Fighting the Good Fight: Holiday Calories

Words by Joe Hamilton

Keeping off excess weight can be difficult around the holidays. Often an average “holiday meal” equates to around 5000 calories consumed in a single day. To provide context to this, an average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain her weight. An average man needs approximately 2500 calories to maintain his weight. The average person (male or female) will burn between 450 to 750 calories per hour cycling. These calories burnt of course are dependent on your weight, speed, and duration. Looking at this from the best-case scenario (i.e. a burn rate of 750 calories), a woman would need to burn off approximately 3000 calories and a man 2500 calories just to burn the excess consumed by an average holiday meal. That equates to a four-hour ride for a man and 3.25 hours of cycling for a woman. That’s a long ride for one meal!

Weight maintenance can be very difficult for many, if not most, athletes during this time of year. I would even dare to say that most athletes gain weight during the winter. I know I usually gain anywhere between 5-10 lbs. Remember that the weight you put on now will be the weight you’ll have to burn off in the spring. This added focus of weight loss increases the amount of time it takes to get to your “normal” fitness level and also carves into the valuable time you could be working on race fitness, not weight loss. It’s like taking one step forward to take two steps back. 

As with everything else, there is no one size fits all solution. If there was, everyone would be doing it.  There are thousands of articles, workout programs, and blog posts out there. Ascertaining what information is legit or not can be overwhelming and even just “darn” frustrating. Through my years as a trainer, coach and athlete there are some basic steps you can take to reduce or even eliminate the possibility of holiday weight gain. Here is my top six: 

1. Consider calories. Understand and know what your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is. Your RMR is the calories needed for you to live and breathe. There are many calculators that can provide you estimates. The ones I tend to gravitate to consider activity levels like GlobalPxPH. Once you know your RMR, you will understand the baseline caloric intake that’s needed, and the additional calories needed for any energy expenditure. Anything in excess of your BMR and energy expenditures, are excess and stored calories you will have to burn off. 
2. Reduce portion sizes and use variety to your advantage. Rather than take huge servings of one item, take small portions of several. Psychologically, you will feel like you have eaten more because you have satisfied multiple food cravings. Variety can reduce eating excessively, especially if that one food you love is higher in calories than others. 
3. Moderate your drinking. Cocktails and alcoholic drinks seem to be available everywhere this time of year. Who doesn’t love Baileys and Irish crème or a good winter brew with friends and family? However, one way to combat one too many drinks is to drink water in between each drink you have. Staying hydrated by drinking one glass of water for every alcoholic drink. This will maintain your hydration, keep you full, and keep you from having a hangover, which is never fun to train with!
4. Chose fruits and vegetables. A lot of party trays tend to show up at the office this time of year. With so many options, it is really easy to pick the cookies, candies, and cakes. Keep your eyes open for the healthy options that are nutrient-dense and not sugar-based. Some examples include nuts, pretzels, celery, and whole wheat crackers. Stay away from those holiday dishes that cause temptation. Remember, everything you eat is energy either stored or burnt. 
5. Plan in advance. I know this seems like a general statement but there is a lot of merit to it.  For example, if you have an afternoon office party, don’t skip your lunch. Your lunch is a great time to consume those foods high in protein, fiber and high in energy density. That way, by the time you make the office party, you will not be tempted to eat everything in sight because that feeling of “fullness” has already set in.  If traveling, plan your meals ahead. I will often pack myself a breakfast I can eat in the morning or at least healthy snacks. If all else fails, you can always pour hot water into a bowl of oatmeal and eat a banana. Sure canned foods are not the most desirable, but on the road things like canned beets and tuna can all become gourmet ways to get your nutrients in. 
6. Bring your mobile workout kit. Trying to fit in workouts around family and during the holidays can be a challenge. So, when you travel bring a mobile workout kit. This can include things such as a yoga mat, Suspension training systems, a jump rope, and some running shoes. With these simple tools, you can get a full workout that targets all areas of the body. Some recommendations include.
   • Pushup with rotation for the core.
   • Single leg jump rope hops
   • Squat thrusts
   • Plyometric push-up 
   • A 30-60 minute run in your aerobic zone.  

Most of all enjoy yourself. It’s the holidays and for many the only time of the year we get to spend with friends and family. Just be cognizant of what you eat, when you eat it, and how you plan to burn it off. Remember that the calories you gain are the calories you will need to burn during training. It takes a lot of effort to burn excess calories to get back to your pre-holiday ideal weight. With some focus, self-control, and commitment you can navigate the holiday season successfully. 

Coach Joe is a dedicated coach and athlete who specializes in MTB racing, road cycling, and strength training. For more information on Joe’s coaching services, or to schedule a coaching consultation with him click HERE.