 Oh gobble gobble. It's turkey time, and it's gonna be Christmas soon, too It's the holiday season and all now here's the statistic most of you watching this right now in January It'll be about 10 pounds fatter But those of you that watch and listen to this episode won't be because in this episode we give you hacks on how to present prevent Excuse me fat gain. Isn't that cool? Here's what's even cooler. Check out the giveaway today the maps Super bundle. This is the biggest bundle that we offer So there's maps anabolic maps performance maps aesthetic maps prime and I think there's even more stuff in there It's a huge bundle. It's an expensive bundle and one of you will get it absolutely for free But you got to do this leave a comment below in the first 24 hours that we drop this episode now in your comment Tell us your favorite holiday hack that helps you stay healthy and fit during the holidays All right, make it a good comment also subscribe to this channel and turn on your notifications Now if you pick your comment will notify you and you'll be the lucky winner of the maps Super bundle isn't that amazing also? We're running a sale right now on maps anywhere It's 50 off and the fit mom bundle which includes maps anywhere maps anabolic maps hit and the intuitive nutrition guides So all those things 50% off Okay, so half off all those things. I just talked about if you're interested head over to maps fitness products.com and use the code November 50 that's November 50 with no space for that discount. All right. Here comes the show You know what's funny is that obviously we all worked in gyms for a long time managed gyms and Everybody knows especially if you're working a gym that january Way more people come in way more people want to sign up way national treadmill month It's that whole you know new year's resolution thing, but I think it has more to do Guilt the fact that yeah, they just had the holidays, right? Yeah, what's that stat like the average american gains? You know, I I've said this stat every year and I think I'm 20. I've seen yeah I've seen it all I've seen everything from as low as eight to as high as like 20 pounds over the holiday so like I've maybe dug to google it but the last time I looked it was less than what I think I said on this show But somewhere between eight and 20 pounds on average people put on from I believe it starts on halloween so halloween Till january 2nd the average american adds anywhere between eight to 20 pounds And that's a wide range and the problem with that is that they go to try to lose it obviously doing it the wrong way and They end up losing either half of it or none of it and then they go the next year And it ends up being cumulative. So after five or six years, I'm 30 pounds overweight or whatever. Anyway, what I want to do is I would like to give people behavioral and kind of objective strategies That can help them with this holiday season, you know, we got Thanksgiving Christmas New Year's Eve Families getting together and I think it's important that people have some like Easy to apply strategies that kind of will prevent This weight gain that people experience during the holiday the eight holiday hacks to prevent weight gain Yeah, let's let's talk about some of the ones that we've used also If you're not intentionally conscious of what you're putting in your mouth, it's going to get away from you Let's be honest. The first one is the 40 day fast This will definitely make sure you don't get if you don't eat for 40 days No, I would cover it. No, no, that is not a strategy. That's a terrible strategy All right, let's start with the first one and I've heard you talk about this adam I do the same thing when I go to family parties Yes, it might I have a big family typically when we go we have big family parties holiday parties Everybody tends to bring a dish or two dishes, right? You bring the healthy dish. That's what I do Yes, exactly what I do. You're the health ambassador. Yeah. Yeah, I'll typically bring A vegetable dish or a lean protein dish or something that I know that at the very least I can turn to when I'm hungry. Well, you know how this started for me So I'm in Katrina and I've been together for 11 years now And it was at about the midway point when or even a little bit before so it's about what year four year three or four When I began preparing to Get ready to compete so even before I was competing but getting prepared for that And I began to carry my food around in Tupperware all the time and like her family lots of traditions and The way they do like meals There's a bunch of food that everybody agrees is like everyone's favorite foods that they want there and then it's just like, oh Katrina You have this this year. You know, Jerry, you have this this year and they kind of pass around like the dishes And this is during the time where I like I'm carrying Tupperware around all over the place. So I'm like, well, this is ridiculous I'm going to go here and like the only thing I can use turkey like So I said, why don't we and I remember the first year we had to kind of compromise like, okay We'll make that dish in addition to that I want us to make one or two dishes that I can actually eat and so it started as me Bringing additional healthy dishes to the Thanksgiving dinner And then now it's become actually something that people are sort of I've introduced the family to some of these dishes that are, you know less marshmallows Because you get the salad quote unquote that's like jello with marshmallows. Yeah, so I had to do the same thing I'm