Holiday Weight Gain

I’m sure I speak for all of you when I say: I love the holidays. Seriously, what’s not to love? There’s tons of parties, days off work, visits from family and friends, and endless food and drinks. Who doesn’t love those things?

Unfortunately, as we all know, those things usually come at a price. That price can be weight gain. I mean, on Thanksgiving alone the average person eats 4,500 calories. That’s pretty unbelievable isn’t it? Unbelievable..and awesome (only because the food is so good..might be worth it).

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you though. Everyone knows Thanksgiving and the holiday season in general equals increased calorie intake. It seems everyone tries to prevent weight gain, but wants to participate in the holidays. I know I do!

When it comes to the holidays, in my opinion, it’s best to concentrate on not gaining weight instead of losing. For me personally, I don’t think this time of year is a realistic time to try and lose weight (So much for Jillian’s Ripped in 30). I mean, if you do, good for you! I’m just not counting on it.

That being said, I don’t want to gain weight either. If I maintained my weight over the next few months, that would be great! Here are a couple ways I’m going to try and maintain my weight over the holidays:

• Portion Control- I think I need to apply this to everyday life, not just the holidays. I’m usually pretty good about portions, but when I’ve had a few drinks in me…things can get bad fast (I mean, things get awesome….but when it comes to food..bad..very bad.). This season I’m going to try and keep the portions minimal. I think I did a pretty good job at Thanksgiving (especially compared to my husband’s plate), but it’s something I’ll keep in mind over Christmas.
• Choose Wisely At Parties–  I remember I went to this Christmas party a couple years back and they had this amazing polenta with cherries and cheese. It was kind of heavy but it had the best flavor. It seems most holiday parties always have the best food (maybe it’s because I’ve been drinking). Oh the desserts are almost worth gaining weight for….and the drinks. Champagne anyone? Okay, going on a tangent. This year when I go to parties, I’m going to try to stick to foods high in protein like shrimp cocktail. I’ll also make an effort to linger around the vegetable tray. Dipping broccoli in a tub of ranch does not count though! 🙂
• Don’t Show Up On An Empty Stomach- For me, this is my problem Thanksgiving day. By the time dinner rolls around, I’m starving so I load my plate up (something tells me I’m not the only one). It makes a world of difference not being hungry when you show up to a party. The good conversation will actually distract you from the food…not your growling stomach. It’s kind of like going to the grocery store starving: never a good idea!
• Exercise- I feel like this is huge during the holidays because you might just eat too much at a party or have a few cocktails and that’s fine. If you can get out and move though, it will definitely help with slashing some of those extra calories.
• Have Fun!– The holiday’s come once a year. It’s such a great time to be with family and friends the most important thing is not to get too overwhelmed with weight gain. Have some drinks, eat a little pie, and enjoy yourself!

 

Just remember that your hard work hasn’t gone down the toilet just because of one (or 5) indulgent days. You can always get yourself back on track! Tomorrow’s a new day or even if you splurged at 1 meal, you still have the rest of the day to eat healthy.

 

On a totally unrelated note (well, not totally) anyone participating in Cyber Monday? I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve actually heard of Cyber Monday. Since I didn’t participate in Black Friday, I might just have to do some shopping. My problem is sticking to other people…there’s too many distractions (aka things I want) on the internet, it’s not safe out there!

Amazon has some great deals on food and coffee like Pumpkin Spice coffee for the Keurig (which is really yummy). They also have Coconut Oil on sale (which can normally be pricey), KIND Bars  (I think I’m going to order some, can’t find them here), Organic Chia Seeds, Amazing Grass Green SuperFood (actually a really good deal, this stuff is expensive), and Raw Maca Powder.

If you have pets, they also have some good organic dog and cat treats on sale. I actually need to get off Amazon now because the more I search, the more things I want. I really like shopping.

 

Are you participating in Cyber Monday? Do you worry about weight gain over the holidays?