How to Combat Holiday Weight Gain

Peep the use of the word “combat”—it is an all-out war out there. Trying to fight the cookies, cakes, pot roasts, and all of the other irresistible holiday goodies that this time of year brings is a professional sport.

Having a good time during the holidays is tradition, and for many, not a willing sacrifice. So instead of pretending we’ll be better this year, or not enjoy that dessert or cocktails, let’s come up with a plan to balance out the effects. Ready?

Getting Started

Okay, this might seem like the kiss of death in having a tasty holiday season. Trust me, though. It helps on the accountability front.

Take note of your weight, measurements, and body fat (optional),  if possible, before the madness begins. This is for no reason other than to know where you started. It can serve as the foundation of strength when you feel the inkling to go for that extra serving.

If you’re okay with putting on some weight during the holidays, it provides an excellent place to understand what you’ll allow. If you set a goal or limit, you’ll stress less about indulging when you want and be less likely to throw caution to the wind the rest of the time.

Stick with Your Favorites

Plan your indulgences. For example, if you know someone makes a specific dish that you love every year, hold out for that one. Don’t try every store-bought version at every party. Try not to sample things for the sake of sampling.

Reserving yourself for specific dishes can also help you to savor them, and perhaps enjoy them even more.

Don’t Hang Around the Food

This one is hard for two reasons. One, because socially, people tend to gravitate toward the food. Second, because of food. Who doesn’t love a good holiday spread? One of the quickest ways to cut back is to step back.

Try migrating others away from the food table with you for support. Before you know it, you’ll be passing on the things you don’t want to eat that bad.

Compensate with Water

We all do damage during the holidays, that is a fact. Damage to our wallets, damage to our diets, and damage to our guts. Make sure your body’s bacteria and overall composition stay healthy by flushing as many toxins as possible with water.

If eating treats or consuming alcohol, double your water intake for a solid fight against the bad stuff.

Eat the Other Good Stuff Too

A mistake we all make too often is thinking that if we took in the calories eating the less than diet-worthy goods, then we should stop there. Don’t fall into this trap. Forget counting calories—make sure you’re taking in nutrients in addition to the yummy stuff.

It’s never a bad idea to add some greens, veggies, or fiber. Consuming nutritious foods with the not-so-nutritious is a fair hack to keeping the effects in check.

Don’t Stress!

This one might seem like a joke because the holidays are a stress storm with a Santa hat on. But the truth is that stress can literally cause you to gain weight.

Besides creating the tendency to lean on treats for a momentary endorphin rush, stress can cause your body to release the stress hormone cortisol.

Try your best to limit stress, and surrender to what you can’t control.

We know the holidays are a hard one, GR8 Fam, but we believe in you. Combat holiday weight gain by employing any of these techniques.