like, I'm the one that's going to bring the salad with the dark leafy greens that has some fiber in it So I can actually help my digestion, which is a big problem for me with these big holiday meals. That's exactly what I do I bring I'll bring like two vegetable dishes that are relatively low calorie that tastes good and easy for you to prepare easy to prepare And and we'll bring them and then we'll put them out and people will eat them too But at least I know that there's some there's an option there for me that I can turn to And eat that's going to give me some of the healthy benefits now that and I think we're all on the same page I think that's been a Huge help for me personally is just having a better option there. There's another one that um I've started to do ever since you and it's something that your family does and I believe it's Thanksgiving I don't know if you guys do this on Christmas or it's Thanksgiving day after Thanksgiving Okay, it is Thanksgiving, right? So you've been doing this forever when we first met I thought it was really cool that your family I've joined you now On some of them and I made sure to make sure our family does something similar which is Organizing some sort of a you know family physical activity now your specifically you guys all go to the gym Work out like you guys all used to go to your gym now you go to this our gym here And get this big and it's cool because it's like a You know three-hour occasion. It's not a normal traditional like most of it is having fun and talking And catching up with each other then we we test each other's strength We do weird exercises like it's definitely not a formal workout, but I love that because Once you go experience that and you realize that oh, this isn't just You know fanatical Sal with his workout and he has to do his routine It's actually a time to bond and everybody even people that aren't into really working out can have fun And it's become a part of the holiday for us and it started I want to say maybe third as long as 13 or 14 years ago where I would I have a lot of cousins and and family members that are You know mail that are right around the same age me and my cousin Sep are the oldest and then we have kind of younger and it's about eight-year age difference But now we're all older. We're all you know the same right? We're all adults And about 13 years ago. I was like, hey, we should all meet up And we'll meet up at my studio and we'll all work out the day after Thanksgiving And it's this all-day thing and we hang out. We have a great time And it's become it's become a ritual and a part of the holiday and what's cool about this is Yes, you get activity But you're also You're also getting the value that you would get from holidays, which is to be around the people that you love So you essentially you're organizing a physical activity of bonding with your family, which is yeah We used to do like nature hikes You know with the whole family and then we started to ramp it up and then we did Flag football turned out that I was like all-time quarterback and then it was just me and the kids I'm trying to sell this a little bit more as the family still but I'd love to to now, you know evolve that into more of like a fun Kind of a weight training event to go with that as well. So we'll see this year We put we play music and we'll switch the music So I'll put on the metal and then my other cousin put on EDM and then some and we'll talk crap to each other and And then yeah, like Adam said, we'll see who's the strongest or whatever lift although now that we're getting older everybody's got an injury I'm like, okay, whatever dude, but I mean it's it's a good time And it's it's again It follows the tradition of the holiday and it's awesome and I tell you what if you're the fitness fanatic in your family You would be surprised how much your family actually appreciates the fact that you lead a workout Now one piece of advice your goal isn't to beat the crap out of your family You have fun with them, but they will appreciate it. Well, I'm glad you talk politics I'm glad you said that because I think the key to this because I know there's somebody listening and they're like There's no way I'm gonna get my family to do this And if you if you present it like a traditional workout where you're gonna Everyone's gonna be very formal and following sets reps and trying to get as much as you can done in an hour It's like no, you're not gonna win that battle with the family But if you can turn it more into an experience an event like a social thing that while we're also moving at the same time I think that's the secret sauce to turning it into something that happens more consistently And that's what I really even enjoyed about coming to the workout that I did originally with you guys is that That's how it was. It wasn't this very informal. Yeah, very very informal I'm so informal that so we like hey, let's go try this Okay Or how heavy can you lift this and like and then everybody would kind of do it and We'd bullshit for a while and talk about stocks and other stuff and then go back to doing it And so I think if you're a fitness person and you're trying to encourage your family to do this Katrina's family, they most of them love basketball the girls the guys they all played ball growing up Even though we're all older and so that so we organize like a basketball game. Yeah, see that's a blast Yeah, we all play basketball And then her mom and some of the ants and stuff that are a little bit older Something they do that I actually joined this one year. I