The holidays are a time of celebration and cheer…a time filled with family gatherings, good times and mighty feasts. Lots of feasts. Over the next few weeks and months, you might be eating a little more (and a little worse) than usual. That’s okay. With a few minor adjustments to your standard holiday menu, you can make all those extra calories work in your favor. You can head into the New Year with more muscle and, if you keep up with your cardio, you might start 2007 a little leaner.
HOLIDAY 10?
Contrary to popular belief, most Americans don’t actually gain 5–10 pounds over the average holiday season. (It just feels like it.) Happily, that estimate isn’t even close. A study of 195 individuals of various ages, activity levels and socioeconomic backgrounds done by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that most people gained only 0.8 pound during the holidays. Fewer than 10% of those involved in the study gained 5 pounds or more, and the ones who did were more likely to be overweight to begin with.
So that’s the good news. The bad news is that when those subjects were measured again the following year, they hadn’t lost the holiday weight. Add to that the average yearly adult weight gain and the group had an average increase of 1.4 pounds in a year. In short, you may not gain as much weight as you think this holiday season, but if you fail to work it off, those extra pounds will start to add up.
It’s no surprise — holiday weight gain is due in large part to an increase in consumption of calories and a decrease in activity. Those who attempt to stay active through this nutritional gauntlet, however, can end up looking more like Gunter Schlierkamp than Santa Claus by January.
“If you commit to training hard all the way through the holiday season, you won’t really have to worry about the additional calories,” says bodybuilding nutritional guru Chris Aceto. “They can be just what your growing body needs, providing a temporary surplus to help you add some serious muscle.”
NATURAL SELECTIONS
To a bodybuilder-in-training, a holiday dinner spread looks like a minefield with no safe place to set foot. From the glazed ham to the gravy, each appetizing gut bomb looks armed and ready to demolish your road to progress. But Aceto has the map of safe passage.
Every bodybuilder requires large amounts of protein — 1–1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight per day — to keep growing. What you don’t want too much of is fat. Although Aceto recommends staying away from fatty meats such as ham, prime rib and lamb as much as possible, you can load up on the turkey…parts of it, anyway.
“Turkey breast, without the skin, is some of the leanest protein around, providing more protein and less fat than chicken or red meat,” he says. Six ounces of turkey breast, for example, has 42 grams of protein and 1 gram of fat compared to 39 grams of protein and 2 fat grams for 6 ounces of chicken breast and 36 grams of protein and 22 grams of fat for top sirloin.
Other meats such as pot roast, meatloaf or sausages are okay in moderation, but they come with a caveat: Since these protein sources are also high in fat, make sure they aren’t your main source of protein and absolutely cut fat elsewhere from your diet.
The simplest way to up your protein without breaking in another belt loop? Protein powder. “Opt for a powder that’s low-carb and low-fat,” Aceto notes. “That way, if you drink three protein shakes a day at around 40–50 grams each in between meals, you’re getting 120–150 grams of protein with little or no fat or carbs. That means if you have 12 ounces of ham, which has approximately 32 grams of fat, your net fat intake for the day should still be pretty low.”
But since that sausage amounts to around 400 calories from fat alone, don’t dig in too often. Aceto explains, “A lifter can eat these kinds of fats and get away with it once in a while by making low-fat protein shakes his or her main source of protein.”
Bottom line, get your fill of protein when grandma dishes up the bird and your uncle passes the ham tray, but ditch the skin on the turkey and keep high-fat meats in check by cutting fat at other meals. This muscle-building macronutrient will be your biggest asset for growing muscle and staying relatively lean heading into January. Remember: The more lean muscle you have, the more total calories your body burns each day, which helps provide a little more wiggle room in your diet for these few weeks.
CARB CULPRITS
An adequate diet of carbohydrates — most bodybuilders need 50%–60% of their total calories from carbs — is necessary to lift at full strength and keep energy reserves within muscles topped off. More healthful, slower-burning carbs such as whole grains, yams, peas, corn and salad greens are best, but let’s face it, they aren’t usually very popular at office parties and family potlucks.
Instead, you’re faced with carbs of the sugar and starch variety that spike insulin and force your body to hold onto fat — one of the great tragedies of life on this planet. After all, how can that decorative and painfully tasty strawberry swirl cheesecake be that bad for your physique? But according to Aceto, this is no reason to entirely shun the dessert tray.
“Of course, you want to make sure you’re getting some of the healthier carbs in your diet, but desserts are okay as long as you look at the bigger picture,” he remarks. “Is eating half of a pie okay? No. But eating 1–2 small slices is, as long as you make sure you’re eating 5–6 times per day. This will help to ensure that you don’t overeat.”
