11 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
Many people trying to avoid holiday weight gain end up doing exactly what they shouldn’t: being overly restrictive during the most festive time of year.
While their intentions to prevent weight gain (and perhaps shed a few pounds in the meantime) are good, being overly restrictive with food can backfire, especially during the holidays when we’re faced with indulgent holiday meals, festivities, and higher-than-normal stress levels.
The keys to avoiding unwanted weight gain this time of year: Strive for balance and moderation when it makes sense.
But also try not to abandon your healthy habits altogether, like drinking Shakeology and making time for your BODi workouts.
You’ve worked too hard all year to just give up now and “restart” in the new year.
Try implementing some of these simple strategies to make the hectic holiday months a bit more balanced.
1. Stick With Your Healthy Habits During the Week
Don’t get caught up in the holiday bustle and let your regular meal planning or workout routine fall to the wayside.
Keep eating nutritious meals in the proper portions and exercise into your usual workweek, when your schedule is more structured.
This strategy will give you a little more wiggle room for indulging or kicking back and relaxing a bit on the weekend.
Drinking your daily Shakeology is an easy way to stick to your healthy routine, and it can help keep holiday cravings at bay.
Pro tip: Check out these tasty holiday Shakeology recipes!
2. Go Booze-Free Sunday Through Thursday
If a glass of wine, craft beer, or cocktail is part of your evening ritual, consider doing without your nightly drink during the holiday season.
Like soda, alcohol is a source of empty calories and, over the course of a month or so, those nightcap calories really add up.
If you want to avoid holiday weight gain, save your alcohol calories for festivities with friends or family on the weekend; just make sure to drink in moderation — and try out these lower-calorie cocktail recipes.
3. Select a Smaller Plate
Research shows that the bigger the plate we take, the bigger the portion we put on it.
One study, in particular, found that Chinese buffet diners with large plates served 52 percent more, ate 45 percent more, and wasted 135 percent more food than those with smaller plates.
Nine-inch plates (versus 12-inch dinner plates) make normal portions look more filling, but go too small though and you’ll be more inclined to go back for seconds.
The takeaway this season?
Pass by those oversized dinner plates and undersized appetizer dishes at holiday parties and go for a more moderate-sized salad plate instead.
4. Portion Out Holiday Meals
We all know eating directly from the package is an invitation to over-consume, but the same goes for oversized bowls of chips, dips, and appetizer platters at parties.
Instead of grabbing directly from the table at a holiday gathering, take a salad-sized plate and serve yourself a moderate-sized portion of a few of your favorite party foods.
5. Eat Only the Foods You Love
You’ve only got so much space on your plate, so don’t fill it with foods you feel lukewarm about.
If you’re going to indulge in one serving of high-calorie finger foods at a party, go for the ones that will bring you the most enjoyment; just strive to keep the amount modest and be mindful while you eat.
Seasonal treats — such as homemade holiday meals, decadent desserts, and cocktails — aren’t truly enjoyable if they just leave you feeling regretful afterward.
So, if you’re going to torture yourself after you eat a treat, maybe reconsider it.
But if you’re going to allow yourself a cheat, savor it, accept it, and then move on.
6. Put Off Pre-Dinner Drinks
Not only is alcohol a sneaky source of empty calories, but research also suggests it makes us more inclined to overeat.
Alcohol appears to sensitize the brain’s response to food aromas, which can lead us to eat more.
Just a couple of drinks before a meal may increase your food consumption, so, if you’re headed for a party, go with one or two drinks after dinner instead.
That way, you’ll be less likely to overeat and you get the added benefit of having some food in your stomach to slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
7. Schedule One Active Event for Every Holiday Celebration on Your Calendar
Play active games with the kids, go on a family hike, or press play on a BODi workout before the party begins!
It’s a great way to burn some calories and spend quality time together.
8. Sign Up for a Run, Walk, or Ride — and Train With Friends
No matter what way you enjoy being active, there are lots of fun races happening during the holidays.
New Year’s Day races are a great way to stay motivated since you’ll have to train during the hectic holiday season.
Plus, you’re less likely to blow it out at a party the night before!
Encourage friends and family members to get involved for added fun and motivation.
Follow these tips to train for a 5K race!
9. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation not only messes with your mind, but also makes you feel hungrier, too.
When deprived of sleep, the body produces more ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” that increases your desire to eat.
It’s not always easy to do but, by getting enough sleep, your body will be better at regulating hunger and you’ll be less likely to overeat.
10. Bring Your Favorite Healthy(ish) Dish to Parties
To make sure you’ll have a healthier option you enjoy at holiday gatherings, bring your own dish to share.
Wow guests with cheesy, easy-to-eat cauliflower nachos or breadsticks, or bake up a dish of this eggplant parm for a simple, serve-yourself appetizer.
If you want to watch a professional chef remake holiday favorites, such as beef tenderloin, sweet potato casserole, and festive cocktails, into healthier dishes, check out FIXATE, a cooking show created by Portion Fix creator and Super Trainer Autumn Calabrese and her brother, chef Bobby Calabrese.
11. Get a Jump Start on Next Year’s Health Goals
To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, you need to make sustainable, healthy choices so frequently that they turn into habits.
The sooner you get started, the better off you’ll be — and the less overwhelming those New Year’s resolutions to slim down and shape up will feel.
The key here is not meeting the goal of weight loss during the holidays, but rather making small, specific changes that can have a big impact over time.
Try replacing soda with water at mealtimes, planning two healthy meals for the week every Sunday, or scheduling an at-home strength training session for 30 minutes three days per week.
Avoiding holiday weight gain isn’t easy, but it’s also not as hard as you may think. Put these strategies into practice and enjoy the holidays with friends and family.
If come January 1, you’re still hovering around your current weight, consider that a win!