It’s that time of the year, and the holidays are upon us. The joy and festivities surrounding the holidays come with the added pleasures of family gatherings surrounded by unlimited amounts of good old comfort food.
But don’t be afraid to enjoy yourself. The holidays are wonderful, and you can avoid the holiday weight gain. If your goal is to stay on track this holiday season, then here are a few tips you can do to avoid the extra pounds.
Top 12 tips to stay on track during the holidays:
Re-evaluate your goals:
This would be a great time to re-evaluate your goals. As the year ends, your goals could have changed. Not because the holidays have arrived means that we throw in the towel and wait until January to pick things back up. Your goal could simply be to not gain any weight during the holidays.
Remind yourself of your WHY:
Why are these goals important to you? You always have to attach a meaning to anything you do in life. And your health goals are no different. Having a strong WHY reinforces your daily choices and helps you make better decisions about what serves you and what doesn’t.
Avoid doing crash diets:
Many will think that doing crash diets before all the festivity will help with all the holidays approaching, but in reality, it will cause you to binge. If you are restricting yourself until the next event, well, that will make you feel like you have an excuse to overeat because you have been very strict.
You want to avoid doing that, just stick to your healthy meals.
Eat mindfully:
Enjoy food in moderation. Watch your portions and enjoy a balanced meal to prevent you from diving into everything on the table. Ask yourself, is this serving my goals. Reminding yourself of what your goals are helping you make better choices.
Eat your normal meals:
Before your gathering, eat your normal healthy meals, so that you don’t overeat. You want to make sure your meals are put together with carb, fat, and protein. This will keep your blood sugars leveled, satisfied, and not starving.
Stay active:
Staying active during the holidays is difficult, but staying active during the holidays will be vital. You want to move your body, even if they are just afternoon walks. Just keep moving!
Keep your sleeping schedule:
Having a good night’s sleep will help from overeating and not exercising. When you are sleep-deprived, you tend to crave more fatty food and higher carbs, and if you are tired you won’t have the energy to get your workouts in.
Keep your meals with high protein:
Holiday meals tend to be higher carbs, but you want to make sure you eat plenty of protein. Protein in your meals will help you stay full and will help you control your appetite.
Avoid munching everything that is on the table:
Not because there’s a table full of food means you have to have it all. Be very mindful about what you eat and if there are healthier options, start there.
Avoid eating all the desserts on the table:
Be very mindful of the dessert you are going to eat. If you want the cookie or a piece of pie, then have one serving instead of having everything on the table. Portion control will be key.
Limit your alcohol:
Avoid empty calories. Alcohol can also increase your appetite, and many cocktail drinks come with so much added sugar.
Skip going for seconds and leftovers:
You have to treat your holiday gathering as your cheat meal. You want to avoid bringing home extra food or diving in for seconds. It is so important to get back on track the very next day.
The holiday may be daunting for many people, but they don’t have to be. I believe that if you remain mindful and on top of your goals. You will succeed in not gaining any weight during the holidays.
Avoiding gaining excessive weight over the holidays is so important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and healthy habits. Having the mindset of waiting until January to get back on track is never good, by doing so it can make weight loss so much more difficult.
One Response
Nice post 🙂