This is How Many CALORIES I Ate During the Holidays… A Week of Eating EVERYTHING & ANYTHING I Want!

Shit, it's the holidays. Well, time to take out my Fitness Pal. We're counting calories, baby. Okay, on a real note, I'm actually pretty curious to see what my calorie intake looks like during this wonderful, definitely not anxiety-filled time, so let's get started. This is how my body looks before the start of the holidays, and well, you're gonna have to stay tuned to see how it looks after an insane, exciting cheat week we are about to have. In the past, I've tracked my calories religiously, and while I've been saying I don't track anymore, the truth is I've been going back and forth with it. One week I wouldn't count, and the next week I'd count. But as of November, I genuinely— this time genuinely— stopped for good and feel great most of the time. Of course there are still days where I have the urge to count, but my laziness kind of takes over and I end up forgetting. In this instance, thanks laziness, I guess being lazy isn't all that bad. As you can see, I had pancakes for breakfast, which is unusual activity for me. I haven't made pancakes in a very long time, mainly because they take a while, but with no school I had a lot more time, so there are no excuses. You've all heard this, and mentioning this is just old news, but here it is anyways: you won't gain weight after a few days of overeating. Indulging. You don't even have to be a health expert to know that. Just like losing weight takes time, gaining weight also takes more than one day, heck, more than one week. With that said, I firmly believe there's no such thing as eating too much on the holidays. There really isn't. You can eat over 5,000 calories and you'll still look the same a few days later. Yes, you'll most likely get that Santa belly right after, but it won't last. And as long as you slowly get back into your normal routine, then there's genuinely nothing to worry about. Every year during the holidays, I remember being extra observant, extra careful when it came to my body and food. I mean, no wonder the serving of sweets, home-cooked meals, chocolate, lots of chocolate was kind of hard to avoid.

Temptation.

You take one bite and the next thing you know, a full plate of the most caloric foods has been devoured. This was a very beautiful feast. I was having a splendid time, as you can see. Now, of course, I had to have seconds because Christmas dinner without second servings is not Christmas dinner, period. And because I got a ton of chocolate as my Christmas present, I did it ultimate taste test. It was very, very delicious, to the point where I finished almost all of it. Oops. Anyways, this day totaled to about 2,362 calories. Throughout social media, people are saying, "Let the holidays be a calorie-tracking-free time. Forget about those numbers and focus on the more important things: spending time with family, expressing gratitude, and just having a fun time." But it's definitely easier said than done. My past self would find it so hard to just give up tracking, especially if this tracking could potentially stop me from eating way above my calorie goal. If If anything, the holidays would be an ideal time to track, a time where it's most needed. And oddly enough, I will be tracking, but only because I want to see if the amount I'm eating is actually an amount to worry about. Today my sister and I went to buy some new clothes. I was on the lookout for stylish outfits because all my closet consists of are baggy sweaters and sweatpants. But because nice clothes have to be so freaking expensive, I just end up buying more sweaters and sweatpants. After shopping, my mom's friend and her family came over, which meant Christmas dinner, Numero 2. For dinner, we had some simple pizza. I was initially going to eat only 2 slices, but then I was like, screw it, why not have 4? And I didn't feel guilty about it at the end, which is progress. Our night was really fun. Me and the girls had a gingerbread making party, ate lots of chocolate cake, and we were just all vibing. Well, zoom in. Look at the masterpiece. The fireplace is beautiful.

It is. Yeah, do the speech.

I'm about to eat my whole finger. Oh no, you are? Grab something. Let me— I'm gonna grab— I'm gonna grab the original one.

Mm, mm.

