How to Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain This Year
Posted: December 10, 2016 | By: Rocio Ramos
If you haven’t already been swarmed with candy, cookies, and holiday treat boxes, you’re one of the lucky ones. The holiday season is a first-class trip down to Sweetsville, U.S.A. and saying no to these indulgences can be nearly impossible; even the strongest, myself included, crumble. So, what do we do? Accept our fate? Take in every gingerbread cookie and fudge square offered to us and once again allow the holiday weight gain to takeover. Then what? Hit the gym hard and start another diet come January 1st? I don’t know about you, but having to constantly diet at the beginning of the year to make up for 2 months of bad eating isn’t my favorite way to start the new year. While a couple of pounds won’t completely set you back, it’s those 5-10 pounds of holiday weight that are tough to take off, especially as you get older.
Over the years, I’ve become much better at not allowing myself to go overboard during the holidays. It’s taken a lot of will power, awareness and practice. However, with a few simple and mindful guidelines, everyone can enjoy the holidays and not have regrets come January 1st.
Here are some tips that can help you avoid the holiday weight gain this year:
- Load up on protein at holiday parties, especially if you’ll be enjoying a few sugary (aka carbohydrate-filled) drinks or cocktails. Protein will fill you up and help prevent you from snacking on more high-carb, unwanted snacks. Additionally, you can also support your blood sugar levels when indulging in sugary foods by taking Slender FX™ Sweet-EZE™ with your meals.
- Drink plenty of water to avoid snacking. Sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day, but also take a big drink of water before heading to the snack table.
- Look for healthier options at the snack table. Try treats made with real fruits, nuts, or natural sweeteners like maple and honey. Also, remember dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and a much better choice on the chocolate spectrum. Share some Triple Treat™ Chocolates at your next holiday party!
- Stick to your exercise routine! The only thing worse than eating all those sweets your coworkers brought in, is skipping the gym because the sugar crash made you sluggish. Even if you’re not hitting your exercise routine at 100%, just moving around and sweating a bit is much better than skipping out completely.
- Bring your own healthy treats to parties. Trust me, I’ve been that person who ruins all the fun at Christmas and New Year’s Eve by bringing some grain-free dish to the party. However, I also know that almost every person who has had treats like these Chocolate “Peanut Butter” Cookie Bars has loved them.
- Be ok with saying no. This can be hard for many people to accept, but guess what; you don’t have to take every cookie, brownie, and peppermint bark that’s offered to you. Trust me, if you’ve had one gingerbread cookie, you’ve had them all.
Still, the most important thing you can do over the holidays is to stay focused and accept the difficulty of the holidays. Accept that the holidays are hard on any lifestyle, but you can still do your best to incorporate the healthy habits you’ve already established. It’s a tough balance, but practice makes perfect. Don’t allow holiday parties and the treats flooding the break room to set you back. Allow some indulgence while continuing to focus on your overall goals. The best way to ensure 2017 has a great start is to make sure you end 2016 right!
Prevention is the key!
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