Welcome to our guest, Brianna Bernard, a Minneapolis-based Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach. We're going to share 6 tips for a healthier holiday season.

If you're anything like us, we're coming off of Halloween, and maybe realizing that our sweet tooth ruled our nutrition world (maybe more than we wanted it to). I love chocolate; self proclaimed chocoholic. I know many of us are looking forward to Thanksgiving and enjoying the family's secret recipes and buffets; we wrap up in winter quite literally. We know January will come and we will make that New Year's resolution to get fitter because it's the right time. If you're nodding your head because this describes you, but you also know that the New Year comes. In good intention, you set the goal, but by March you've forgotten about the goal and feel like swim suit season is around the corner and doesn't excite you much, then we welcome you to try on some alternative ideas to move away from this cycle.

We're going to talk about trying on something different if this cycle doesn't excite you. We'll share 6 tips. First, let's get to know our guest, Brianna Bernard, a little more.

Meredith: What got you interested in fitness and healthy lifestyles?

Brianna: First, thank you for having me on the podcast. What got me into fitness was gaining weight myself. Back in 2012, I became a mom to a sweet little boy named Ty. During my pregnancy, I gained 70 pounds. When he was born, I was 245 pounds. A year after he was born, I was still 240 pounds. It was a constant struggle. I tried different diets. I tried going to the gym. I tried doing DVDs in my living room like kettlebells and P90X. Nothing would stick for longer than a couple of weeks. I realized that I needed support and accountability, and I wasn't going to be able to do it on my own. I hired a Personal Trainer. I started training 2-3 times/week. I started logging my food and overhauled my diet. I focused on drinking water and eating lean protein and vegetables. Within a month, I lost 12 pounds. In 3 months, I had lost 30 pounds. By the time I hit the 6 month mark, I was down 50 pounds. I thought, "this is going to work!" I was really consistent. By the one year mark, I was down 107 pounds. It changed my life in every way. While it changed me physically, the transformation that happened on the inside was far more profound. It inspired me to become a personal trainer and nutrition coach to help other people become healthier, stronger versions of themselves.

Meredith: Congratulations! I knew you were a lifestyle transformer, but hearing the story makes it real. You share practical strategies and how other can do it to. It's not just stage or a TV. As we dive into that, let's go into a few tips that people can think about right now to avoid the holiday slope mindset.

Starting with mindset, if we think about waiting until New Years or starting something now, what would you say?

Brianna: So many people wait until Monday, or the first of the month, or the first of the year to start something new. We have this all-or-nothing mindset that if I can't go 100% in on my nutrition or exercise, then I might as well not do it at all. This is a huge mistake we fall into. Instead of making little changes each week and implementing small healthy habits (even if we aren't 100% consistent) we can do so much better over the holidays. Maybe we need to simply level set our expectations. Maybe the goal isn't to lose weight over the holidays, but simply not to gain. Figuring out how you can still enjoy the holidays, but make healthy choices most of the time is a better choice going into the holiday season.

Meredith: I like the idea of level set expectations because it helps us say "this is what I actually expect of myself," and make the declaration on what we are trying to accomplish going into the holidays.

I notice that you mention logging your food in My Fitness Pal. Why do you do that, or feel that it can help people at home?

Brianna: I started logging my food at the beginning of my weight loss transformation. There wasn't one thing that changed everything, but it helped keep me accountable to what I was putting in my body and how much I was eating. Many times we aren't making unhealthy choices, but our portions can be out of control. Logging my food held me accountable to not over-indulging at a party, event, or eating dinner with my family.

Meredith: Sometimes, I talk to people that are overwhelmed when they first look at My Fitness Pal. They know what they are eating, but they don't know how much to put in for quantity. What's a portion or serving? How do you describe that to your clients?

Brianna: It is helpful to use the size of your hand as a measuring tool. A serving of protein is the size and thickness of your palm. For me that is 4 oz, which is what I need to consume in a meal. A serving of vegetables is about the size of a fist. A serving of carbohydrates (fruit, greens, beans) is about one cupped handful. A serving of healthy fats looks like the tip of your thumb. Using these tricks to estimate how much you are eating can make a huge difference. If I sit down to eat rice, I'm probably going to eat much more than a cupped handful, but if I know what a serving looks like then I'm not going to put 2-3 cups of rice on my plate. This is a great tool when you are eating out, or somewhere where you aren't able to measure your portions.

Meredith: So a pint of ice cream is probably not a serving? Speaking of that, people go to holiday events. If people are afraid they are going to eat the whole buffet because they know they do this every time, what advice would you share?

Brianna: There are so many pieces of helpful advice that I give clients to do better over the holidays. I'm a believer that you should not completely deprive yourself of everything you love over the holidays. It's OK to enjoy the things you love, but it doesn't mean you have to eat them in copious amounts, or eat everything. Instead of eating one of every cookie, pick one that you really, really love and enjoy it and be done.

One of the things I do is eat before I go to holiday parties. Not necessarily a full meal. Depending on where I'm going and who I'm going with, I know there aren't going to be healthy options. I eat a healthy snack or small meal before I go, because if I go into that party starving, I'm going to over-indulge in things that are not great for me. Things like a protein shake or bar, handful of raw nuts, hardboiled egg, or vegetables are great small snacks you can eat on the way there so you don't get to the party and feel famished.