And at the end of the day, my calorie total was about 2,176, but honestly, I'm not surprised if it ended up being more. Before you guys continue watching this video, this full week of tracking is nowhere near accurate. I didn't use a scale and I didn't always use measuring cups. Like I said, I completely despise calorie counting now to the point where I I won't even bother doing it for a video. What I did instead was eat however much I wanted, and during post-production, aka the editing process, that's when I logged in all the calories consumed. Good morning, guys! So these are my overnight oats. I just heated them up for about 1 minute, and I also added some chocolate chips and some yogurt. So the total calories at the end of each day is scary inaccurate. There's a high chance that I might have eaten a lot more than it says, so just a little FYI. Hey guys, so I'm editing my video. I'm editing actually a YouTube Short, and I'm just gonna have some gummies for a little snack. Over the years, I've been afraid to eat, let alone eat on the freaking holidays. I mean, when people say it's a relaxing time of year, they're completely forgetting about the ones with food anxiety and a fear of gaining weight. The thing is, eating lots of food is almost always unavoidable, especially with family members who love to spoil you with bags of chocolate and plates of meals they worked so hard on. And as much as everyone says, "Take it easy, don't worry, just enjoy this time with family," it's not easy. And if you haven't been in the position of worrying, it's kind of hard to understand. You've worked hard to hit your fitness goals. You worked hard to portion control, to only eat when you're hungry, to add more veggies, less sugar. And the holidays are essentially breaking that cycle, the continuous rhythm you've got going. So it makes sense to fear the holidays, to fear Christmas, But it doesn't have to be that way. If you're looking to break away from those negative thoughts and officially find food freedom, then the holidays is a time that challenges you to do that. Not gonna lie, as much fun as I had eating lots of food these past few days, it's been making me feel kind of icky or just blah in general. So while I wasn't planning on working out, I ended up doing a Caroline Girvin full body workout, and it was a good decision. It was hard, but it felt really great. And today's calorie total ended up being 1,760. 16. For today's breakfast, my mom cut up a dragon fruit, which I never tried until now. It's actually so good. And then I added the dragon fruit into a yogurt parfait. During the holidays, I don't only give my mind a rest from school, editing, and work, but I make sure to give my body a rest from crazy intense physical activity. I don't make it my absolute priority to get a workout in, but I also allow myself to work out if I want to. And this week I felt like working out for a total of 3 times, and I worked out at the most random times of the day. Before, my workouts would only take place in the mornings, but now I actually prefer working out in the evening. Some days I literally work out at 8 or 9 o'clock, and it's not because I want to burn all the food I had for dinner, but it's because I've always just been very hyper before bedtime, and so I want to take all that energy and do something good with it instead of running around my house screaming like a maniac. So yeah, now you'll almost never see me do morning workouts. It's just not my vibe anymore, and I've actually really liked this change of routine. Repetition gets so boring at some point. Doing something as simple as changing up your workout time is going to make your day a little different, and it's fun. <LYRICS>So now my heart's in my body back, I'm in the mood to go and hurt somebody, yeah.</LYRICS> Like me, I'm sure a lot of you guys have had this goal, or at least have thought about eating only once a day. It might seem like a great fast solution, but that's something you should avoid if you're looking for sustainable long-term body changes. The thing is, eating once a day slows down your metabolism, and thus with a slower metabolism, weight gain is almost easier. And surprise, surprise, eating once a day will most likely end with overeating. Your body becomes so ravenous in need of energy that it just gives in. So your initial goal of consuming little calories is thrown out the window, and you eat way more than you would have if you just ate whenever you felt hungry to begin with. Today's dinner was about 427 calories. It was a plate with potatoes, turkey bacon, zucchini, spinach, and my favorite plantain chips. And then I ended off the night with some dark chocolate. My breakfasts have been very repetitive for the past few videos. Almost all I've been having is just oatmeal, so it was time to expand my creativity, which is why I made chia seed pudding. Last time I did not enjoy the taste, but I have good hopes for this one. Okay guys, Okay, so I made the chia seed pudding, and as you guys can see, I added a lot of toppings because last time I made it, it honestly tastes so gross. So the more toppings, the more sweetness I add to it, the better. Honestly, the texture is kind of satisfying in a way, but honestly doesn't even taste that bad. Again, if you add lots of toppings, then it just— it's a good breakfast. Now, I'm not much for making New Year resolutions. I believe it puts you in a fixed mindset and takes goal-making flexibility away from you. Why wait until the new year to improve yourself? You should be doing it every single day. But if I