5 Holiday Weight Loss Tips and Your Reality Checks

Finding it nearly impossible to stay conscious and conflicted about weight and nutrition on vacation? Of course yes. More than half of all Americans are overweight – you are not alone.

However, a new government study might give you a glimmer of hope: The study shows that Americans only earn about a pound during the holidays. The study found that the people who participated were influenced by two main factors during the holidays: the level of hunger and the level of activity. In other words: Those who reported being less active or hungrier during the holidays had the most weight gain.

So common sense says, if you can focus on dealing with those two things, you’ll probably win your personal battle to lose weight at parties. At the very least, you will gain if you don’t add more weight to what is already waiting to be removed.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of weight gain,” says Dr. Samuel Klein, Director of the Washington University Center for Human Nutrition in St. Louis, MO. “Avoiding weight gain is much easier and better than gaining weight and then trying to lose weight.”

So the answer seems simple: eat less and exercise more. The reality of the implementation, of course, is much more difficult.

The good news is that most people overestimate the amount of weight they have gained on vacation. Less than 10% gain 5 pounds or more.

The bad news is: the small amount of weight gained is never lost. One pound of weight gain is a fairly small amount, but since it is generally not lost again, the weight accumulates over time, leading to obesity.

Now we all know that there are tons of tips about this time of year, designed to help us avoid gaining that extra pound or two while on vacation. Unfortunately, what is generally not talked about is: The reality of stress and the daily situations of the holidays. Let’s explore the tips … along with their reality checks … in depth:

Weight Loss Tip 1: Stay Active. The best thing to do is try to stick to your normal schedule and routine.

Christmas Reality Check: It’s hard enough to have some kind of decent routine in the busy months of November and December. Busy people tend to sacrifice yoga classes, long walks, and gym visits because they need time for extra things like decorating the house, cooking, cleaning before visitors arrive, and of course, shopping.

The good news: Walking around the mall and shops is great exercise, as is cleaning the house. In addition to those activities, the decoration can also be quite intensive: you are going up and down to hang things; lift, load and drag boxes out of storage; fold, twist and turn to make everything look perfect. So don’t beat yourself up for not going to the gym … you’re doing a lot of activity and everything helps!

Weight Loss Tip 2: Don’t let yourself get too hungry. If you go to a party and starve, everything will look even more delicious than usual. And of course, you will eat a lot more for that. Try to start each day with a good, solid breakfast, especially something with protein. And when you’re at the party, try chewing on the veggies to make you feel full. These two things will help keep your hunger in check, and in turn, help you refrain from “gorging yourself” on anything you see just because you’re hungry.

Christmas Reality Check: We are all very busy during the holidays and it is not always possible to remember to eat, let alone eat well, especially in the morning when we have already fallen asleep and are now late for everything. And eating healthy at a party isn’t always possible either: not everyone in this country serves vegetable dishes, salads, or fruit bowls. Sometimes the only thing on the site is rubbish: chips, candy, and cookies.

Here’s a suggestion: Try bringing your own vegetable plate to a party where you know one won’t be available. A quick and easy way to do this is to simply buy a bag or two of pre-cut veggies and a ranch-style salad dressing. Alternatively, eat a decent meal before going to the party. Don’t overdo it, but don’t make it a light snack either. Eating first will help you ‘nibble’ a bit on the worst Christmas treats on offer.

Weight Loss Tip 3: Stay Away From Food. Literally. Just stay away from the buffet table, snacks, or treats … and you’ll be fine.

Christmas Reality Check: In most cases, food is everywhere. And even if it’s not right in front of your face, you sure can smell it! Trying to just “stay away from it” is quite unrealistic and may seem like torture to some of us. And for most people: when you can’t have something, you want it even more. So trying to stay away from food will likely only cause you to overindulge worse than it would have otherwise.

Try this instead: Allow yourself what you want. But with a catch. First: take only half the amount you normally would. And take only one meal. Eat it and enjoy it without guilt. Then wait a full 20-30 minutes before getting anything else. Then repeat the process: one item, half the serving size as you normally would, enjoy it without feeling guilty, then wait before you get something else.

Allowing yourself to eat removes the “I can’t have it (and therefore I’m more determined to have it)” mentality. It allows you to enjoy good food and holidays, without punishing yourself. This is healthy and can help enormously with the way you view food and eating in general. However, taking just half will help you avoid as many calories, fat, sugar, or other bad things that you normally avoid. And then waiting 20-30 minutes before getting anything else will help your body figure out when you’ve had enough … or too much. Therefore, you are much less likely to overdo things and feel physically bad later.

Weight Loss Tip 4: Wear cloths that are slightly snug. This should help you feel full faster and prevent you from eating too much food.

Christmas Reality Check: We want to wear looser clothes because we can’t wait to eat all that great food! Yes, wearing something tight can help us never come back for a second helping of potatoes … or it could ruin our favorite outfit.

In the end, how you approach this advice is up to you and only you. Make your decision and be happy with it.

Weight Loss Tip 5: Keep portions small. Try to eat salads and greens, and have only small amounts of anything else.

Holiday Reality Check: Taking just a small amount of anything will put you in the no-have state of mind that was mentioned above. You will feel as if you cannot have something and you will want it even more.

Instead, try the tip outlined above: take half the size you would normally take. Trying to eat just one small bite of cake will whet your appetite for more, but having a whole piece is a bit of a stretch, especially if there are 5 different cakes for you to try. Instead, try actual sampling: cut a piece half the normal size. This allows you to have a “full slice” and more than several small bites. Then wait about 20 minutes before you go and try the next cake. Even if you end up eating a little of the 5 cakes, by having a serving of half of each, you have drastically reduced the amount of calories, carbohydrates and sugars compared to what you would have consumed with whole slices. And you will still feel full and satiated, rather than deprived and resentful.

So there you have it: 5 different and common tips for weight loss and eating during the holidays, followed by the reality check of each, and a suggested compromise that should help you enjoy the holidays to the fullest, without depriving yourself. of the excellent food that we all see. forward to.

Whatever you decide to do, remember to have Happy Holidays!

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