Tips For Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Holidays should be about enjoying time with those we love and celebrating and being thankful for the gift of life. Holiday weight gain is not something that we should spend time worrying about, but I know it is something that adds a lot of stress to our already FULL plates! To avoid the stress that surrounds food and to truly enjoy your holidays this year without letting food control you or make you miserable, try out one, a few, or all of the following tips this holiday season!

1. Remove the “All-or-Nothing” mentality.

This tip is number one for a reason, having the mentality that it's either “All or Nothing”, really creates room for failure. The holidays should be a time of enjoying family, friends, and all the goodies and treats that come along with that, in moderation. This tip really goes for ANY day of the year, not just holidays. Ridding your mind of this type of mentality makes room for some discipline, but also leaves room for the important things in life as well. You can eat better and make better choices, without being so strict that you're miserable, and vice versa, you can enjoy yourself without overdoing it and feeling guilty and miserable afterwards!

2. Activity

Getting in a quick walk or workout prior to eating breakfast is a great way to start out your holiday. Not only does it help get you in the right mindset for the day but it also kick-starts your metabolism.

Post meal walks are also a good strategy to add in on holidays, this helps to decrease blood sugar levels and helps get your metabolism moving as well. It is also a great way to clear your mind or spend some extra time with loved ones without the distraction of electronics.

3. Protein

Even on holidays, protein is still the most important macronutrient, so starting your day with an adequate amount of protein is an important step. I recommend starting the day with the majority of your breakfast coming from a protein source. A good high protein breakfast would be an egg white omelet or a protein smoothie.

Next, following your “hand-size” portion guide, I recommend eating a minimum of 1 palm sized portion of protein with every plate at each holiday meal. On top of this, I also recommend trying to finish the protein portion of your meal first. Making sure to keep protein a priority, even on the holidays, is a great way to make sure you don’t fall off track.

4. Portions

Protein portions have already been covered but to reiterate, 1 palm sized portion of protein per plate is the recommended amount. As far as sides and desserts go I prefer to limit that to 1 “cupped” hand. Sides should be limited to 2-3 sides per plate, keeping the cupped hand portion, and I recommend keeping at least one of your sides as a vegetable. Dessert should follow the same hand portion, but if you are someone who likes variety I recommend halfing this and then adding something else of the same portion size to your dessert plate. On top of these two strategies, I also like to add that if you are someone who wants another serving of desserts but doesn't want to feel guilty, try going back for a second serving of your protein source and then go on for a second serving of dessert if you are still hungry.

5. Hydrate

Hydration, like protein, is still an important aspect of our nutrition protocol, even on holidays. Having a large glass of water immediately upon waking up is an excellent way to start your holiday off on the right foot. Follow this up by continuing to stay hydrated throughout the day, and try to avoid having a huge glass of water right before eating like some may suggest. This tends to have a negative effect on your gut and metabolism. So just take sips of water between meals and keep your gut hydrated through the day by getting in 70-100 oz. of water, this will keep your gut hydrated and keep it balanced and moving!

No matter what strategy or strategies you decide to try out, go into the holidays with a PLAN. Decide what you are going to stick to, figure out what you need AHEAD of time to stick to that plan, and then execute that plan when the time comes. Realize that you and your goals are worth it, and you CAN socialize and enjoy the holiday with family and friends around food, without being controlled by it!