Sound like a crazy plan? It's not.
The four years I worked in a large commercial gym, this was the plan that most workout girls and guys would have for November and December.
"Screw it, I'm going to pig out for Thanksgiving and at all the holiday parties anyway, I might as well just start over again in January."
Gym membership starts to decline leading up to Thanksgiving, and then the gym becomes a total ghost town in December.
The hardcores work out all winter and show up at Holiday Parties and New Years looking like rockstars… while everyone else gains ten pounds.
3 Keys To Staying Lean This Winter
1.) Get a calendar. Make all of your mandatory parties and holidays free days, and mark them on the calendar
2.) Get a calendar. I'm serious, this is the most important thing. Make Thanksgiving a free day and enjoy it.
3.) When it's not a planned, marked on the calendar free day, you eat clean not matter what.
I know it sounds to simple, but this is all there is to it. 
Eat on plan when it's not a free day… and when it is a free day, enjoy it!
Seriously, the next person that comes up to me telling me their plan to not over eat on Thanksgiving is getting an ear full.
It's not what you eat on Thanksgiving that has you gain weight, it's what you eat the rest of the time.
Keep Free Days to One Day
Seriously, enjoy Thanksgiving. Really enjoy it. It's an EATING HOLIDAY.
But it's also only one day.
I'm serious, you can even check the calendar.
If you keep Thanksgiving to one day, you're going to be fine.
Thanksgiving is just one day. There's actually several totally non-pig out days
marked on the calendar immediately after it.
Earn Your Free Days, Then Enjoy Them
You MUST have your free days marked ahead of time. And you must hold to eating free on those days only.
Then you can enjoy them. You've earned them. They're part of the plan.
This is a super super super big deal – if you make these free days part of the plan, you can enjoy them without any of the soul crushing guilt that comes from eating off plan.
What Would That Girl With The Body You Want Do?
Pop quiz: Do you think this girl plans her free days?
Of course she does.
What you need to get is that planning her free days (and sticking to them) may be the ONLY DIFFERENCE between you and her.
If you want a flat stomach and abs like that, you've got to eat right most of the time.
And most people fail not in their good intentions, but they fail in their lack of preparation.
Win the battle before it starts.
Prepare ahead of time.
by Josh Hillis
Author of the upcoming Fat Loss Happens on Monday, for On Target Publications (2014)
Info on my coaching program here: https://joshhillis.com/articles/2013/06/josh-hillis-online-coaching-program-open-again-2.html
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