Finding it nearly impossible to stay conscious and contentious about weight and nutrition while on vacation? Of course. More than half of all Americans are overweight—you’re not alone.
However, a new government study might give you a glimmer of hope: The study shows that Americans gain only about a pound over the holidays. The study found that the people who participated were influenced by two main factors during the holidays: the level of hunger and the level of activity. In other words: those who reported being less active or hungrier during the holidays had the greatest weight gain.
So common sense says: If you can focus on dealing with those two things, you’ll probably win your personal holiday weight loss battle. At the very least, you’ll gain by not adding more weight to what’s already waiting to be thrown.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of weight gain,” says Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Washington University Center for Human Nutrition in St. Louis, MO. “Preventing weight gain is much easier and better than gaining weight and then trying to lose it.”
So the answer seems simple: eat less and exercise more. The reality of implementation, of course, is much more difficult.
The good news is that most people overestimate how much weight they gained over the holidays. Less than 10% gain 5 pounds or more.
The bad news is that the small amount of weight gained is never lost. A pound of weight gain is a fairly small amount, but since it’s usually not lost again: The weight accumulates over time and turns into obesity.
Now we all know that there are loads of tips about this time of year, designed to help us avoid gaining that extra pound or two during the holidays. Unfortunately, what is generally not talked about is: The reality of stress and day-to-day Christmas situations. Let’s explore the tips… along with their reality checks… in depth:
Weight Loss Tip 1: Stay active. The best thing you can do is try to stick to your normal schedule and routine.
Christmas reality check: It’s pretty hard to get into any sort of decent routine in the busy months of November and December. Busy people tend to sacrifice yoga classes, long walks, and visits to the gym because they need time for extra things like decorating the house, cooking, cleaning up before visitors arrive, and of course, shopping.
The good news: Walking around the mall and stores is great exercise, as is cleaning the house. In addition to those activities, decorating can also be quite intense: you’re going up and down to hang things; lift, haul, and haul boxes out of storage; bending, twisting and turning so that everything looks right. So don’t blame yourself for not being able to go to the gym… you’re doing a lot of activity and everything helps!
Weight Loss Tip #2: Don’t let yourself get too hungry. If you go to a party and starve, everything will seem even richer than usual. And of course, you will eat much more thanks to it. Try to start each day with a good, solid breakfast, especially something with protein. And when you’re at the party, try to eat vegetables to help keep you feeling full. These two things will help keep your hunger in check, and in turn, will help you refrain from “gorging” on anything you see just because you’re hungry.
Christmas reality check: We’re all so busy during the holidays, and it’s not always possible to remember to eat, let alone eat right, especially in the morning when we may have already overslept and are late for everything. And eating healthy at a party isn’t always possible either: not everyone in this country serves vegetable platters, salads, or fruit bowls. Sometimes the only things on the site are junk: chips, candy, and cookies.
Here’s a suggestion: Try bringing your own vegetable platter to a party where you know one won’t be available. A quick and easy way to do this is to simply buy a bag or two of pre-cut greens and some ranch salad dressing. Alternatively, eat a decent meal before heading to the party. Don’t overdo things, but don’t make it a light snack either. Eating first will help you “nibble” a bit on the worst of the holiday delights on offer.
Weight loss tip 3: Stay away from food. Literally. Just stay away from the buffet table, appetizers, or treats… and you’ll be fine.
Christmas reality check: In most cases, food is everywhere. And even if it’s not right in front of your face, you sure can smell it! Trying to just “stay away from it” is pretty unrealistic, and can feel like torture to some of us. And for most people: when you can’t have something, you want it even more. So trying to stay away from food will most likely make you overeat worse than you otherwise would.
Try This Instead: Allow yourself what you want. But with a trap First: take only half the amount you normally would. And only take one food. Eat that and enjoy it guilt free. Then wait a full 20-30 minutes before you get anything else. Then repeat the process: one item, half the serving size as you normally would, enjoy it without guilt, then wait before you get anything else.
Allowing yourself to eat removes the “I can’t have it (and therefore I’m more determined to have it)” mentality. It allows you to enjoy good food and vacations, without punishing yourself. This is healthy and can help tremendously with the way you view food and eating in general. However, only taking half will help you cut down on as many calories, fat, sugar, or other bad things that you normally avoid. And then, waiting 20 to 30 minutes before getting anything else will help your body figure out when you’ve had enough…or too much. So you’re much less likely to overdo things and feel physically horrible later.
Weight Loss Tip #4: Wear clothes that are a little tight on you. This should help you feel full faster and prevent you from overeating.
Christmas reality check: We want to wear baggier clothes because we can’t wait to eat all that great food! Yes, wearing something form-fitting might keep us from going back for a second helping of fries…or it might ruin a favorite outfit.
In the end, how you approach this tip is up to you and you alone. Make your decision and be happy with it.
Weight Loss Tip 5: Keep your portions small. Try to eat salad and vegetables, and only have small amounts of anything else.
Christmas reality check: Taking just a “bite-sized” amount of anything will put you in the no-haves state of mind mentioned above. You’ll feel like you can’t have something, and you’ll want it even more.
Try the tip mentioned above: take half the size you normally would. Trying to eat just a small bite of cake will whet your appetite for more, but eating a whole piece is a bit of a stretch, especially if there are 5 different cakes to try. Try true sampling instead: cut a piece half the normal size. This allows you to have a “whole slice” and more than several small bites. He then waits for about 20 minutes before going and trying the next cake. Even if you do end up eating some of all 5 pies, by having a half-size slice of each, you’ve drastically reduced the amount of calories, carbs, and sugars compared to what you would have consumed with whole slices. And you’ll still feel full and sated, instead of deprived and resentful.
So there you have it: 5 different and common tips for losing weight and eating during the holidays, followed by a reality check on each, and a suggested compromise that should help you enjoy the holidays to the fullest, without depriving yourself of the excellent food that we all seek. forward to
Whatever you decide to do, remember to have Happy Holidays!