Written by personal trainer, Lori Forrester  and creator of the blog LSF Fitness.

Well it’s October and yes, that means THE BIG THREE! You know what I’m talking about. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are what I like to call “the big three’” because it’s a nonstop pig-out! It’s a sugar extravaganza right?

Halloween is a big stress because I won’t buy any candy until the very last minute, which infuriates my family. If I do happen to buy it early, I take it immediately to our basement and put it on a high shelf ALMOST before I can process in my brain that I’ve purchased it. It’s the out of sight, out of mind strategy. If anyone dares to open one bag, I lose my mind and start screaming! An open bag is an empty bag in this house, usually eaten by me! Yes, Halloween is the first hurdle.

thanksgiving-foodThen comes the mother of all gluttony, Thanksgiving. I mean really! Pinterest blows up with all the pumpkin desserts, heavy creamed potato dishes, and casseroles disguised as vegetables. Ugghh…guilty! We actually PLAN to make ourselves sick. That’s really sick, you know?

Finally, just about the time your Thanksgiving meal is digested, your first Christmas party invitation comes. I really don’t even need to go into this do I?  Drinking, eating, drinking, eating…the entire month.  I mean it’s rude not to partake of the yummy treats and beverages your friends have worked so hard to provide, right?

Yes, we know it’s coming, so what can we do? This year I’ve got a plan. I’m dropping 5 lbs prior to the RyanKrane_SummerDietbig three! 5 lbs isn’t a total aggressive, leaning out kind of crash diet. It’s a few minor tweaks that are not that painful. I’m cleaning up my food, limiting my alcohol consumption, and increasing my cardio right up until Halloween! That will drop those pesky 5 lbs that I put on recently.

I’m not saying stop after that and gorge away, but I need some wiggle room. How about you? This is a great way to allow for a little play- time. Have a few Reese’s cups on Halloween. Blow it out Thanksgiving Day and be thankful you’re alive and well, and enjoy all your parties. If you keep it sensible except for those special occasions, you’ll probably gain back those 5 lbs but at least you won’t need to lose 10!

Life is to be enjoyed with the ones you love. It’s inevitable that a little weight will be gained during these months, but we can minimize the damage by staying just a little ahead of it. Let’s not be the ones in the gymJanuary 1st (…wait, are we kidding? I mean January 2nd) who are looking at taking off 20 lbs of holiday weight because they’d already put on the extra 10 early in football season! Let’s outsmart ourselves this year!

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