The holidays typically involve lots of celebrations, parties, and food — it’s a time to rest and enjoy time with family and friends. It’s also a time when people tend to gain some pounds, but today, we have some tips from Lucy Moreno to maintain your weight and wellbeing during and after this season.

The fitness influencer and nutrition coach had an impressive weight loss and fitness journey. She started changing her lifestyle in 2016 and turned her passion for food into a passion for creating healthy meals, educating herself on what’s good for her body. She started counting macros and working out using weights at the gym. She also did more outdoor activities like hiking, running, and playing soccer.

Today she shares her tips and advice on how to keep yourself active and achieve a strong, healthy body and mind even during the holiday season.

What encouraged you to start your fitness journey?
Lucy Moreno: I started because I used to feel really bad about myself. When I started, I was married for six months, and I gained a lot of weight during that time. I told myself, “if I keep feeding this passion I have for eating, creating recipes, going to restaurants, things will get worse.” I was starting to love and accept myself, however, I wasn’t accepting my body. I think it’s important to accept yourself before deciding to change your lifestyle and I was on track with that, but I still had a lot of health issues because of my weight. My first motivation was improving my health, but when I started seeing the physical changes, I got even more motivated.

What was your biggest challenge while changing your lifestyle and your physical appearance?
I think the obstacles I faced. My family made some comments that were negative. I tried to always stay consistent even though there were days I wasn’t motivated at all. The comments were demotivating but at the same time, they encouraged me to prove people wrong. My family had to learn about this journey with me since they used to think I was doing it the wrong way because of what I was eating, but they learned more about it and ended up supporting me.

Could you explain your online evolution and how this impacted your career?
I started doing makeup online around 2016, and I already had a community of people following me. They were interested in the beauty industry but I slowly started incorporating them in my day to day my weight loss journey. I literally shared my whole process online. People saw me from day one and that’s the reason I think people follow me now because I showed them everything. Every achievement I had, I shared it. People started noticing it and sharing it with others. By 2019, the changes in my body were really obvious and I started studying nutrition and getting certifications. After that, I started helping people with their meal plans.

How do you deal with haters online?
I don’t! Just kidding. I used to have a lot, but lately, I don’t really have many. I feel like the vibe you share online is really important. I’ve realized that the more you pay attention to them, the more they will be there — the more you focus on you, the more ignored they will feel.

The holidays are the time of year where people tend to gain more weight. What would you suggest to anyone that wants to enjoy the season while not gaining extra pounds?
My advice would be to try to not be too focused on being disciplined. That would be impossible since most people are on vacation right now and won’t really have the time to work out. It’s almost impossible to achieve a good balance. I would say to not push yourself too hard this season but don’t let your guard down either. I think another thing to do is to control the amount of protein you eat and then start adding some carbs and fats intuitively but always controlling your protein intake.

How do you think people can manage temptation with foods and sweets during this season?
I think people have to focus on the fact that treating yourself doesn’t mean you will sit down and have the whole dessert. They have to know what are they eating because it’s not about putting random stuff in your mouth, it’s about getting enough nutrients for your body and controlling portions, as well as adding some fruit.

What kind of workouts to keep your body active do you recommend doing while being at home?
I think it’s all about staying active. If you are with your family, invite them to go for a walk or a hike before or after meals, dancing, not necessarily working out, just keeping your body active from the moment you wake up. You can stay active by cleaning your house or your room, you just gotta keep moving.

What wellness products do you like to use?
The latest thing I’ve been trying, which has impacted me a lot, is collagen from Vital Proteins. My hair and nails have grown a lot! It’s impressive. I also recommend always have Kodiak cakes. I always have them in my kitchen since they are really complete and easy to prepare.

Follow Lucy Moreno on Instagram here