Why You’re Saving Calories for Christmas Dinner But Still Overshooting

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​I say, ‘Is it really worth the calories?’ If it is, I eat it. If not, I refrain.
––Bridget Marquardt

Technically, this article applies to any social meal, but it’s Christmas season, so “ho ho ho” and all that.
 
Anyway, if you decided to track calories and macros during the winter holidays, the following would be the most logical strategy to stay on track with nutrition and enjoy some higher-calorie food on Christmas Day:
 

• Aim to hit your calorie target as an average across the week instead of every single day
• Lower your calories leading up to Christmas Day
• Add the calories you “borrowed” from other days onto Christmas Day

 
At least in theory.
 
Given its sensible premise, this used to be my go-to suggestion whenever a client had an upcoming big social meal and was also using calorie-tracking as a tool.

In truth, it still is my go-to in this situation, but I’ve coached people for long enough to realise that it isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution for everyone.

In practice, humans aren’t perfectly logical or mathematically perfect creatures.

So, if you’ve tried this strategy before but you keep going over your calories anyway, these are the most common reasons why, with the solutions my clients and I find most effective:

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