The holidays are fast approaching, and ‘tis the season for all things family gatherings, social events with friends and coworkers, and it’s all usually centered around food! With all the holiday parties, potlucks, and family traditions it may feel daunting or downright impossible to stick to your keto diet this time of year. It’s a time of year where food and drinks seem endless, temptation is highest, and pressure is strongest. Whether or not you choose to stay on-plan with your keto diet, or go off-plan - this article will help you navigate the holiday season no matter what you decide to do, so that you don’t totally derail all your progress!
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SHOULD YOU STAY KETO DURING THE HOLIDAYS?
The first thing you need to decide prior to any holiday gathering is if you want to stay on your keto plan or not. This will depend on your goals, motivation, and priorities of what you really want to achieve on your keto journey, and in what timeframe.
Something to consider when making this decision is how long you’ve been living a ketogenic lifestyle. If you’re relatively new to keto, your body is still adjusting to burning fat for fuel instead of glycogen. This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to 1-2 months to become fully fat adapted. Eating something higher carb during this time will halt your progress, and make it more difficult for your body to adjust to these changes.
If you’ve been following a keto diet for a while now, your body is likely fat adapted, and eating something off-plan will have less of a negative effect. If you limit your exceptions to 1-2 meals, you will likely be able to get right back on track without much impact on your progress.
A big factor in being able to eat something off-plan during the holidays is your level of self awareness, being able to trust yourself to not overdo it, and get back on track afterwards. Unless you have a solid plan and stick to it, it can be easy to delay getting back to your keto lifestyle. A cheat meal turns into a cheat day, which turns into a cheat weekend, which turns into a cheat week, and next thing you know you’ve been off-plan for a month eating every carb or sugary food possible “before you go back to strict keto” in the new year. It doesn’t have to be like that!
Regardless of where you are in your keto journey, eating something off-plan may leave you not feeling your best. You will likely retain water, upset your digestive system, and may notice an increase in carb cravings.
Whatever you decide to do, make a plan in advance, and stick with what you initially decided. If you choose to eat something off-plan, do it because you’ve decided to, not because of temptation or family pressures. Take responsibility for your choices, and remember not to feel guilty or punish yourself later.
16 TIPS TO NAVIGATE THE HOLIDAYS ON KETO
MAKE A PLAN & STICK TO IT
Make a decision in advance whether or not you’re going to stay keto, or enjoy a few off-plan indulgences, and stick with it. When you plan in advance you are using your rational brain, and not letting emotions or temptations take control. Other things you can plan are what foods exactly are you going to indulge in that feel “worth it” to you, and how much are you going to eat. If you do decide to eat off-plan, make a solid plan for when you will get back on track and the steps you’ll need to take to achieve it. Don’t rely on willpower or motivation. Make that commitment to yourself, plan ahead, and when the time comes honour that commitment and act on your decision.
EAT A KETO-FRIENDLY MEAL BEFOREHAND
Whether or not you stay on plan while you’re at the holiday gathering, be sure to eat a satisfying keto meal before you go. This will help you avoid the temptation of eating every carb in sight the second you arrive, and allow you to make better choices throughout the celebration. Just because you’re choosing to indulge while you’re there, doesn’t mean the entire day needs to be filled with all the carbs.
MAKE SMART CHOICES
You will feel so proud of yourself if you make smart choices and hold yourself accountable. You can feel satisfied with the foods you’re eating, and know you’re doing it from a rational, controlled place. Even if you indulge, choose the foods you absolutely love and enjoy, not just anything and everything.
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EAT KETO FOODS FIRST
One way to ensure you don’t overdo it on carbs and sugar is to eat all of the keto-friendly foods first. Snack on meats and cheeses, then fill your plate with meat and vegetables. Eat these foods first, and take a smaller portion of the higher carb foods. Be sure to listen to your hunger cues, and stop when you’re full. You don’t need to stuff yourself to the point of feeling sick or uncomfortable!
CONTINUE TRACKING YOUR MACROS
If you’re really serious about knowing how certain foods react to your body, you can continue tracking your holiday meal macros. This may be a bit of a shock, and not seem like the most fun thing to do, but it will help you stay accountable and can teach you a lot about how your body reacts to eating off-plan. It can help you learn about quantities, portion sizes, and help you make better decisions overall. Don’t track your macros with the intention of “punishing yourself” later with strict restrictions or extended fasting.
If you decide to not track during your holiday celebrations for a day or two, just get right back to it afterwards to help hold yourself accountable.
LET YOUR HOST KNOW
If you want to stay on-plan during the holidays, you may want to let your hosts know in advance about your dietary limits. They may be open to including more low-carb options, and get excited about catering to the needs of all their guests. Or it can help them be more understanding and not offended if you decide to bring some of your own keto food.
If your host is someone you don’t know very well, you can simply avoid certain foods, and fill your plate with keto friendly foods. If your plate is full with meats, cheeses, and veggies no one will worry that you aren’t being fed enough, or they didn’t provide you with enough options.
OFFER TO BRING A KETO APPETIZER OR DESSERT
There are countless keto-friendly appetizers or desserts that all carb-lovers can enjoy too! Charcuterie boards, jalapeno poppers, keto dips, keto cookies, brownies or mini cheesecakes are all great options to bring to any holiday party.
Most hosts will really appreciate the help, and alleviate some stress they may experience on knowing what to feed someone living a keto or low carb lifestyle.