remember why I couldn't play basketball I can't remember what my injury was. I think it was my Achilles. That's what it was But I could walk at the time they get up in the morning. I like this. I know this isn't on our hack We didn't list this one But this kind of goes coincides with this is I also love on Thanksgiving morning to get up early before I have any food or anything is just to go for a nice long walk Early walk. It's beautiful kind of fall weather as the family together Yeah, yeah, and we get a group whoever wants to go for the walk and it's you know, typically six or seven of us And we go walk for I don't know 45 minutes to an hour same thing. It's it's not not real hardcore exercise It's more us talking enjoy each other's company And I just it sets the tone for the day and get you burning calories before you even consume anything I think this is uh tremendously helpful in combating the extra. Oh, it's a good time All right, so the next one now. This is one of the only times you'll hear Us communicate fasting in this particular way And and I'll explain why so the the strategy is to fast Before the holiday meal and then fast afterwards when you're done with the meal, you're done and you don't eat till the next day Now, why do we do this? Here's one of the reasons why I know as a fitness fanatic One of the things that used to mess with me was oh my gosh, I'm gonna eat all this food I'm gonna eat these pies and eat these desserts and if I fasted leading up to it Then what it did is it helped my mind put my mind at ease a little bit like okay I'm gonna enjoy this meal I'm not going to worry too much about The calories or whatever and and we're going to get into some more hacks and talk about how you can actually enjoy the meal and that You know turn it into a binge where you're actually not being aware at the time You're actually in another space But nonetheless fasting leading up to it Kind of does set the stage for this wonderful Enjoying, you know this meal that you can enjoy with your friends and your family Well, I like this too because I don't think anybody Gets fat over the holidays from the one Thanksgiving meal What gets you is the the the grazing all day long is the two to three drinks to the cookies and snacks to the pies and treats to the Inactivity seconds and thirds, you know an hour or two hours later. That's I mean, it's really tough To consume, you know two over two to four thousand calories in one city So I don't care how big it's hard for most people if there's exceptions to every I'm sure someone watching if like you want to Bet yeah, I know there's always somebody who can crush that kind of food Maybe in in my my best time ever I could probably put down three four thousand calories But even then I mean you're not I'm not putting on a pound of fat from that one meal even crushing that much Especially if I fasted leading up and then I decided to shut it down afterwards So I like that for this that way when I'm sitting there at dinner and I'm having, you know, their Thanksgiving meal I'm not going like oh, that's 400 calories. Oh, that's I'm not thinking about how much I'm consuming I've just said hey, I didn't eat all day today. I've been waiting for this meal I'm going to get down And I'm going to enjoy the shit out of myself and then when I'm done I'm shutting it down It takes a little bit of the pressure off, you know, it allows you to be a little more flexible I think and and be more present because yeah If fitness fanatics especially like going into something like this start to kind of You know calculated as they go and like I'm putting this in but I should only eat probably like a slice of this And then you know, there's all these like hacks and strategies out there Where you're only going to eat a little bit of this and only drink a tiny it's like no You get like that's just that's crazy. Nobody nobody does that and has a good time Well, the mentality of the fast leading into the holiday meal makes a big difference If my mentality around the fast is oh, I'm not going to eat anything so I could go crazy At my holiday meal you may find yourself, you know tipping into like this kind of binge, uh, you know behaviors What I like to try to do is when I fast leading up to the meal I fast as a way to detach from food. So it's somewhat of a spiritual, you know, for lack of a better term I hate using that term here, but really it's about detaching. It's a holiday I'm thankful focusing on my kids and my wife and my family. I'm looking forward to seeing people Eating the food that people prepared Getting together with people I haven't seen maybe in a little while So it's really detaching from food and then now we're all together and it's this holiday It's this tradition and we're enjoying this time together. So it's not And now we talk about physiologically the fact that you're avoiding calories and eating calories So it results in less calories overall, but the mentality you go into it makes a big difference It's not I'm going to starve myself so I can pig out It's I'm detaching and focusing on important things right now and I know later. I'm going to enjoy myself You're not actively trying to stack plates You gotta be reasonable and also again It helps prevent you from doing that that mindless eating while you're sitting around because you've already just kind of told yourself Like hey, I'm gonna eat. I'm gonna wait for the meal. I'm gonna wait for the meal I'm gonna eat so then when the cookie plates because I mean, I don't know what you guys think sitting looks like But from