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Surviving the Holidays Without A Weight Gain

There’s still Christmas and New Year’s to go…

No one wants to be a Grinch at Christmas or family get-together. But when it comes to dealing with the temptations of the season’s high-calorie bounty, you don’t have to feel left out, you just have to plan it out by thinking ahead. Here are a few tips to make it through the Holidays without the weight gain.

Stop and smell the sweets

You can keep a stash of fudge around during the holidays without worrying about putting on extra pounds. How? Try these tips.

Downsize your sweets

You just got a 2-pound tin of toffee? Put some in the freezer, store four or five pieces for yourself in the cabinet, and give the rest of away.

Use a plate

Don’t nibble while standing up at a party or decorating the tree. Sit down at a table with your plate so you can focus on your food and keep track of what you’re eating.

Mind your bites

Slow down and savor the food’s smell and texture. Many people find they don’t have to eat so much with this approach.

Practice partying

A lot of people restrict what they eat before the holidays and then overeat when they hit the buffet. Instead, eat mindfully for about a week before the holiday bash so you won’t feel deprived and go on a binge. (source)

It Just Keeps Going

The holiday season consists of nearly two months of celebrating, with goodies appearing in homes and offices at Thanksgiving and continuing until the beginning of January.

By Christmas, most of the plans to eat less and exercise more have dwindled, and it’s easy to gain a significant amount of weight, even seven to 10 pounds. One way to monitor your intake over time: Keep track of your daily habits and set weekly goals around food intake and exercise.

Realize the Challenge

At any time of the year, losing weight and keeping it off is very difficult. Holidays are an especially high-risk time. The idea that you should stick to a diet to lose pounds is adding stress to an already stressful season.

Set achievable goals. Sure, you may be able to exercise four days a week and eat only 1,400 calories a day at other times, but is it really feasible during the holidays? You’re much more likely to stick to your plan and succeed if you set your expectations more realistically, aiming to maintain your weight.

Write It Down

When you’ve figured out your goals, write them down and keep a diary of what you eat daily. When researchers talk to people who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off, they inevitably say that writing everything down made the biggest difference. It’s that willingness to stay in touch with what you’re eating that’s important.

Even more critical is keeping track of your weight. Often, people avoid the scale because they don’t want to come face-to-face with the news. But if you detect a two to three-pound gain, there’s still time to get back on track before things escalate.

Buddy Up

It’s easy to underestimate the toll that the season takes — physically, psychologically, and emotionally. To avoid gaining weight, you need commitment and awareness. It’s best to do this with a group of people — even one or two friends or a close buddy — whom you can call upon to talk about eating concerns.

Identify Difficult Situations

Calorie Chat Group: One of the best outcomes of a calorie chat group is identifying the situations that cause you to overindulged. Try to write/log/talk more than you eat. (source)