How to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain
Moderation and Exercise; Walk or Run and Eat Only When Hungry
Regular exercise, like walking or running, coupled with moderate consumption of food and drinks can prevent holiday weight gain or even lead to a holiday weight loss.
Holiday Weight Gain
With Thanksgiving at the end of November followed by the December holidays, Christmas or Hanukah, most people need to make a New Year's resolution to lose the weight they gained. Instead of waiting until the New Year, resolve before the holiday season begins to not gain the weight. It sounds like an impossible dream, but with proper exercise and moderate eating it is possible to get through the season without the usual weight gain during the holiday. It is even possible to experience a holiday weight loss.
Research on Keeping off Pounds
We can gain some insight about preventing weight gain by looking at research on people who lose weight and keep it off permanently. There are a few things that people who keep the weight off have in common. They eat breakfast; they permanently moderate their eating habits; and they exercise. Let's apply these principles to preventing holiday weight gain.
Eating Breakfast
People who skip breakfast tend to gain the weight back because they spend most of the day hungry then gorge on lunch or dinner. Eat breakfast. Also apply this principle to holiday feasts and parties. Don't starve yourself beforehand to make up for all you will eat. Eat a little beforehand so that you are not ravenously hungry when you get there. If you are a little hungry, enjoy the family meal or the party treats. But moderation is important. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry.
Moderate Eating Habits
To control calories learn to eat in moderation. It is not a diet but rather a permanent change in eating habits that prevents gaining back lost weight and gaining holiday weight. The intuitive weight loss system provides a good way to eat in moderation. Eat whatever holiday treats you want and enjoy the large family meals, but only eat when you are actually hungry.
Listen to your body. When you no longer feel hungry, it is your body's way of telling you that you have consumed enough calories. So stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Apply this simple rule at both holiday events and at all other times. If you occasionally slip and eat too much at a party or dinner, don't worry about it. Just don't eat until you are hungry again. Don't slip too often.
Be aware of the calories in drinks. Both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks contain calories. Again moderation is important.
Exercise
People who permanently lose weight exercise. Typically about an hour a day. Walking is most frequently cited, but any good aerobic exercise will work. Just burn calories.
Just as walking and running are both excellent exercises for losing weight, they help prevent holiday weight gain. Other aerobic exercises are also good. If you have an adequate aerobic exercise program, continue it. If holiday activities keep you from attending your usual exercise session, substitute a walk, rather than skipping your exercise, that day.
If you do not already exercise, start now. Start with walking. For your first goal, try to build up to 10000 steps per day. Regular exercise is a crucial component of any plan to prevent weight gain. Research shows that few people who permanently lose weight do so without exercise. Exercise will also improve your overall health and fitness.
Exercise regularly. Eat and drink in moderation. Avoid or minimize holiday weight gain. Better yet try for a holiday weight loss.