literally the night before even in the morning of and all day long There's there's stuff on the table. There's chips and ranch dressing and every time you walk by There's something yeah, there's something for you to be kind of picking out all day And I really think that that's what gets most people in this situation is the grazing all day long while you're Enjoying the family and having conversations and stuff. And so it's like, okay. Well instead of Doing that I'm just gonna enjoy the family and I'm not gonna do all the grazing And then I'll have a nice dinner and if I do that then the calories won't sneak up on Yes Now this next point is kind of it's a very effective way of naturally reducing calories Without telling yourself that you're restricting yourself And I learned the strategy a long time ago when I experimented with Uh, the warrior diet. There was a book that came out years ago called the warrior diet and basically we eat one meal a day and uh, you know for Not to go into it. I don't think it's a great strategy for most people But one thing that I did learn from it was when I would eat that one meal There was this order of operation with the foods that I ate and I noticed that it did Really work well with my appetite. And this is how it worked The first thing that I ate when I was when I was ready to eat was protein I prioritized the protein first The next thing that I ate was vegetables and I would eat a big serving of vegetables And then if I felt not satisfied like I want to eat a little then I would move to the starches and other foods If you eat in this way and prioritize that way what you may find is that you actually eat less Now protein has been shown to have appetite suppressing effects. It's got it really Yes, they're very very satiating So if I eat like a bunch of turkey or a big piece of steak or meat And then I eat my vegetables and a big salad and that's what I'll do I'll go get all the vegetables that are being served and I'll eat all those right after ate my protein And then I'll sit there and I'll think do I do I am I satisfied? You know, how do I feel now? I'm kind of full or maybe I'm not now I'll get the mashed potatoes now. I'll have the pasta now I'll have the bread and the starches because if I start with those It almost always leads to eating more overall, right? So this is one of my Favored strategies and I use this strategy year-round. So this is one of the ways that I manage My eating when I go out to eat. So instead of saying I can't have a nice dinner with Katrina You know every single Friday night if I want to I absolutely can do that That this is just one of the ways that I manage the calories without feeling like I'm Restricting or telling myself I can't have the bread or I can't do this It's like sure I can do that stuff. I'm just if I just eat my foods in this order What tends to naturally happen is by the time I get to the french fries by the time I get to the tortilla chips By the time I get to the dessert I'm so full on the meat and veggies That the car the carbs the starches the desserts They just don't even sound that appealing and even if they sounded so amazing before going to dinner And I told myself I can't wait to try that what I end up taking a bite or two and then that's it Versus I I'm thinking about the cake or I'm thinking about this dessert or those chips or those french fries And I'm doing it while I'm simultaneously eating my protein and veggies and then when it's happening I'm more and more over here on the starchy carbs and before you know it I don't finish my protein and I over consume my calories because I had so many carbs versus I just go Hey, I'm going to take this big serving of meat and veggies I'm going to crush that then I'll move over to this food And I love that because there's that psychological part of that I'm not saying I'm I can't or I won't eat that. I'm just saying I'm going to make sure I get my protein and And veggies the things that my body needs I'm going to take care of that first and then I'll indulge on whatever I however I feel afterwards Yeah, I was super enlightening for me going through even just when I was doing carnivore diet and just focused on eating meat How incredibly difficult it was to bring the level of calories up that I needed to match You know and that was just focused on eating meat and so you know applying that same kind of starting strategy of You know seeking out meat first and then going on to vegetables and then you know starchy carbohydrates I think it's a brilliant strategy. It's it really sets you up for You know staying on that sort of lean tape. Oh, it's super satiating like my goal is to be satisfied after my meat and vegetables That's the goal like well and by the way, I use the word satisfied. I don't use the word full There's a difference For me when I say full it means like oh my god. I can't breathe. I'm totally full Satisfied is like I'm cool. I feel good, right? That's the feeling that I'm aiming for So I aim to be satisfied with the proteins and but you know, here's again studies show that protein is very satiating Also, typically your protein comes with some fat So what you're getting are your essential macronutrients the ones that your body needs to have Carbhydrates, although they have value for performance and other things. They're not essential So it just makes sense to to prioritize the things that will Make your reduce your appetite and also give you the essential macronutrients Well, there's got to be somewhat of a muscle sparing effect here also, right? Because or at least for me I notice that when I'm off the diet and I'm not, you know, tracking or paying attention I'm just eating whatever is in sight I I tend to because of all the habits gravitate towards The carbohydrates first before protein and before long and I've talked to you guys about this many times Yeah, I could easily go four or five days in a row where proteins 40 grams 60 grams in a day But I got plenty of calories, right? 