were to choose one resolution, it would be to read and expose myself to more non-related school content. I'm in a program where analyzing and reading textbooks, articles, and journals is unavoidable, and by the time I finish reading all that's required for my classes, I don't have motivation or want to read or listen to anything else. But with Audible, reading has become so much more doable and enjoyable. If you don't know, Audible is an online audiobook and podcast service which has a library full of different genres and categories to choose from. One of my favorites has been the Wellbeing Collection. At audible.com/wellbeing, Audible editors have curated a a range of titles featuring experts in self-care and self-development categories, from mastering your emotions and improving relationships to getting in shape and finding more success at work and at home. I've recently been listening to Habits for Greatness by Dr. Tim Sharp. It's an Audible original podcast that highlights 30 lessons from some of the best thinkers of all time who show you a path to achieving your best life. One of the reasons I love Audible so much is you can fly through lots of audiobooks on the go. I've been using Audible while commuting to school, on my walks, working out, and honestly whenever, wherever. As well as, if you become a member, every single month you get one free audiobook of your choosing and full access to the Plus catalog. Of course, there is a 30-day free trial offered where you can cancel anytime. So do you want to effortlessly turn your life around in 2022? If so, go to audible.com/wellbeing and start listening today. My favorite protein brownie freaking oatmeal is what I'll be having today. This breakfast never disappoints, and if you haven't tried making something similar, then I don't know what you're doing. It's so quick and it really does bring oatmeal to the next level. I usually add lots of toppings, which is why it ends up being almost 70 calories, but I personally always like to have a pretty high-calorie breakfast to keep my energy at peak throughout the day. For snack, I had a few chocolates, a Z-Bar. For dinner, I had a plate of random foods, and to end of the day, I had chocolate brownie ice cream for dessert. Total calories today was 1,910. Calories aren't everything. Calories aren't even close to being the most important thing. It's not about how many calories, it's about how many nutrients you're you're putting in your body. How much protein, fiber, carbs, sugar you're consuming are things you should think about. I feel like weight loss is more on the qualitative side than it is on the quantitative. Yes, the portion size is important, but the type of food you're putting in your body is what will essentially make it or break it. As hard as it is at first, try not to focus too much on the numbers, but really think about the food you're eating. Are you getting a balance of veggies, foods with protein, Are you allowing yourself to eat cake and ice cream without feeling guilty? Today's breakfast was pretty extravagant. I made these fantastic coconut cranberry cookies for the first time. Laurence, I know you're watching this. Thanks for the recipe. I hope you approve these cookies. Okay, you guys ready? It's time to test these cranberry coconut cookies. I can't wait. I simply can't wait. Oh my gosh, you guys, these are so awesome! I can taste the coconut, but it's not super strong. I can taste the cranberries. I feel like they're the perfect level of sweetness. They're not super sweet, but they're also like not flavorless. They're so flavorful. The consistency is just perfect. Now usually my favorite cookies are like chocolate chip. I always like to add some sort of like chocolate into my cookies, but these are so good and they don't have any chocolate chips. So guys, I really do recommend you guys try out this recipe. Super easy to make. Thank you so much, Laurence, for the recipe. I'll leave it in the description if you guys want to check it out too. These are awesome. I literally have no words. My family likes them too. I gave my parents a try and they said they're fire. So yeah, you guys, definitely try it out. Along with pancakes and cookies, it's been a second since I've made nourish bowls and I really miss them. They are my easy lunches, and as university starts back up, I'll make it a goal to make these more often because I really do need to eat more veggies and just protein. Hey guys, so I have my lunch all created, but it looks pretty bland, at least flavor-wise, so I'm gonna add some of this barbecue sauce to the cauliflower. Okay, let's give it a try. I've always thought that you absolutely need to count calories if you want to lose weight. And that's why I did it for a long time. I thought it would make this whole weight loss process easier, but it absolutely doesn't, and it just gave me lots of fear food and an obsession with food in general. So learn from my mistakes and avoid going down that path.

Take my hand off into vacation, this could open up our relation. Most of the time I've learned just to let it go.

Okay, week is over, and now as I promised, let me show you what my body looks looks like. It honestly doesn't look any different. The most important thing is how do you feel? Did you enjoy your holidays? Did you relax, take care of yourself? Did you have fun? I hope you did, because you deserve it. You deserved happiness then, you deserve it now, and you deserve it always. It's 2022, a new beginning, and a new beginning requires a new mindset. What's your mindset gonna look like?