Holiday Sugar, Alcohol, Low Protein… and the Blood Sugar Roller Coaster (Plus: How to Stay Off the Ride)
As we slide deeper into the holiday season, there’s one pattern I see every year—both in clients and in the general population:
Higher sugar intake + festive alcohol + lower protein intake = chaotic blood sugar swings, cravings, energy crashes, and weight-gain momentum.
Individually, each of those factors is manageable.
But combine them—and do so repeatedly through December—and suddenly people feel like their metabolism is fighting against them.
Let’s break down what’s actually happening… and more importantly, how the habits we teach inside the Holistic Transformation Program (HTP) help you stay in control instead of feeling like your cravings are driving the bus.
🎢 Why the Combination of Sugar + Alcohol + Low Protein Wrecks Blood Sugar Stability
1️⃣ Sugary treats spike blood glucose quickly.
Holiday desserts tend to be simple-carb bombs. They digest fast and hit the bloodstream even faster, which sends glucose soaring.
2️⃣ Alcohol makes those spikes worse.
Alcohol temporarily shuts down normal glucose regulation in the liver. This means when you eat sugar while drinking, your body has a much harder time controlling the rise (and later, the crash).
3️⃣ Low protein means you have no anchor.
Protein is the macronutrient that steadies blood sugar, slows digestion, and prevents those post-treat energy nosedives.
When it’s missing, your body ends up riding massive spikes followed by aggressive crashes—crashes your brain interprets as:
"Eat more sugar. Eat it now."
This is why people often feel like they “lose control” around food this time of year.
It’s not weakness.
It’s physiology.
💡 How HTP Habits Keep You Out of the Danger Zone
Inside the Holistic Transformation Program, we train a few core habits that make the holiday season dramatically easier to navigate—without feeling deprived.
Here’s how they apply directly to this blood-sugar chaos.
1️⃣ Crafting Meals for Effective Satiety
Most people think overeating happens because they “lack discipline.”
But more often?
They simply didn’t engineer their meals to keep them satisfied.
In HTP we teach you to build meals around:
30–50g of protein
Quality fats for hormonal stability
Carbohydrates with fiber instead of sugar spikes
Volume foods (veg, potatoes, fruit) for fullness
When you follow this structure, something powerful happens:
➡️ You’re naturally less hungry.
➡️ Cravings drop.
➡️ Holiday treats stop feeling like they have gravitational pull.
This is how clients routinely say things like, “It felt easy to say no,” even in environments where they used to feel completely outmatched.
2️⃣ The HTP “Worth-It Quotient” for Treats
Holiday dessert is not the enemy.
Mindless dessert is.
We use a simple rule inside the program:
Ask: Is this treat actually worth it?
Meaning:
Does it taste incredible, or just “fine”?
Will I enjoy this without guilt and move on?
Will I feel good afterward?
Does this fit today’s plan?
Is this helping me hit goals—or pulling me off track?
When clients use this filter consistently, they automatically:
Avoid the low-quality treats that lead to bloat, inflammation, and regret
Choose indulgences intentionally
Eat one serving instead of four
Stay emotionally in control of their nutrition
Reduce roller-coaster cravings because they stop stacking sugar + alcohol + low protein in the same meal
This single habit can change the entire trajectory of your holiday season.
📉 The Goal: Keep Blood Sugar Stable, Feel in Control, Enjoy the Season
When your meals support satiety…
When your protein intake is on point…
When treats are intentional, not reactive…
When alcohol is paired with real food instead of sugar…
Everything gets easier.
You enjoy the holidays more, not less.
You stay consistent without perfection.
You avoid the frustration of entering January feeling like you’re “starting over.”
And most importantly—you feel better in your body every single day along the way.