5000 calories just came from Starches and sugars and foods like that that that's what the bulk of it And you got to think that that pair so eating bad Over-consuming on the on the calories under consuming on the protein has got to speed up the process of me pairing down muscle Of course because my body's not getting what it needs to sustain that so it does it does the studies will show that Right. And so simply by also making myself make sure I least hit my protein target So there and that's really kind of how that started it started for me again back into the like when I cared so much About every pound of muscle I was keeping on my body I was more focused on that what I saw as a side benefit was oh, wow When I was targeting that protein intake I ended up not eating as much of the the the sugars and carbs and starchy carbs So I think this is a wonderful strategy that everybody should consider on Thanksgiving And really consider this when you eat out and throughout the year because I think this has helped me tremendously In my last decade or two of like following my nutrition like this totally The next one this one was one that came to me as an adult a little later and it really was super valuable for me And it was to remind myself to be present And be in the moment and this is how it happened, right? I was eating a dish that was Super palatable like super tasty And at this point I would do the on the wagon off the wagon thing with diet So I was kind of young and I'd bulk and cut and do this crazy stuff And I remember looking forward to this holiday meal and looking forward to this dish and right when I got in front of it I couldn't eat it fast enough and I remember at one point realizing that even though there's a bite in my mouth I'm not enjoying the bite in my mouth. I'm only thinking about the one that's on the fork That's about to go on my mouth and I realized I'm not enjoying this what it is. It's like this dopamine hit I'm only anticipating the next bite and that's what I'm after And that's what produced this kind of overeating Speed eating kind of effect. So what I started to do was I started to focus on the food that was in my mouth Not the food that was on the plate or on the fork So I bite put the fork down and enjoy the food that was in my mouth Enjoy the taste of the drink in my mouth. Enjoy the people around me and what happened was this is funny I actually enjoyed the meal more So I didn't eat until I couldn't breathe anymore and I was in pain I was present with the people around me And the food itself was more enjoyable because I slowed down to enjoy every single bite rather than Seeing how fast I could possibly eat this food. Yeah, it's it's interesting once you kind of get in that mindset because for me I used to just Chew the food and then I would wash it down as quick as possible Not realizing that that was like the way that I always ate and it was It was almost like it was a race, but I ended up I would choke on my food I would eat like two big bites and then I try and slam it down with with liquid And once I really started to kind of slow down, you know and be present and then just focus on just chewing it enough So I could actually swallow it without having to drink something with it. So it sounds silly. It's a big thing It's a big deal. It's huge. It helped my digestion. Everything else too. I I didn't realize that was Causing so much stress for me. Do you guys think this is a or Doug? I want to ask you you're the probably the most culturally diverse out of all of us Like is this like a American thing because I feel like when you go to other countries It's it's so much more of a social event than it is just an eating frenzy where I feel in america where That's how a lot of people are and the portions are a lot different. Yeah massive portions and you're shoveling down Do you find that in other cultures? It's it's not like that. Do you think that's us or do you think that's a problem everywhere? I definitely feel like americans really like to eat quickly and eat a lot Um, I mean you often hear about europeans eating for hours. Yeah Yeah, in fact, even when you go to like restaurants, I was gonna say you go to a restaurant I remember the first time when I was in um in paris and Oh, we're eating out it tripped me out because and I actually thought they were being rude at first because they'd never brought The bill over or they you know would check on us every 20 minutes or what like that But it's you look around and people go in and they dying for three hours And it's like a whole event. They don't bring you the bill unless you ask for it. Yeah And there's and there's a long time in between courses. Yeah, I'm so frustrated as a waiter And it's it's like, you know, that's american cultures like that, right? We're all about speed turn those tables Eat faster, you know, it's funny. So my grandfather he eats super fast But I didn't realize this until later He did he did this because when he was a kid he's poor and he needed to make sure he was poor And he would travel at nine years old on his own and find jobs and then the whoever was, you know Paying him and the other