Eating smaller and more often during the day — before your late-lunch or dinner blowout, for example — also helps to keep your metabolism in check, a must for maintaining muscle size and keeping fat stores low.
And if you want to have a calculated “cheat” meal, slate it for after your workout when the fast-digesting carbohydrates will be used to replenish muscular glycogen instead of hibernating for the winter on your waistline.
THE AFTER-MASS
The plates have been washed, the floor has been mopped and the silverware has been returned to its rightful drawer. The holiday crowd has finally vacated your house and you can get back to your strict regimen of chicken breast and brown rice. Right?
Wrong. A bomb shelter–like supply of leftover food has turned your refrigerator into a virtual Tupperware ad. This, however, is a good thing. Under those airtight lids are all the calories you’ll need to power through your workouts for the next week or so.
Dip into the holiday surplus for some leftover turkey, then place it on some whole-wheat or whole-grain bread for a complete preworkout meal. Some turkey and a yam also make for a good (and good-tasting) pre-gym boost.
“The slow carbs in yams and whole-grain or whole-wheat breads allow the body to maximize its glycogen stores, keeping you from crashing during a workout,” says Aceto. “So some of those leftovers can actually help you work out harder, while providing you with extra calories for muscle growth.”
Postworkout, knock down a whey-based protein shake and a dessert. Yes, we said dessert. When was the last time you heard us tell you to do that?
“After training, the body needs fast-digesting protein like whey to kick-start the growth process,” Aceto says. “The fast-digesting carbs in a dessert — two cookies, for instance — drive up insulin levels, which helps to build muscle and quickly replenishes glycogen, which is depleted during training.”
In short, all those leftover goodies could actually help you build muscle. Who knew?
THE CALORIE CONUNDRUM
The holiday season can be the most taxing 6–8 weeks of the year for someone trying to fine-tune his or her physique. You already know that building muscle requires more food, but if getting big and ripped were just a matter of shoveling turkey and pumpkin pie down your throat, we’d be a nation full of Olympia contenders. But it isn’t just the quality of the calories we consume that separates the Ronnies from the rest of us.
“When it comes to calories, the total number of calories is just as important as their quality,” states Aceto. “To grow, you have to eat more calories than the body needs. Getting hung up on the quality of calories is almost a bit too much attention to detail. You really can’t micromanage the way the body grows. Bottom line is, if you’re training hard, you need to eat more to grow.”
Yet he cautions that your increase in calories shouldn’t be so drastic that you end up losing all of your conditioning.
See? You can actually splurge a little this holiday season, as long as you make the most of the extra calories in the gym. So eat up, dump the guilt, pick up some dumbbells and roll into 2007 with more muscle than ever.
M&F
HOLIDAY CHECKLIST
>> Here’s the authoritative list of must-dos for managing your muscle growth this winter. Be sure to check it twice
1) DO Train hard! It’s this stimulus that prevents the buildup in bodyfat. If you’re taking a holiday break at all, it’s better to take one from dieting rather than your training.
2) DO Schedule 5–6 meals a day. Strive to eat something bodybuilding-friendly every three hours. This prevents you from overeating and letting cravings take hold.
3) DO Eat your veggies. They hold hardly any caloric value, so you can use them to fill up, suppress your sweet tooth and get your fiber! Try to load up on salad with light dressings before dinner.
4) DO Emphasize low-fat proteins such as skinless turkey breast, fat-free cheese and protein powders. This will help you get your fill of muscle-building calories without wrecking your progress in the gym. It also allows you to make room for higher-fat desserts and meats.
AVOIDANCE BEHAVIORS
>> Now that you know what to do when it comes to consumption, here are three “naughtier” habits to avoid, lest you end up with coal in your stocking and some extra layers over your abs
1) DO NOT worry about gaining 2–3 pounds. When you go back to your regular bodybuilding routine of eating and lifting, your body is sure to respond by dropping that weight.
2) DO NOT skip meals in order to “save” calories for later. That can lead to excessive hunger and gorging at the sound of the dinner bell. This also leads to the overconsumption of foods that are dense in fat, sugar and calories.
3) DO NOT weigh yourself immediately after a big holiday meal. Sugar- and salt-laden holiday meals can cause a lot of water retention, so if you step on the scale too early, you could get discouraged. Most water retention will subside after 72 hours or so, giving you a clearer indication of how much weight you’ve gained, if any.
Article written by: Eric Velazquez (Courtesy of Muscle & Fitness)
