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:

Between holidays, BBQs, and parties, calorie-tracking in the summer sometimes is about as practical as eating pizza with a spoon.

According to research, fitness goals are some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions.
 
However, most “New Year’s resolutioners” are unsuccessful.
 
When I was working as a personal trainer in a commercial gym, I witnessed the same cycle every year. Come January 1st, the gym would be flooded with new members. By March, most of them would disappear, never to return… until the following January.
 
So, if you’ve ever set fitness resolutions that didn’t stick, you’re not the only one.
 
Of the few studies conducted on this topic, most seem to show that the majority of participants abandon their resolutions after a few months.
 
For example, in 1985, a study by Norcross and colleagues reported that 77% out of 200 participants stuck to their resolutions for a week, but only 40% were still keeping up with them after six months.
 
If you’re thinking that a 60% failure rate after six months sounds pretty grim, that’s not all.
 
In reality, if you’re volunteering for a study measuring the success rate of New Year’s resolutions, you’re likely more motivated to achieve your goals than the average person.
 
Moreover, after the participants set their resolutions on an initial phone call with the New Year’s Resolution Project staff, they received seven follow-up phone interviews for the next two years.
 
If you know someone’s going to check on your progress every few months, you’ll probably take your resolutions far more seriously than if you were left to your own devices.
 
So, in real life, New Year’s resolutions likely fail even more often than in research.
 
However, since you’re reading this blog post, you are more motivated than the average person. By applying the four steps covered in the article, you’ll have better-than-average odds of succeeding, too.
 
You’ve come to the right website.
 
Let’s start your year with a bang.

​Are you struggling to juggle a fat loss diet with a busy lifestyle?
 
I hear you.
 
The majority of my clients are hard-working people with demanding jobs, families to take care of, and ambitions to pursue other than their fitness goals. As a full-time coach, I also face the daily challenge of fitting my own training and nutrition around other commitments.
 
That’s why I strive to simplify fat loss, so that you can get great results and keep up with your lifestyle.
 
In this article, I’m going to share a four-step guide to maximising the efficiency of your fat loss diet.
 
Let’s dive in.