Simple Tips to Help You Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

The holidays are finally here – and like most women, you’re probably worried about breaking your diet habits and packing on extra pounds throughout the season. Co-workers bring cookies and chocolate to the office, stockings are full of unhealthy treats and the meals are packed full of hidden diet enemies. But don’t fret – it is possible to avoid holiday weight gain, but still enjoy the holidays. Follow these simple tips and your body (and your waistline) will thank you in 2010.

Water, water, water

Whether it’s throughout the day, during meals or at holiday parties, water is still an essential part of your diet. Keeping yourself hydrated throughout the holidays will not only continue to aid in your weight loss (or maintenance) efforts, but will also ease hunger cravings. Often when we feel hungry, we’re simply dehydrated and in need of some good ol’ H2o. If you’re at the holiday party, the drinks are likely flowing. Drink a full glass of water between each alcoholic beverage not only to pace yourself, but also to keep you hydrated.
If you are not thrilled by drinking water, add a crystal light drink mix package to spice it up. A wedge of lemon, lime or both will also do the trick.

Avoid overeating

This seems obvious – don’t eat too much. But there are ways to avoid overeating throughout the holiday. Adopt one or more of these overindulgence tips and see a huge difference in how you feel come January 1st.

Stay out of the kitchen

It’s nice to help the host or hostess, but try to stay out of the kitchen if you’re concerned about gaining weight over the holidays. Being in the same room as all the food preparation is bound to make you fill-up before dinner. You’ll taste everything from the cookies to the gravy, before it’s served. Leave that up to the cook, and make yourself useful by helping with preparations in other rooms. If you happen to be the cook, have some pre-cut veggies and dip handy to snack on so you’re not tempted to fill-up on mashed potatoes and stuffing before serving your guests.

Avoid the second helping

It’s always tempting. Despite how full our stomach might feel, the meal was delicious and we want more! Be sure to avoid those unnecessary second helpings of food. To aid this, make sure you are drinking plenty of water throughout the meal, and eat slowly. Instead of gobbling, focus on the quality and deliciousness of every single bite. By savouring your food and eating slowly, you’ll not only appreciate the meal that much more, but allow your body time to get full. From the time you start eating, it can take up to 30 minutes for your body to respond by telling you your stomach is full. Give it the time necessary and eat slowly to make sure your first helping is your last one.

Don’t deprive yourself

For the same reason that depriving yourself of certain foods on a diet doesn’t work, nor does it work throughout the holidays. You may think it best to avoid the sweets, but my advice is to allow yourself to eat anything you want – but be conscious of the quantity. So, if shortbread is your favourite, don’t spend the night wishfully watching others eat from the baked goods tray. Enjoy a cookie, but leave it at that. By allowing yourself a small dose of your favourite holiday treats, you’re making it less likely that you’ll binge later on.

Eat regular meals – yes, even during the holidays!

We have a tendency to think that when a big meal is coming up, we should spend the day starving ourselves in anticipation. But making yourself especially hungry will do nothing but put you into starvation mode, causing you to overeat and decrease your metabolic rate. So, eat small, healthy meals throughout the day EVEN if you have a big meal coming up.

Encourage healthy eating

Why not make your holiday healthy eating easier if you can? Incorporate some healthy alternatives into the menu if you’re cooking. Bring healthy dishes to parties and potlucks – even if nobody else eats them, they’ll be there for you! And why not try and bake some healthy sweets for your family and friends? They’ll appreciate the caloric intake and the taste!

Don’t cut-out exercise

It’s easy to get distracted by all the goings-on throughout the holidays, and exercise is often the first to get cut from a busy schedule! Even if you don’t have time for your regular workouts, try incorporating 30 minutes of exercise into each day. Take a nice, brisk walk with the entire family after the big meal, play with the kids in the snow, shovel your mom’s driveway, or just offer to take out the trash every five minutes! Regardless of what you’re doing, ensuring 30-minutes of physical activity into each day will make a huge difference in how much weight is gained by New Year’s!

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