The holiday season is officially ‘on’ and in full swing! Can you believe that 2021 is almost over?!
This time of the year is very often a big downfall for those who have big health and fitness goals even under normal circumstances; let alone in 2021 when the whole year has still been a serious case of emotional eating and makeshift home workouts.
In fact, Dr. John Morton, medical director of bariatric surgery at Yale says he has seen patients gaining upwards to 30lbs over the last two years alone. For most of us who are still working from home, with those AMAZINGLY delicious comfort food recipes, and eating our anxiety away PLUS the gyms and personal training studios have been closed for months… It’s no wonder!
With this time of the year being responsible for people putting on 15lbs+, it is understandable to see so many stressing about this holiday season. It is also important to note that another big issue with holiday weight gain is that many people struggle to lose that weight once the holiday season is over, which it is speculated that the season can be one of the reasons for increased body weight over the years.
We know how the Holidays can add to your already stressful life… Stopping holiday weight gain this year may be harder than the years past but definitely not impossible!
NOW is a great opportunity to assess your current lifestyle and health! Whatever your weight or fitness goals are, we are here to support you, motivate you, and hold you accountable. Pandemic or not! Let’s continue going into the holiday season with an unbreakable mindset because:
We know you have it in you!
So, today we are going to be sharing with you our top 7 tips to minimize the holiday season (and the months after that) weight gain:
1 - Keep a routine
During the holiday season everything feels a bit out of sorts and your routine can feel off. From our experience as workout enthusiasts and (fitness and nutrition) coaches, we have noticed that when the routine is off, the first thing to go is healthy habits like eating nutrient-dense foods and exercising. By sticking to some kind of routine, even if you reduce the amount of time you exercise, it will still give you a feeling of accomplishment and control.
2 - Don’t go to a family or friend gathering hungry
There isn’t a more DEFINITE way to overeat than to show up to a holiday gathering (or any social gathering, really) hungry! We have seen and heard it so many times and we can definitely see a huge difference in the amount people eat and in the choices they make when they have a little snack before heading out to the get-together.
This is important because time flies when you’re having fun right? Sometimes you may not even be aware of how MUCH you’re eating when you’re standing next to a delicious food table and your laughing & snacking away. So if you’re not careful, you’ll be having such a great time, you’ll overindulge! The best tip we can give you is to remember your WHY. Why you are choosing a healthier lifestyle. Because remember.. Your satisfaction & achievement will outweigh the temporary feeling of indulgence at any social party or gathering!
3 - Fill your plate with protein and vegetables
We know this is an old trick, but it has made the list because it works! Not only does protein help you feel fuller longer and helps maintain lean muscle mass, but eating protein first actually burns more calories. Vegetables are rich in fiber, which also helps you feel fuller for longer… unlike sugar-rich and processed foods. Btw, we don’t have anything against processed and sugary foods, as long as they are consumed in moderation.
A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine suggests if you aim to eat fiber each day, it can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and improve your body’s response to insulin just as effectively as a more complicated diet- Which eating healthier just sounds so much easier!
4 - Just say NO
If you are trying to be a bit more mindful of how much you are eating, and aunt Mary won’t leave you alone offering you seconds… there is no problem with saying no. Ultimately, it is your body and your choices…especially if you are already full. Trust us, after you get over the first hurdle of saying no, you will feel immense power!
5 - Don’t suffer from “Flat Tire Syndrome”
The biggest problem with holiday season weight gain is the flat tire syndrome. The “what syndrome” we hear you ask?
Picture this, you are leaving work for the day and arrive at your car only to discover one of the tires is flat. Since one tire is flat, would you go around the car and slash all the other tires to make them all flat? Of course not, that would only make your situation much worse than it already is currently. The same it true for a healthy diet. When you make a poor choice (eating the entire sleeve of cookies), it doesn’t help to give into an inner voice telling you that you already blew it, so you might as well eat the rest of the package. NO! A better approach is to write off the one sleeve of cookies, put away whatever is tempting you, and choose another activity. Making a mindful choice to stop what you are doing and make a change, is a step in a direction that will build your confidence and make you proud of yourself. Each meal and each day and time is a fresh start.
6 - Don’t use exercise as an excuse to eat all the food
Most people grossly overestimate how many calories their exercise routine has burned, and underestimate the number of calories they actually eat.
Holiday Fun Fact: It is estimated the average person eats 5373 calories on Christmas day.
Just to put this into perspective an hour of jogging burns approximately 400 calories, so you would need to jog for a whopping 13 hours to match the caloric intake of your Christmas feast. Umm… no thanks!
It is also important to note that using exercise as a form of ‘’punishment’ for the food you have eaten or will eat can make you develop a very unhealthy relationship with food.
7 - Pay attention to these calories
Calories from beverages are incredibly sneaky, and they can increase your daily calorie intake significantly if you don’t pay attention to them. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to consume upwards of 1000 calories a day from liquids in addition to food.
Also, it is important to understand that alcohol has calories. Very often we see recommendations on mixers for alcohol and it is important to understand that alcohol itself has calories (7Kcal per gram). So, even if you use a calorie-free mixer like soda water, it does not mean that the drink is calorie-free. It just means that you are not consuming even MORE calories from a sugary mixer.
These tips are our favorite and most actionable ones, but we do think it is important to understand that if you have one meal that has a bit more calories in it, it won’t ruin your weight loss & health journey, the same way that eating one healthy meal won’t make you lose 10 lbs. So, if you have been consistent with your workouts and your Nutrition you shouldn’t be stressing about it too much!
We hope these 7 tips help! If you have any questions, shoot us an email to info@recouppersonaltraining.com and we will be happy to answers them!
