Will Holiday Meals Affect Your Performance? Here's What You Need to Know

The holiday season is here, and with it comes the festive treats, holiday diet trends, and maybe some unsolicited advice. It can be stressful, especially for athletes surrounded by family who don’t quite understand what it means to fuel your training. You might be wondering: Will all this indulgence throw off my progress? You’re not alone—many athletes struggle with balancing the joy of the holidays with their fitness goals. Here’s the truth: the holidays should be about joy, connection, and savouring the moments.

In this post, we’ll dive into why holiday meals won’t derail your hard-earned gains, how to enjoy your food without guilt, and tips for navigating holiday feasts while staying on track with your long-term performance goals.

Enjoy Holiday Meals Guilt-Free

Feeling guilty about enjoying holiday foods is a common struggle for many athletes. The holidays are a great time to be with family and make memories. It’s a time to celebrate, enjoy good food, and be present with loved ones. It’s not about sticking to strict meal plans or avoiding every treat. It’s completely normal (and okay!) to indulge and have those treats that you don’t normally have. And most importantly, holiday meals won’t derail your long-term performance gains.

The Big Picture: Your Gains Over Time

Here’s the thing: performance gains and progress are built over months, even years. It’s all about consistency and the big picture. When you’re training and fuelling properly over the long term, the occasional indulgence won’t throw you off track.

Think about how many meals you have in a year compared to how many holiday dinners you’ll enjoy. If you’re eating 3 meals and 2 snacks every day, that’s 1,825 eating occasions in a year. Even if you celebrate three holidays and have two meals per holiday, plus a dessert each, that’s just 9 eating occasions. Those 9 holiday meals and treats make up only 0.5% of all your meals/snacks in a year. That’s a pretty small portion, right?

So, in the grand scheme of things, those holiday meals won’t affect your overall progress.

No Need to Make Up for it Later

Another important point: you don’t need to be more disciplined in the gym when the holidays are over to make up for how you ate. Too often, athletes feel they need to “work harder” to compensate after enjoying a big holiday dinner or dessert to “work off the extra calories”. But that’s not the case. 

Enjoying yourself during the holidays simply means you took the time to savour the moment and celebrate. Remember, those few holiday meals won’t define your entire performance journey.

Tips for Navigating the Holidays

Here are some ways to keep fuelling simple and your nutrition balanced during the holiday season: 

1. Eat Regularly

Keep a consistent eating schedule throughout the day to fuel your body. Eating every 2-3 hours will help prevent over-fuelling, which is often the most stressful part for athletes. Skipping meals or "saving your calories" for a big holiday feast often leads to over-fuelling later. By eating regularly, you’ll maintain steady energy levels and boost recovery.

2. Make Performance Plates 

Simplify holiday eating by following this visual approach when loading your plates:

For more information on performance plates, check out my Building Performance Plates: Step-By-Step Guide blog post.

3. Stay Hydrated 

Hydration is key for maintaining performance, especially during busy holiday gatherings. It’s often something we don’t think about when our activity decreases or when the weather becomes colder.

General rule of thumb: Female athletes should aim to drink at least 2.5L of hydrating fluids per day and male athletes should aim to drink at least 3.5L of hydrating fluids per day. 

4. Rest & Recover  

The holidays are a great time to allow your body the proper recovery it needs. If you’re training less due to holiday activities or rest, you don’t necessarily need to eat less. In fact, increasing your energy availability by maintaining your regular eating habits gives your body the chance to fully recover, repair, and rebuild. This recovery time can lead to greater potential for growth when you return to more intense training. Use this opportunity to rest, recharge, and come back stronger.

Your Gains Will Still Be There When the Holidays are Over 

So go ahead—eat, laugh, and indulge with joy. Your performance gains will still be there when the holidays are over, and you’ll come back feeling recharged and ready to take on the next phase of your training.

Let this post be your reminder: The long-term consistency you’ve been putting in will continue to pay off, no matter what happens over the holidays.

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