How To Avoid Gaining Weight This Holiday Season
Many people are fearful of gaining weight, especially during the holiday season. During the holidays, there is inclement weather and people spend more time indoors with family and friends gathered around food and desserts galore. Though it is normal to gain weight during the holiday season, it is also normal to want to maintain your weight. I will give you tips that will help maintain your weight and help from overindulging during the holidays. I personally followed all of these goals for myself last year during my weightloss journey and actually lost weight during the holidays. If you follow these tips, you will be able to indulge in the things you love, while not gaining weight this holiday season.
Tip #1: Get your steps in!
Movement helps you lose weight, and walking is the simplest way to move. I am sure you have heard many times about aiming for 10,000 steps a day since fitness trackers became widely used. This movement aids in weight loss as it helps you make healthier choices and burns extra calories. Where 10,000 is a general benchmark, find what is right for you. If you are currently only walking 2,000 steps (thanks covid), then aim for 5,000 steps a day, and once you are consistently hitting that goal then increase it. In the same way, if you are getting 6,000 steps a day and want to maintain or lose weight, then aim for 10,000. The great thing about walking is people of all training levels can do it.
Walking is a form of LISS (low-intensity steady state). LISS is where you do a less intense exercise for longer periods of time. It burns fat in a way that running does not because of the oxygen available in the body during lower intensity training. LISS is also great as it does not stress the body. During the holiday season, there is already a ton of stress going around. Walking and not adding extra stress to the body will help you maintain your weight.
Make sure you get your movement in, whether it is a walk through the neighborhood, walking on a treadmill, or even having a 30 min dance party at home. The other great thing about walking is you can walk and talk! Give someone a phone call and catch up. Or, grab coffee with a girlfriend and take a walk. There are many ways to change up your walks throughout the week.
Tip #2: Eat protein-rich foods
Protein supports blood sugar, calms hunger hormones, and curbs sugar cravings. Making sure you have protein in each of your meals will help decrease any obsessive thoughts over food.
Start your days with a protein-rich breakfast. Some options can be eggs, a protein smoothie or protein oats. Starting the day with protein will set you out on the right foot and help you eat healthier throughout the day. I can easily tell a difference in my cravings and how hungry I am when I eat a protein-rich breakfast or a carb only breakfast. I am less hungry and don’t crave sweets when I have protein in the morning.
When going to a family dinner or buffet, focus on filling your plate with proteins and veggies first. Still eat your favorite foods, just focus on having a larger portion of protein and veggies and smaller portions of the less healthy foods. This will help you to not overindulge in the foods you love because you will have a good base of protein and greens.
For nights out or dinners out with friends where you know you will be eating unhealthy, eat a protein-rich snack before going out. Having a quick protein shake will slow the cravings and will help you eat less unhealthy or carb-heavy foods. It will also help the body handle the extra foods by regulating your blood sugar. Learn more about protein in this post.
Tip #3: Food alternatives
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With all of the sweets you will be making and eating this holiday season, begin to think of the alternatives you can use. Instead of sugar, you can use stevia or monk fruit sweetener. Both of these options will not spike your blood sugar in the way that sugar does and usually has little to no calories. You can also use flour substitutes, the ones I use most often are almond flour and oat flour.
For the regular dishes, mashed cauliflower is my favorite mashed potatoes alternative. I was never a huge mashed potato fan and didn’t like cauliflower, but mashed cauliflower is one of my favorite foods. All you have to do is steam the cauliflower, blend it up, and add salt and butter to taste. View the full recipe in our Thanksgiving post.
Tip #4: One sweet per day that satisfies you most
With holidays comes desserts, and it can be one of the things you look forward to. I want you to look forward to it and not fear it! I would never suggest cutting out sweets as it leads to binging. A goal I set for myself last year when I was trying to lose weight (and it overlapped the holidays) was to allow myself one sweet per day. I know that this sounds like a lot if you want to lose weight or are used to dieting, especially day after day. Some years, I would have multiple cookies or other desserts and it added up. By still allowing myself to have a dessert, I was satisfied and happy with my decision to align with my goals. There will be days where you won’t want one, and hopefully, you will have some healthier alternative desserts with alternatives listed above. With this new goal of one dessert a day, pick your favorite that you will get the most satisfaction from. The goal is to not overindulge every time you see sweets, but to instead allow yourself to eat sweets in moderation.
Tip #5: Continue getting your workouts in (even if it is only 15 minutes!)
Just like getting your walks in, continue to get your workouts in. We tend to be busier during the holiday season, but there is still time to fit in short workouts. Working out will keep your body and metabolism in shape through the holidays. Continuing to build on your lean muscles will help you burn calories throughout the day. If you are home with family, do a quick workout with them. When I am home for holidays or special events, I always make sure to workout with my mom a few times to keep us both on track for our goals.
Set goals to not gain weight this holiday season
The main thing with this holiday season is to figure out ways to stay on track with your goals. Though your normal goals may be hard to hit with the new craziness that the holidays bring, you can create new goals to get you through. It is easy to let go through the holidays and think, I will work towards my goals and dream starting on January 1st. But think about the change you can make for the positive in the two months leading up to the new year, versus the downsides of giving up on your goals at the holidays. In the end, it comes down to what is important to you and what steps you will take to get to where you want to be. If you don’t meet your goal this holiday season, do not be hard on yourself. The holiday season is about enjoying and being mindful. Enjoy, and make some healthy choices while you are at it!
Hi, my name is Cara! My personal journey with cancer and weight loss has led me to developing a passion for helping others with nutrition, fitness, and self care.
