It started with Halloween and ends with New Years.
The holidays are a virtual minefield of unhealthy choices for the average person.
We are bombarded by sweets and snacks in the workplace, on TV, in our homes, and sometimes even in the mail. 😫
Check out the replies to this post I made.
Sweets...Sweets...Sweets...
How many plates of cookies, breads, pies, snacks and candies will you receive this holiday season? Everywhere you look, there seems to be another dietary pitfall ready to derail your good intentions and send you barrelling downhill on a junk food free-for-all. BUT, I have some good news!...and some bad news (but let's do the good news first). The GOOD news is: While many think that the average person gains 7-10 pounds over the holiday season, according to the New England Journal of Medicine most people gain a little less than one pound from mid-November to mid-January. Hooray! That means you can break out the Christmas cookies and chow down, right? Not so fast. Remember...I also have bad news. The BAD news is: This research also shows that most people don’t ever lose that one holiday pound...so it adds up, year after year. And the WORSE news is: People who are already overweight when entering the holidays season gain an average of five extra pounds that...you guessed it...they never end up losing. So, if you are already overweight OR still working on building healthy habits that stick, you may benefit from taking preventative efforts against holiday weight gain. Because a two-month vacation from smart choices is a slippery slope that can easily turn into a full year of feeling sluggish, dumpy and gross. In an effort to enjoy the holidays, WITHOUT gaining weight, Here are 5 tips from my Healthy Holiday Blueprint program to help you avoid holiday weight gain this season.
1. Stop "saving calories" for later.
How many times have you skipped breakfast on Thanksgiving morning because you’re “saving calories” for dinner?
The problem with this strategy is that:
➡ By the time you get to the dinner table you are so hungry that you're ready to drown yourself in the gravy boat.
➡ Making good choices when you are operating in extreme hangry mode is a jedi level hunger management skill that most people don't possess.
➡ You are putting yourself in a position to almost certainly make less healthy choices than if you had eaten a reasonable and balanced meal 4-6 hours ahead of time.
➡ You will not actually end up eating less calories overall.
The best solution is to plan ahead. If you plan your meals in advance you can stay fueled, balanced and level-headed.
If you know what you’re going to eat throughout the day you won’t find yourself with nothing but sugar cookies to eat for lunch or being so famished at dinner time that you can’t control yourself from eating leftover pie while you wait for your soup to heat up in the microwave.
2. "Budget" your carbs. When planning your meals, consider creating a carb "budget". This time of year carbs are VERY easy to overdo, and while I don't ever advocate cutting them out altogether, I do think it's smart to keep them in check. Aim to keep your starchy carb servings to an average of ~1 cupped handful at each meal.
For example, if you are enjoying a slice of mom's pumpkin bread with your lunch, opt to have a salad topped with lean protein instead of a carb-heavy sandwich or wrap. At dinner time, if you're having your grandmother's famous stuffing, then ditch the other "good but not great" starches, the things that you won't leave you feeling deprived if you cut them out (ie the things you like...but don't LOVE), and fill the rest of your plate with veggies and protein. Which brings me to...
3. Only indulge in the foods that YOU love. Pressure eating is another fun holiday issue to navigate. We live in a culture that has conditioned us to say “I love you” with food. Friends will bring you baked goods and candy. Grandma will insist on drowning your perfectly healthy broccoli in a sea of her special cream sauce. And your neighbor will beg you to try her super secret family eggnog recipe. How do you say “no” to that kind of love? First, repeat after me. "I am a grown a** adult and can make my own food choices. I do not need to eat something simply because someone is offering it to me." (It might be best if you say the above to yourself, rather than out loud...) Then, thank them graciously, give them compliments...even take a small bite if you’d like, and change the conversation. Tell a joke, give them a hug (or an elbow bump...social distancing!) and move on. ➡ Eating food you don’t want is not a prerequisite to celebrating the holidays. ➡ You are not obligated to consume every offering of “love” that comes your way. ➡ You ARE allowed to choose what you eat. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself, to set and hold boundaries and to say "no" to the things that you don't LOVE. 4. Keep your sleep routine sacred. On the topic of setting boundaries and practicing self care, we all know that the holidays are an extra demanding time of the year, and during times like these one of the first things to go flying out the window is SLEEP. We often have more on our plates (literally, as well as financially and socially) and this can make it difficult to get the sleep we need. But burning the candle at both ends will cost you in health AND happiness. Blocking out 7-9 hours every night to rest, recuperate and recharge will not only make you more productive and pleasant to be around...it will keep your weight in check too. Sleep deprivation messes with glucose levels and lowers your body’s production of appetite-suppressing leptin while it increases production of hunger-stimulating ghrelin. Plus it elevates cortisol levels which increases your chance of developing diabetes and/or obesity. AND research proves that sleep-deprived folks reach for carb-dense, sweet, salty foods more often than their well rested counterparts. Basically, sleep deprivation is a prescription for being sick, hungry and chubby. 😲 But contrary to popular belief, you can’t “make up” on missed sleep. So the key is to establish a solid routine and consistently get the rest you need, holiday craziness or not. 5. Drink more water. As played out as this advice may be, IT WORKS. Drinking more water is not only important for staying hydrated (especially if you'll be including some adult beverages with your holiday meals); it's also a smart weight control strategy. On average, Americans consume over 400 calories per day in beverages. 400 calories! That's equivalent to 1 1/2 bags of M&Ms...in beverages...per day. By swapping out your usual juice or soda, or even half of your alcoholic drinks with water, you can make a significant dent in your weekly caloric intake, Plus, drinking water helps you feel fuller, so you end up eating less overall. Much like lack of sleep leaves us mistaking tiredness as hunger, dehydration often has us confusing thirst for hunger. AND, similar to how getting a good night's rest helps you curb cravings, staying well hydrated makes it easier to steer clear of the sugary salty snacks as a 'pick-me-up'. Bored with plain water? Jazz it up. Even something as simple as adding a lemon wedge, cucumber slices or a few frozen berries is enough to take it from plain to palatable.
Look, the holidays can and should be fun! It's possible to enjoy yourself without going off the rails, if you arm yourself against temptation by: ✅ planning your meals ✅ budgeting your carbs ✅ only saying "yes" to the foods you LOVE ✅ getting your ZZZs and ✅ drinking lots of water And if you'd like to spend the holidays: 🎅 learning how to navigate difficult food situations 🎅 gaining strategies for fitting in exercise when time is tight 🎅 practicing gratitude and maintaining perspective ...and do it all within a supportive, private community, Then join me by signing up for 👉 The Healthy Holiday Blueprint. But hurry, early enrollment (which includes special bonuses 😱) ends tomorrow!
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