workers would provide them with lunch and it was like a big pot of Hot really hot beans or whatever and if he didn't eat it fast, he didn't get any food So he learned this habit of eating fast and I remember when he explained it to me. I'm like Oh, that makes perfect sense. Yeah, but no, it's you enjoy your food Enjoy what's in your mouth. Don't think about what you're about to put in your mouth Don't drink any liquids that slows you down and try this put your fork or your spoon down in between bites And you'll I swore to god at number one It allows the food to hit the stomach and allows the signal to go up to the brain To say you're full by the way when you eat fast one of the reasons why you become uncomfortably full Is because your brain didn't get the signal fast enough and you might have thrown in another, you know 300 calories well, I also think that Thanksgiving is such a great time to practice this because if there was ever a time when You've got family and friends the from all over the family all sitting at one table and it is very conducive to Take breaks between, you know the servings and to talk in between bites Like this is the time to practice You know like and one of the strategies you can do is Instead of like loading your plate up with the whole food all the food you're gonna eat is actually give yourself It's a tiny portion of everything finish a portion Enjoy talking for a little bit finish another portion Enjoy talking for a little bit and like break it up with you know five ten minute breaks in between every little portion And kind of enjoy the conversation. This will help kind of keep those calories down naturally again without telling yourself I can't have this or I can't do that. It's funny because I I've had clients that I've like talked and communicated this to And they'll be like, you know, it's funny You know when I'm at Thanksgiving dinner like it's about the food and then I'll eat real fast and then we're just like Okay, like what do we do now just drink and sit around and they're like, you know, it's funny when we slowed when we slowed down We're like now enjoying this meal all together for a couple hours or three hours and really having a lot of fun That brings us to this next one and this one I started doing Again later on because I would find that I would eat so fast and I'd go back for seconds so quickly That I would reach this uncomfortable point So what I started to do is I started to tell myself if I want to get seconds That's okay I gotta wait 15 minutes let the food hit first and what would end up happening is half the time I didn't get seconds because that first plate hit my stomach brain got the signal I'm actually full rather than oh, I'm done. Let me get up real quick and grab another plate So it's an easy rule to follow you just say to yourself Like I'll get a plate and then if I finish this plate I'll give myself 15 minutes before I go and not that you're not going to get seconds Oh, you have to do is wait 15 minutes. That's I mean that's obviously similar to strategy I was just mentioning right now and you know what I've never done and we're sitting here having this conversation I'm like, you know what maybe I'll try this this year like You know, there's so many dishes right on the table and kind of like at least I don't know what you're guys family We hit, you know, everyone's kind of either passing their plates around, you know, everyone's scooping the stuffing Okay, then the turkey everyone pass around then we everyone sits and they're done It's like, you know what maybe what I'll do this year is actually just put the turkey on my plate And then I'll eat the turkey wait a little bit Yeah, finish it wait a little bit talk to that then I'll go get something else and then I'll go get something else And maybe I'll try to turn into like a six course meal or something Well, yeah, exactly turn it into like one of those six And that's what gave me the idea is I just did that for my dinner way I went to one of those Michelin star restaurants and it was an eight course meal But I mean the courses are yeah, they're like this. I never got I never got full I felt satisfied at the end. Yeah, but how was your experience right? But it was and it was amazing. Oh, yes Three hours of conversation and a great experience And so maybe I'll try to emulate that where I just put a couple ounces one to two ounces on my plate Eat it have conversation then go back and keep you know It's funny is I eat like that not because now I realize the benefit of it But the reason why I eat that way is because when I was a kid, I don't like my food to touch I don't want food to like mix So I would always have a plate of one thing and then I get another plate of and Jessica makes fun of it Right. She's like you she knows like oh, here's your meat. It's like the divided countries Yeah, he's over here, you know potatoes over here. I was kind of the same way. It's hilarious. Yeah All right, here's another one and I love this one because again holidays We got it first of all we got to remember The value of holidays Is to see the to be around the people you're related to your friends People that you love Um, maybe you don't like them all the time, but but on your deathbed often gotta love them But I know on your deathbed you'll think about a lot of these people, right? So it's a once a year or twice a year thing So you're around them and you want to really enjoy this kind of moment And I don't haven't seen my aunt in a while and my cousin's in a while. Let's hang out. Let's talk about Let's talk