting for you! After months of 90+ degree days, 77 feels like heaven. Along with the cooler fall temps comes lots of food, festivities & fun with friends!
Fall + Pumpkin. They’re an obvious pair. As soon as fall arrives, it’s pumpkin season – pumpkin lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin granola & I’ve even seen pumpkin ravioli… just to name a few!
Or maybe you’re more of an apple fan. Apple picking. Apple pie. Apple cider. Apple donuts. Apple crisp. The list goes on & on.
Whether you’re on Team Pumpkin or Team Apple (or maybe both?!), this is the time of the year where you’re being bombarded with tasty treats & drinks in your favorite fall flavor.
A Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks weighs in at just under 400 calories. You’re looking at 52C/14F/14P in a Grande. (If you’re new to If It Fits Your Macros, we write macros in the format — Carbs/Fat/Protein. For more info on macros, please check out the ‘IIFYM Basics’ tab in the main menu.) The same size glass of Apple Cider (16 oz.) has only 240 calories, but it is comprised of pure sugar – 60 grams of sugar to be exact – giving you 60C/0F/0P.
In a few short weeks Halloween will be here. If you have children, my guess is that they will come home from trick or treating with a bucket full of candy. And if you’re anything like my parents growing up, you may raid their stash & steal your favorites. Those fun size candy bars seem harmless enough. I mean they’re so small! How much damage can they do?
Well, one little fun size Butterfinger isn’t going to make or break your day. But, will you stop at just one? If you have a small Halloween splurge and eat one of your son’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and two of your daughter’s fun-sized Snickers, you’re successfully snacked on 265 calories or 33C/14.5F/5.5P.
Once Halloween is over, it seems like the candy seems to linger for a while. You might have some stashed in your house so your kids can’t access it. Or tucked away in a secret spot to cure your sweet tooth. Even your office has a full candy dish this time of year. It may feel like it’s around you wherever you go.
That brings us to mid-November. Now you may be reflecting back on the past month and a half, realizing you’ve been indulging a bit too much. First the PSLs, then all the apple desserts and lastly the Halloween candy. You tell yourself you’re going to reign it in. Really get your eating under control. But unfortunately, the biggest eating day of the year is just a short week away.
“What’s the point in trying to eat better now. Thanksgiving is only a week away. I’ll wait until after my family get together(s) and then I will get back on track with my nutrition.”
Well, if your family’s Thanksgiving is anything like mine, it’s a multiple day event. 35+ of my near & dear family members make the trip to PA each year for Turkey Day. My aunt & uncle graciously host a 3-day holiday celebration, featuring a 5K Turkey Trot, an extremely competitive family bowling contest, a ping pong tourney & lastly, a make or break trip to the casino. Every year the event is a wonderful time, but it’s always centered around FOOD. We eat, eat, eat & then eat some more.
Maybe your family isn’t as intense as mine when it comes to Thanksgiving. Even so, according to the Calorie Control Council, the average American typically consumes over 3,000 calories during their Thanksgiving dinner alone. Plus, another 1,500 calories snacking on apps & beverages around the big meal. That brings the average American’s total calories for Thanksgiving Day to around 4,500. Dang.
“Thanksgiving is just ONE day! It only comes around once a year & I want to enjoy it!”
You’re right, it is only one day (or in my family’s case, three days…) You can jump right back into your meal planning & prepping mode the next day. However, maybe you’re too tired from all the food and festivities or too busy shopping the Black Friday specials. You may tell yourself you’ll get back to the grind on Monday. (We just love starting new goals on a Monday, don’t we? I’m guilty of it too!)
So, Monday comes and maybe you do get back on track. You’re focused and determined to meet your fitness and nutrition goals. However, the next thing you know, it’s December & the Christmas season has arrived. Your calendar is flooded with work luncheons, cookie exchanges, holiday parties & Breakfast with Santa. You may be feeling completely inundated with sweets and treats.
“I’ve blown my diet at this point, so I may as well enjoy the holiday season. It is the best time of the year, after all!”
Next thing you know, 2017 will be over & we’ll be ringing in 2018 with (you guessed it!) more food & drinks. You may be noticing a pattern here. The next 3 months are a time filled with eating, drinking and being merry. The holidays are absolutely a time for celebration and enjoyment with family & friends. However, it is also a time that over-indulgence and splurging can leave us further from our goals.
Take a minute and think about where you currently are on your fitness journey. Think about the goals you have for yourself. Maybe you’re trying to drop that last 5 pounds or fit into your favorite dress for an event. Now think about yourself in 3 months. Will you be closer to reaching that goal or farther from it? Your nutrition over the next month is crucial to how you answer that question.
“But Chelsea! Didn’t you say I could still have my favorite foods while following IIFYM?!”
Yes, I did. You can absolutely incorporate your favorite foods AND successfully reach your goals using IIFYM. Once you know your individual macro breakdown, you can determine how you use those macros. Although that PSL will cost you 52C/14F/14P, you can make it fit. That’s why IIFYM is also referred to as flexible dieting. Learning this approach to eating has truly been a game changer for me.
If you’re interested in learning more about flexible dieting or if you think that you’d benefit from having someone hold you accountable with your nutrition, please shoot me an email at CHISELEDbyCHELS@gmail.com. I’d love to guide you through the holidays, right toward your goals!
Stay Focused,
C
Chiseled by Chelsea 