Meredith: Thank you for some practical tips here. Many times, these gatherings or parties occur after work or later in the day, so when clients wonder if they should skip breakfast and lunch to save up all their calories for the end of the day, how do you advise them?

Brianna: I'm sure we've all heard this a thousand times, or we have the friend that says, "I made so much food; don't eat before you come. I have to get rid of all of this." One of the biggest mistakes people make going into the holidays is reserving all of those calories by not eating the whole day. You are setting yourself up for failure by going into the party starving. You will eat thousands of calories of unhealthy things, as opposed to eating healthy things during the day and then a few hundred less healthy ones at the end of the day. It's always a good idea to eat before you go, and eat normally the way you would throughout a day before a party or event.

Meredith: On the opposite side of that, I often hear that people go to events and tried way more things than they had planned. Maybe they ate 3000 calories of high sugar or high fat foods that weren't the most ideal protein and vegetable choices. Then they want to go burn it off on the treadmill, or maybe stay on the sweet tooth trend. How do you help people navigate out of the situation of having a lot of treats and feeling bad about themselves the next day?

Brianna: It's so easy to get into that all-or-nothing mindset. I'm no different. The one thing that really clicked for me on my weight loss journey was that it is OK to have an unhealthy meal or snack and get back on track the next time I ate. I didn't have to wait until Monday or the first of the month. I didn't have to wait until after the holidays. I was the boss. I got to choose what I was going to eat next. It was super powerful to say "no, I'm not going to eat terrible the rest of the week just because I had one night of indulgence. I'm going to start fresh first thing in the morning. I'm not going to starve myself. I'm not going to feel bad about it. I'm just going to eat clean the next time I have a meal or snack." That's something that holds true for me even today. It's OK to have some Halloween candy, then wake up and have a healthy breakfast again.

Meredith: When you say, "eat clean," I know that means different things to different people. How would you describe that?

Brianna: Eating clean to me has always been about eating whole unprocessed foods. When I talk about eating clean, for me, that is eating lean protein, fruit, vegetables, healthy fats, and very minimal processed food. That has given me the most results and made me feel so much healthier. Not only do I look healthy, but all of my tests and everything is so perfect. My sleep is great. I can manage stress better. I'm a more patient parent. Everything falls into line when I'm eating clean whole foods.

Meredith: Yes; I think of that as "would I put diesel fuel into my car, which is not designed for it?" Our car runs better, certainly, on different kinds of fuel. The body does too. We can see how your tips here on clean eating can really carver to the goal of just wanting to feel better too.

Brianna: So true.

Meredith: Would you ever advise clients to bring their own treats or ask the host about what they are preparing? This always gets tricky with family when maybe you have a focus on health, but the rest of the family doesn't.

Brianna: That is so true. I've certainly been in situations with family, co-workers, friends, where I'm trying to eat healthy and people say "come on! One cookie isn't going to hurt you. One glass of wine isn't going to kill you." They are very threatened by the fact that I'm eating healthy because at the end of the day, they want to be making healthier choices also. Maybe they don't have the motivation, or accountability, or a missing piece that they need to be successful right now in that area. People don't want to suffer alone. If someone isn't happy with oneself, it is easy for them to try to pull you down too. It is best not to rely on someone else to accommodate your dietary needs. I often bring my own healthy appetizer or side to parties so I know there will be at least one thing there that I know I will enjoy that is good for me. I also make it a goal to fill up my plate with vegetables first; then I will fill in the gaps with protein. Then, if I feel like I want some starches, I will fill in with those. Bringing a veggie tray with with hummus or a side that you can eat that you know will be good for you is huge.

Meredith: Thank you for sharing that tip. So many of us go to events where we want to please the host by eating everything they have prepared, but we also realize that nothing there aligns with our goals either. Bringing a share gives us the best of both worlds.

Brianna: Absolutely. We teach people how to treat us. If you walk into the party and say "thank you very much for making all of these things; I'm going to eat this." If we're very matter-of-fact about it, I've found that people learn that is just what you do. It's not open for discussion or conversation. It's just what you're doing. When you feel pressure to eat certain things, it's OK to take a stand and be matter-of-fact; "nope; this is what I'm eating; thank you though." Usually that closes the conversation.

Meredith: I appreciate your sharing that tip too. So many people feel awkward in those situations, and that is a very matter-of-fact way to say "this is what I do." It's kind of like if you play soccer, and your friend participates in dance, you might not want to go dance because you do soccer, not dance. Usually the friend is OK with that.

Brianna: Right. It's so silly that we let peer pressure, even as adults, guide us. It's OK to set boundaries with people in our lives. We want them to make better choices, and we can lead by example too.

Thank you very much to Brianna for sharing all of these tips with us today. Brianna is running special discount for listeners on her December/January 12 week online programs. You can learn more and contact her via her website links. Please feel free to reach out and connect on any fitness related questions you may have as we head toward our holiday season and new year.