a little bit. Here's a piece of that and this is one more Kind of hack is invite your family and friends after this long meal We had great, you know Conversation and you took your time and you do those other things and you say, hey, you know what everybody Let's all go on a nice walk outside and I swear Most people are totally game you would think people like no everybody gets excited to do it We all put our jackets on and we all go walk outside I mean I did this last year and my grandfather, you know, he or not last year the year before my grandfather came along You know for the walk it's such a it's such a beautiful time to do this I mean fall is one of my favorite times of the year I mean the trees are all different colors and it's a you know It's a you had the kind of warm days cool mornings and cold nights like and you digest your food so much Yeah, no, this was something that I got I did get her family to do and it is it's become a tradition Where you know after we eat this meal that everybody kind of goes on this little while there's a park That's about a quarter or two a half a mile away from the house And everybody walks down to the park and enjoys conversation then comes back and you just feel a million times better after doing that Again, this is we're saying this for Thanksgiving These are great habits a lot of these things are great habits to do year around But maybe if you've never tried applying this you try applying it for the holiday See how it works and it's something that maybe you carry over into your your normal lifestyle Because this is something that I've tried to implement On the daily is just getting in the habit of not eating and then doing what most people do which is Plop down on a couch and watch tv or drink drinks while you're just sitting there and just consuming calories Yeah, what what what I like to do is you know when the cleaning up starts, right? We'll play music everybody's hanging out kind of cleaning up and then I'll say hey after we're done Let's all go for a walk. Let's all go for a family walk and everybody in the first time I said it You know, I thought people like I don't want to everybody was like, yeah, let's do this And it's not you're not you're not walking super fast and I got my aunts and my uncles and you know But we're walking slow. We're walking outside. We're again having great conversation The little kids come with us you digest your food better and you're more active You're moving more and you know what else you're not doing sitting on the couch With a bunch of other food sitting around you and saying all right I guess I'll grab another you know egg noggin and more chips instead you're outside and you're connecting You know with the people around you. All right, here's the last one and this is a game Changer adam you kind of alluded a little bit to this Early in the episode where you said, you know, it's not that one meal that gets people to gain weight It's all the snacking and eating that happens in I don't know about you guys But Thanksgiving for me or Christmas for me can last a week or longer Because of all the leftovers. Yeah, like I go to I go to eat, you know this There's this one dish that we make for Christmas and it's called pasta al forno Okay, so it's the little circle pastas and it's with sauce and cheese and meat and You know artichoke hearts and just this this very it's a calorie-heavy delicious Sicilian dish But they'll make so much of it and we'll take so much home I don't just have it for Christmas. I end up having it for the whole week afterwards So one thing I started doing is I started saying I'm gonna eat the meal and then leftovers. No, thanks I don't want I'm not going to take any leftovers It ends here and I go back to normal and it makes a tremendous difference on my total No, that's that's a must for me especially since I have a sweet tooth Katrina's family loves to make the the pies and desserts And if there's and that's what the most leftover like I don't mind like, you know, I talk to you know Like you have grass from turkey if we got some extra turkey. That's a good point. I'll take turkey Yeah, we can use some turkey later on that's not that's not a problem But it's the mashed potatoes and gravy. It's the pumpkin pie the apple pie for me Yeah, pecan pie all the ala mode stuff going on like all the desserts cupcakes like that stuff And it's funny to whoever host I always feel like they try and get rid of that shit. It's because they know Yeah, you don't want it. Well, that's why I'm always making somebody mad when I don't take leftovers But yeah, I started doing that for the last few years and again to your point I tried to like at least be reasonable and grab some of the stuff that's not like quite as You know sugar-ridden and like, you know the the main like starchy carbs stuff Like I'll take some of the vegetables and the meat but like I have to not have that in my house Yeah, no, you'll see me in here like I'll come to work and I'll have like turkey You know from from thing but I don't get I don't get the pies because that'll I'll crush that. Yeah, I'm not taking the snack your neighbors. I'm not taking the cookies I might take some of the vegetables, you know stuff that I'll eat normally But otherwise I stay away from all that other stuff and that's okay if they get upset, you know I don't know about you guys, but I have a good excuse. I could always be like, oh my good health is not So good And then my aunt leaves me alone or whatever, but it's it makes a big difference and also it also Makes the holiday in