Did you enjoy Halloween & Thanksgiving? Have you gotten back on track with your workouts and eating after waxing off a bunch of “mini” candy bars and all of the leftovers? There isn’t still a giant bowl of candy sitting on your counter still…is there? If there is and you don’t want to self-sabotage your eating during the holiday season so go throw it out, or bring it to work, but what ever you do get it out of your house ASAP! We are our own worst enemy when it comes to weight loss. The holiday season is one of, if not the most difficult time of year to eat healthy and avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain. You’ve been doing great all year, so why stop now? It’s a lot easier to keep up your good work then it is to start all over in 2016. Think of how far you’ve already come. Let’s make a pact right now that when New Years gets here in a couple weeks or so don’t spend the first few months of the new year trying to undo the damage that we’ve caused ourselves over the holidays.
Every year there are people who are able to make it through the holiday season with out putting on a single ounce and some will even lose weight. It does happen and you can join that elite group too. Granted some of these people are freaks of nature and can eat any and everything over the holidays but they are the exception, not the rule. Commonly the ones that put a plan together and follow a few simple steps turn out to be the ones ready to charge into the New Year in great shape. Below you will find a list of steps to help you avoid that holiday weight gain and be the person that your friends are jealous of for not overindulging and putting on a few extra pounds. Keep reading to get yourself prepped and ready for the endless wave of ugly sweater parties, family gatherings and happy hours.
Step 1: Exercise
It doesn’t matter the type of exercise as long as you are able to get some in. If your gym is open you have no excuses. If you have a pair of running shoes you have no excuses. If you have space in your garage or basement to get in some air squats, push-ups and sit-ups you have no excuses. Make exercise a priority, especially on days you know you have a happy hour or holiday party to go to. Get up a little earlier, slam a coffee down, tie your shoes and get to the gym. You don’t have to stay long just break a sweat. Odds are if you make it to the gym or running trail you get in a good session. Like I said, in a pinch if you have to do a body weight circuit at home that’s way better than doing nothing. No Excuses!
Step 2: Eliminate Temptation
If you still have Halloween candy lying around the house or office get rid of it, Christmas is almost here! The easiest way to put yourself in the position for success is to remove any and all temptation. If you bake try not to keep 100 sugar cookies sitting on the counter top. 99% of the time we are our own worst enemies…so stop wrecking your chances of feeling great about the holiday season and help yourself be successful.
Step 3: Eat Your Vegetables…and Fruit
It’s easy to forget about these during the holidays so aim to get in 5+ servings per day. It’ll help fend off the hunger pains and reduce the likelihood of binging on empty calories later. Remember Candied Yams, Spin Dip and Celery covered in Ranch dressing do not count as servings of veggies. Plus fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants to help you battle all of the germs you’ll be exposed to holiday shopping or with your runny nosed niece and nephew climbing all over you.
Step 4: Don’t Leave the House Hungry
If you are heading off to a party or a happy hour your priority should be to not show up hungry. Eat a small meal or snack before heading out the door. This will allow you to not be at the mercy of your stomach when it sees all the party food layed out. When you do partake just choose mindfully and don’t just grab to grab. And if you are in the middle of a conversation right next to the table of food, you might want to relocate yourself. This also applies to heading out to shop. The food court at the mall will win every time, have you smelled those pretzel places!?!
Step 5: Bring the Healthy Dish
It’s 100% ok to be that person! At least you’ll know that you have one solid healthy option to choose from. Plus all the other people that are fighting the holiday weight gain will appreciate the heck out of you. So be that person, people are depending on you now!
Step 6: Just Say No
Yes it’s hard to say no sometimes and yes people will be very pushy to try their dish but be strong. Don’t feel obligated to eat all of the high-calorie foods. It’s hard to say no to the host, especially when they made something, but it’s harder to lose those couple pounds from continually saying yes. You will say yes on occasion so use a small dish and enjoy it. Just don’t ask for seconds if you don’t want to put the pounds on.
Step 7: Socialize
Guess what is calorie-free and even burns some of them? Socializing! When at the party or happy hour try to focus on socializing and not the food or drink. It certainly seems everything we do here revolves around food so be prepared. By standing you are more likely to move around and interact with everyone as opposed to being slouched over on the couch or in a booth with tray of cookies or chicken wings in front of you. We’ve all been in the situation where we mindlessly just ate 20 cookies…or maybe that’s just me, but basically don’t be me in that situation, walk away! And if you’re at a holiday party be sure to offer to help the host clean up, it’ll keep you busy and you won’t be standing over some Ranch dip dunking celery like it’s your last meal.
Step 8: Plan Your Cheat Day/Meal
We are all human and we deserve to enjoy the holiday treats so set up a plan to when you are going to indulge. This doesn’t mean saying your cheat day starts on the 4th Thursday of November and ends January 2nd. But enjoy the holidays you only live once! If Christmas is the day you want to let the wheels fall off then go nuts, but don’t turn it into a 8 day event of mashed potatoes, gravy and cookies then get frustrated when you weight 8 pounds more on Monday.
Step 9: Get some Zzzzzz’s
Yes, you have a billion things to do, but a busy schedule is no excuse for skipping out on sleep. Research shows that people who sleep fewer than five hours have lower levels of leptin, a hormone that controls how full you feel. When you’re tired, you feel hungrier and less satisfied after meals, so it becomes even more important during the holidays to get enough zzzzz’s.
Goodluck, we are in this together!
Geoff