DON’T STRESS ABOUT IT
If you decide to stay on-plan for the holidays, make it a positive choice. Instead of saying “I’m not allowed to have that” or “I shouldn’t eat that”, remind yourself that you’re choosing not to eat that because you want to feel your best, and move towards your goals. Staying on plan with keto is making a positive choice for yourself, not a punishing limitation.
In addition, the more you fear eating certain foods, the more tempting they can become. So if you decide to eat something off-plan, enjoy it! Then get right back on plan the next day, without any guilt, stress or regrets.
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AIM FOR MAINTENANCE CALORIES FOR A FEW DAYS
If you do decide to eat off plan over the holidays, don’t jump right back into keto with a massive calorie deficit. No need to restrict yourself further in an attempt to make up for the overindulgence of calories and carbs. Sticking to maintenance calories for a few days will actually help your metabolism and hormones readjust back to normal levels, which can help your weight loss after that. Also, you may feel an increase in hunger after eating off-plan foods, so sticking with maintenance calories for a few days will help you prevent overeating or possible binges.
STICK TO KETO-FRIENDLY ALCOHOL
The spirit of the holidays can also mean an increase in alcoholic spirits! There are lots of low carb, keto friendly options when it comes to alcohol. Vodka, gin, whisky, rum and tequila are all 0 carb, mixed with a diet soda or club soda. There are also low sugar wines, and low carb beers that can help you celebrate without ruining your goals. Check out my blog for tips on drinking alcohol on keto here!
MAKE A KETO MEAL + CARB SIDES
If you’re the host of your holiday festivities, cook a keto friendly meal! Your guests may be surprised at how delicious keto food can be, and you may even inspire others to try it for themselves. You can also cook a few high carb side dish options to make sure everyone is happy for the holidays.
AVOID TRIGGER FOODS
You probably know there are certain foods that you can’t seem to stop eating. If you struggle with carb or sugar cravings, you may want to avoid certain triggering foods altogether. Maybe 1 sugar cookie quickly turns into 10 before you know it! Sometimes it’s just easier to avoid it entirely than risk feeling totally out of control around those foods. No need to make a big deal out of it. Self awareness is key, and making that decision for yourself in advance and sticking to it can help you feel confident with your choices.
STAY HYDRATED
Whether you stay keto or not it’s still important to stay hydrated! Hunger and dehydration react the same way in our system, so if you’re dehydrated there’s a chance you may actually eat more than you need to. Staying hydrated can help prevent you from overeating, and help with any holiday hangovers. Be sure to drink lots of water prior to attending your holiday party, and if you can, have a glass of water in between drinks.
If you decide to eat off-plan, be sure to drink plenty of water afterwards to help reduce bloating and water retention, and help you get back into ketosis.
BE PREPARED FOR KETO QUESTIONS & OPINIONS
Sometimes getting together with family during the holidays can be a bit stressful. There may be members of your family who aren’t educated on living a ketogenic lifestyle, and that’s ok! Be patient and informative when answering any questions, and use it as an opportunity to educate others on all the incredible benefits keto has to offer.
YOU DON’T NEED TO DEFEND YOURSELF
That being said, you don’t have to explain your personal lifestyle choices, or explain yourself to anyone. It doesn’t need to become a heated debate, argument, or negative discussion. If people in your family are being judgmental about your choice to follow a ketogenic diet, there’s no need to take it personally or get defensive about it. Some simple responses are “I just feel better when I don’t eat….” or “I really enjoy eating ______, so I’ll indulge in that instead”.
Not everyone will get it. And if you’ve already achieved some success with your keto weight loss journey, there may be some underlying jealousy that you’ve taken charge of your life, and are putting in the effort to make changes. There’s no need to justify yourself or ruminate on any negative comments if you know in your heart that you’re doing what’s best for YOU.
IT’S OK TO SAY NO THANK-YOU
No is a complete sentence. But no thank-you sure is a nicer way to say it! You may feel some pressure from friends or family to eat or drink certain foods at holiday functions. Especially if it’s something traditional that your great aunt makes only once a year, etc. You don’t have to fall victim to peer pressure and give in if it’s really not what you want to do. It doesn’t make you impolite or rude to say no thank-you if you genuinely don’t want to indulge. Stick to your plan, say no thank you, and show everyone that you’re still enjoying yourself and not missing out on anything.
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THE HOLIDAYS ARE MORE THAN FOOD
Remember that getting together with friends and family over the holiday season is SO much more than food. It’s about spending time together and making memories. You don’t have to overeat or binge on every carb or sugar in sight to have a good time. In fact, you may even feel worse if you do - both physically and mentally if it leaves you feeling unwell or beating yourself up for it. Focus your attention on the quality time spent with your loved ones, and don’t stress so much about the food.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS - JUST MOVE FORWARD
If you don’t manage to stay on track with keto despite your best intentions, just move forward and get right back to keto afterwards. You can’t change what’s already done, so no need to feel guilt or regrets. Reflect in a curious but caring way to determine how you can use this information for your benefit moving forward on your keto journey.
No matter what you decide to do on your keto weight loss journey over the holidays, remember that it’s your overall consistency that will determine your results. It’s not what you eat between the holidays that really counts, it’s what you do the remainder of the year that truly matters. Don’t let a few off-plan meals turn into a few off-plan months. And if you want to kick off the new year with all the best tools, strategies, accountability, and a solid plan to achieve your keto weight loss goals click here to learn more about how Keto Success Coaching can help make this year your most successful yet!