my opinion special because it's that meal. It's that holiday And then the rest of the time, you know, you're back to normal or whatever or maybe you do your post Thanksgiving workout like I do Um, and again, we need to remember the the real value of holidays It's not the oh, it's a holiday. I'm gonna eat until I'm uncomfortable. I'm gonna eat until I'm You know, I'm happy with myself or I hate myself. I'm gonna eat until I feel sick That's not enjoyable and but we know what leads to that, right? We know it's that that you you're not mindful You're not aware you feel like you are either on your diet or off your diet You get this green card to to punish and damage yourself That is not the spirit of the holidays. The spirit of holidays is family friends Present and it's okay to enjoy food for its taste But actually enjoy the food Don't just shovel it in your face and eat as fast as you possibly can We didn't we actually did on our our list was and didn't include alcohol, but I'm just curious to like How you guys manage alcohol consumption on on Thanksgiving Is it something that you don't do at all because you don't really care for it that much? Is it something you for sure like but then you have little boundaries and rules like or how do you guys deal with alcohol consumption on on Thanksgiving depends on which family I'm uh doing Thanksgiving Which one's more stressful? No, it's just which one I'm not to make sure and uh account for all these extra calories Yeah, so I I definitely have to like be conscious of that with with certain Family groups and whatnot because it is it's a great social lubricant And so it's I don't honestly I enjoy it But just try to make sure that it's not something that gets away from me And it's something that I enjoy like after dinner. Yeah, and it's not so I'm like not constantly just having a glass in my hand Yeah, uh because that's easy to do because sometimes it's a little awkward You know, maybe like some people are talking about subjects. You don't want to talk about like I'll end up just going outside now Get this fresh air playing with the kids like there's other strategies there But yeah, just like try to enjoy one two and and just you know do I've moved on to something like Like a whiskey on the rocks or something where I can sip it really slowly and that again It's this whole slow concept for me. It really works. You know in all facets. Yeah, it's it's uh, those uncomfortable holiday holiday conversations They're gonna be hot this year Covid politics and we're doing it for everybody, right? Say what I'd say the last two years It has to be like the two of the most like stressful. Thanksgiving probably right probably with covid and all the politics and stuff Like that. I think that I would imagine last year and this year is probably two of the hardest I should be the rule like just nobody can talk about I started changing the conversation And it and everybody knows it and I annoy people on purpose So they'll say oh, did you see that study on the on the vaccine or oh look at those mandates or what about this and That and then I'll say something completely off and everybody knows like oh south trying to get us to stop talking about this kind of stuff But yeah, it's uh, we're not big alcohol drinkers. So we might I might have like a little bit of I think it's called frenet It's like a post meal digestive, you know, alcohol or whatever But um, I mean you want me I mean truth be told if I'm gonna have anything that's gonna be a social lubricant It's gonna be cannabis no calories. So I'm gonna have a little bit of cannabis and then I'm you know I'm enjoying myself and I'm not drinking alcohol Not saying no go do that. But that's just me, you know what though You guys both just brought up something that again with this wasn't added in our list of hacks But it it does probably make a lot of sense that You know when you're talking about stressful conversations that people tend to probably Over-indulge both alcohol and food and so to try and avoid Conversations like that and stick to positive Stuff gratitude things that are going well in our life Try and steer the conversation as much as you can that way because I imagine you're you guys aren't alone In this where people go to a family and they have very different political views than other family members Conversation starts going that way your way of not talking is by shoving food in your mouth or by drinking something So probably in your best interest to probably keep it light. Here's a little sales. Yep sales technique Okay, whoever asks the questions directs the conversation So if you ever want to change a conversation You ask a question so your uncle, you know comes up and he's like, oh Trump's the greatest thing since sliced bread or Biden's amazing or whatever and you're like, oh, here we go Be like, hey, what happened? You know, how is the football game that you saw yesterday or hey? How's your son doing? I haven't seen him in a while you ask a question You change the direction of the conversation Make it something positive. This is a old sales technique. Yep. It's quite effective Not always foolproof. So you might have to just walk away sometimes go outside go for a walk or whatever Look, if you like our information head over to mind pump free.com and check out all of our guides We have guides that can help you with all of your fitness goals You can also find all of us on instagram. So justin is that mind pump Justin I'm at mind pump Sal and Adam is that mind pump Adam? 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