Maintain Weight for the Holidays
10 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain from Christmas to New Year
Nov 29, 2007
It's hard not to expect a weight gain during the holidays. Between work parties, family get-togethers and the stress you feel from everything you have to do before the holidays, giving into the junk food is far too easy. Food pushers can smell a dieter a mile away and will do what it takes to sabotage your weight loss efforts.
Use the following 10 tips to avoid weight gain and fend off saboteurs. The mere presence of food won't be enough to push it over the edge if you are prepared in advance.
- Ditch the idea of having to be perfect. Allow yourself to slack a bit over the holidays. Put your focus on maintaining your weight rather than losing weight.
- Eat small meals throughout the day. Don’t try to save room for one big meal by skipping breakfast, lunch or snacks. Aside from making you even hungrier, skipping meals and snacks negatively affects your metabolism.
- Eat before you go. Attend to party on an empty stomach, and you can expect to gain weight. Have a light snack or cup of soup to control hunger and help you stay away from high-calorie foods.
- Fill up on water. Carry around a water bottle or a glass of water while at a party. Water fills you up and causes you to eat less while flushing out harmful toxins.
- Limit alcoholic beverages. Drinking at parties may be tempting, but it will be hard to maintain your weight through the holidays if you indulge in too many alcoholic beverages. Set a limit of one or two drinks and then switch to water to prevent dehydration and save calories.
- Schedule time to exercise. The best way to avoid weight gain from Christmas to New Year is to stay on track with a regular exercise routine. It's a busy time of year for everyone, but don't lose sight of the bigger picture.
- Keep your weight loss goals in sight. Review your weight loss goals every morning and remind yourself why it is so important for you to lose weight. Imagine how you'll feel on New Year's Day when you begin the new year with a weight gain. Stay on track this year and instead of feeling defeated, you'll feel empowered.
- Set saboteurs straight. Tell your friends and family about your maintenance goal for the holidays. Ask for their help to stay on track and explain that even though you would love to meet some of your favorite foods, they do not fit in with your weight loss goals. Saboteurs are often jealous, but if you explain that you want to lose weight for health reasons, it is usually better received.
- Judge your progress by how your clothes fit. Put the scale away for the holidays and give yourself some wiggle room. Gaining a few pounds isn't the end of the world, but if your pants start to feel tight, then you know it is time to cut back.
- Celebrate traditions that don't involve eating. Sharing stories, looking through old photos, making scrapbooks or wreaths, playing board games and volunteering your time are just a few of the ways you can celebrate the holidays without overeating.
If you can manage to maintain your weight through the holidays then you can get back on track much easier after the new year. Be careful not to deprive yourself of the things you truly want, focus on smaller portion sizes and follow these 10 tips to avoid gaining weight this holiday season.
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