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November 23, 2021

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain – Part 1

Avoiding holiday weight gain…how many pounds do you gain over the holidays? It’s almost unavoidable with all the events going on. So many parties and gatherings. Guess what…there are things you can do to avoid the weight gain.

This will be a 4 part series with 5 tips in each video!

Tip #1: Be Active With Your Family

It is easy to be sitting on the couch during the holidays. I get it…we love to watch football on Thanksgiving Day and lay around. Unfortunately, this is part of the reason we have a tendency to gain weight.

Get your family to get outside and go for a walk or hike, play some football, or whatever your family may want to do. Come up with some physical activities you can do together.

Even if you live in a colder climate (I used to, I grew up in WI), bundle up and go for a walk. This will help with digestion, get you moving, and it’s great to connect with mother nature anyway.

Tip #2: Snack Wisely

When you have easy access to snacks, it’s easy to overeat on unhealthy snacks. It’s easier at home as you can put these treats out of sight. However, when you’re at work or other people’s homes, it can be more tricky.

Being mindful (or paying attention) to what you are snacking on helps. Take an inventory of what you’re eating.

Instead of always grabbing the cookies and cakes, have fruits, veggies and nuts around to eat. Remember, we’re avoiding the holiday weight gain of 5-7 pounds.

It seems we always have more snacks and treats this time of year. It’s also OK to get rid of snacks that you know you don’t want to overeat on.

Thankfully I’m not much of a baker (quite honestly, I’m kind of lazy when it comes to this). Twice a year I do make us a small pan of brownies and there are times when I will find the brownies in the trash.

We didn’t eat them “fast” enough for my husband so it is time to get rid of them. (Smack on the forehead on this one).

Tip #3: Watch Portion Sizes

With the holidays, it’s so easy to overeat and overload your plate because everything looks GREAT. One of the best tips is to make sure you use a smaller plate.

Also use smaller serving utensils to serve the food so it more effort to get the food on your plate. Smaller plate, smaller serving utensils = less food.

At a party? Look over all of your food choices first and then select which foods you really want to eat. You really don’t have to try everything. Pick the top 5-6 items you really want to try.

Maybe try things you typically don’t get to eat. We all get cheese and crackers…try a different appetizer!

Tip #4: Practice Mindful Eating

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, but what is mindful eating.

This is where you stop the distractions and pay attention to your eating and listen to your body. Put down the cell phone, or laptop. Avoid always eating in front of the tv or eating out of a bag (like chips, popcorn etc).

When you sit down and listen to your body, you’ll feel when you are getting full. You actually want to stop eating when your body is comfortable.

That’s actually another video. Be on the look out for that one!

Make the time to be able to sit down and enjoy your meal.

Again, remember, let’s avoid the holiday weight gain over the holidays.

Tip #5: Get Plenty of Sleep

Yes, it’s the holidays and there are a ton of things to do, so people have a tendency to put sleep aside. First, what can you say “no” to? Do you have to say “yes” to everything you get asked to do over the holidays?

It really is ok to say no and lighten your load over the holidays.

People who do not get enough sleep have a tendency to be hungrier, consume more calories, and not get enough exercise. Sleep deprivation may increase your hunger hormones, ultimately leading to higher calorie intake.

Inadequate sleep has also been linked to lower metabolism. This may be caused by alterations in your circadian rhythm. Make sure you get plenty of sleep each night.

I hope you enjoyed these tips. Be on the lookout for the next set of tips next week! If you are tired of gaining those extra pounds over the holidays, are motivated, yet want accountability for your exercise, let’s connect.

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Comment below or message me! Have a great day everybody!