Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Friday, November 9, 2018

Worried about gaining weight over the holidays? You’re not alone. The average weight from Thanksgiving to the New Year is 5 to 12 lbs., but it doesn’t have to be that way.

For people that are already overweight tend to gain closer to the 12 lb. range without noticing the gradual increase.

Here are some simple holiday tricks to avoid weight gain.

1.  Increase Physical Activity A Little Every Day- I think that everyone should indulge a little over the holidays. Part of Holiday festivities are the delicious treats that you can only get once a year. Accept the fact that you will indulge a little and enjoy it. Just make up for it by ramping up your exercise. Take an extra spin class a week or wake up a little earlier to get a workout in. You don’t have to double your exercise time or sweat til you pass out. Just increase your physical activity a little each workout. You might even lose some pounds.
2. Water, Water, Water- Drink lots of water, stay hydrated. Adequate water intake will keep that metabolism running and will fend off those small “sweet attacks”. In fact most people will mistake dehydration for hunger. Try to consume at minimum your body weight cut in half of ounces of water per day i.e. (If you weigh 150lbs, drink 75 ounces per day)
3. Moderation – I’ll never ask any of my clients to give up anything they enjoy eating or drinking. I will ask them to have their guilty pleasures in moderation. It’s ok..My personal holiday treat (drum roll) is RUM CAKE. I could easily consume an entire rum cake; unfortunately for my stomach I would get sick before that happens. So I will eat a couple pieces daily but will not have any other sweet sensations.
4. Eat before attending Holiday Parties - Going to a holiday party hungry will only make you want to overindulge not only in sweets but also alcohol. By eating a healthy snack before you go to an event you will be less tempted to over eat.
5. Its only 3 to 4 days- Remember that the holidays themselves, which are really only three to four days, are the special occasions where you can give yourself permission to treat yourself. Don’t mistake the “holidays” for 3 months and think you get a free pass til January.
6. Cut Back Where you Can At Other Meals- People usually will consume way too many calories around the holiday in snacks, sweets and alcohol. To the tune of close to 7,000 calories a day and not even realize. Its simple math, 7,000 calories = 2lbs. Try making small calorie cutbacks at each meal. For example a slice of pecan pie (avg. 500 calories). For some of us this is desert and it may be 2 pieces. We haven’t even added in the calories of the meal itself. If you know you want to enjoy that pie after dinners lose the gravy on the potatoes. Think about it.

For more information and strategies on creating a Healthier Holiday give us a call  314.286.0525.

- Bake McBride

Exercise Specialist​