It’s that time of year again, the holidays. And while children are singing and parties are being thrown there is a little voice in the back of your head wondering just how much holiday weight gain you’re going to have this year. It seems that most people gain weight over the holidays and rightfully so. There are parties and dinners we attend. It leads to a very good chance to gain some weight. But before you throw away your weight loss efforts this holiday season try to stick to some of the tips in this article to help you fight holiday weight gain.
Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain Tips
Weight loss is a battle. For many of us we struggle each day with calorie counts and rationing sweets so we don’t go above a certain threshold. And it you stick with that then chances are you’re going to lose weight. But why do we ignore these rules when we’re at a holiday dinner? Maybe it’s because we aren’t thinking about it, or maybe we just want to enjoy the holidays without worrying about our weight.
Holidays are meant to be enjoyed and counting your calories each meal can get old quickly. So there are some things that you can do to combat holiday weight gain and here they are in no particular order:
Don’t Clean Your Plate
There is a condition called ‘clean plate syndrome‘ that lots of us suffer from. We continue to eat until our plate is clean. Even if we’re full there is a psychological need for us to eat everything. We usually get this from our childhood when our mothers told us to clean our plates. Maybe during the holidays when family is all around us we tend to clean our plates more.
Don’t Do This!
It causes you to over eat and gain weight. I’m certainly not saying you need to waste any food but be aware of when you’re full. Get smaller portions of food and go back for seconds if you must but make a point to leave something on your plate when finished eating. Trust me, your mother would rather see you eating healthy rather than gorging yourself this holiday season.
Drink Water Before Large Meals
Before any meal always drink a glass of water. Drinking water helps you feel full and you’ll end up eating less. It can also help you get through some of those appetizers at parties where you’re eating just to be eating something. Since the water fills up your stomach you’ll actually feel full and you help to hydrate yourself. So it’s a win-win.
Only Eat Your Favorites
With the holidays comes holiday snacks and cookies. My grandmother would always make sugar cookies each year and they were delicious. Many others I’ve tried don’t even come close and I wonder how some of the cookies I’ve eaten in recent years were even allowed to be called cookies. When you encounter one of these high calorie snacks or cookies remember, moderation is key. Eating a single cookie isn’t going to derail your diet but a basket of them might.
If you try a snack and it’s not quite what you thought it was and just tasted okay then put it down and move on. Why finish eating a high calorie snack that isn’t classified as: Very Delicious! Don’t waste your calories on ho-hum snacks.
Avoid the Sugary Drinks at Parties
Having a margarita or two is one of the best ways to ruin a perfectly good diet plan. One margarita can have over 350 calories in it. Having 2 drinks means you’re in for a whopping 700+ calories without eating any food. When you’re at a party make sure you avoid these high sugar drinks and opt for something with a little less calories like a nice glass of wine.
Stop Stressing Over the Holidays
The holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. And managing stress is something that you’ll certainly want to do if you want to avoid holiday weight gain and stay healthy. Stress has all sorts of health related problems that comes along with it. So find a way to relieve that stress. Go for a walk or a massage. Just don’t let it stress you out too much. Many people will often eat when they start getting stressed so be sure to try and avoid it.
