The Art of Guilt-Free Gorging: Enjoying Holiday Indulgence Eating the FUEL Way

Picture this scene: It's the holiday season, and you're at a sweet Christmas shindig. You're standing in front of a set of long tables filled with the most delectable holiday treats you can imagine.

What to do with this spread? Enjoy, of course!

It's all there - on one table, holiday treats like mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, soft, sumptuous rolls, an assortment of different stuffings. There's even what appears to be a high-end mac'n'cheese, and, thank God, green bean casserole.

On the other table, there are pies, cakes, chocolates, candies...all the holiday-inspired sweet treats you've always loved. You've got a mug of real eggnog, made from scratch, in your hand. If you're the drinking sort, it's got a little shot of bourbon in it.

Oh - and it's an open bar :)

Then imagine: You've been losing weight for weeks, if not months. You're feeling better about yourself, about your health, about your future. What do you do?

I'm about to show you how you can dive right in - true guilt-free holiday eating - without trashing your health and weight loss goals.

Indulging with Intelligence: Your Guide to Guilt-Free Holiday Pleasures

Sounds like a Christmas miracle, doesn’t it? It is, actually...but it's not just a Christmas miracle. It's the way we teach your brain to handle this kind of overload, all year long, that's the miracle.

Let me take you back to last year’s holiday season. W

e call the holidays "Robust December" in my house, because it's the one month of the year that we get to eat and drink without reservation - doesn't matter what it is. Mouth-watering pies, rich gravies, creamy drinks, all those irresistible once-a-year holiday specials...and, within reason, a little bourbon, or beer, or wine...whatever we feel like.

Last year, Robust December started at the end of October. I came home from a grocery store trip and they'd already started stocking eggnog. Now eggnog, to me, means the holidays, and I couldn't resist it. I also don't drink eggnog without bourbon in it, so I headed over to the liquor store and got myself a little bottle of Makers Mark to go with it.

When I unloaded it at home, Amanda looked at it, then me, and said, "Dude! What the hell are you doing??"

The Wake-Up Call: My Journey from Holiday Excess to Enlightened Celebration

Well, she was right - I had no business launching into Robust December that early. Between the end of October and the first of January, I put on more than 25 pounds. All fat and fluid, mind you - it wasn't muscle. By the end of the season, I was the heaviest and most unhealthy I'd ever been...by a lot.

Now last year, I hadn't yet begun using the FUEL system. In fact, the damage I did to myself last year was the final straw that got me back on track, after having forgotten about what we developed years ago to help athletes control their body composition.

So in a way, I'm really glad I let loose last year. If I hadn't, I may not have thought about the tools we developed, and I may not have come back to coaching the FUEL systems at all.

This year, I'm being more careful. It's early December as I write, and I haven't gained more than five pounds.

Savoring the Season: Balancing Festivity with Health

I'm still enjoying the season. I still let loose for both Halloween and Thanksgiving, and I'm still having an adult beverage now and then. Enjoying these things without destroying a year's worth of gains, or risking serious health problems, is part of being a well-adjusted adult human.

Doesn't mean it's easy without good systems, though.

I'm not training much (I'll be honest...not at all the last two weeks), and it feels awesome to just recover and not feel guilty about it!

But this year I'm not jacking my blood pressure with sodium and fluid overload. I'm not having trouble breathing when I go up the stairs. I'm not having the stomach issues I had the last few years (where I needed _______ daily to prevent crippling stomach burning and reflex at night).

All this is to say: This year I'm not just surviving the holidays; I'm thriving in them. Instead of avoiding the festive spread, I'm still fully enjoying it - but I'm not risking death or permanent injury doing it.

How? I've got better systems this year.

Thriving, Not Just Surviving: The FUEL Approach to Holiday Happiness

I'm applying the simple yet powerful tools we teach in the FUEL Body + Mind System. THIS is what we mean by changing your brain, and making you a Naturally Lean and Healthy Person - even in Robust December, starting at the end of October, you can control yourself, without trying. You can enjoy yourself, as much as you always have...but simply have better outcomes when the festive season draws to a close.

It's not just me this year either. Amanda's still in total control of her celebratory eating and drinking. Our early FUEL clients are ALL still completely on track, even though they're getting to enjoy the holidays as they always have. They get to eat, drink, and be merry...it's just that they're doing it better, and they're doing it guilt-free because they know they have the tools there, waiting for them, to take off anything they end up gaining, in just a week or two after New Years.

Now, imagine this: It's your next holiday season. You're in that same room, surrounded by festive treats, but this time, you're armed with the FUEL systems. You're enjoying every bite, every moment, without the ghost of guilt hovering over you.

You get a little full, and suddenly all your cravings disappear. You've had your fill. It's maybe 10% of what you'd have needed to feel "satisfied" before...but it's still that same "Ahhhh, yesssss" feeling.

You know you can wake up the next day and feel great. You know that you can do this as much as you want over the holidays, and when it's time, you'll go right back to those systems that made you into a Naturally Lean and Healthy Person.

That's what I'm offering you today. A chance to learn this life-changing approach. It's not just for the holidays; it's a lifelong skill. A skill to enjoy life's pleasures without losing sight of your health goals.

Want to Know More?

If you're ready to redefine your relationship with food and holidays, if you're ready to join the ranks of those who feast without fret, then it's time to embrace the FUEL System.

Let’s turn this holiday season into a celebration of not just good food and drink, but also smart, health-conscious living that's just as enjoyable as your old way.

Join FUEL now, and over the next week I'll show you how to enjoy the rest of the holidays. Then, in January, let's get to work. Do this, and together we'll make this and every holiday season a season of balanced, joyful living.