5 Holiday Weight Loss Tips and Their Reality Checks

Website design By BotEap.comDo you find it almost impossible to stay conscious and controversial about weight and nutrition during the holidays? Of course yes. More than half of all Americans are overweight – you’re not alone.

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

Website design By BotEap.comSo common sense says: If you can focus on dealing with those two things, you’ll probably win your personal holiday weight loss battle. At a minimum, you’ll win by not adding more weight to what’s already waiting to be thrown around.

Website design By BotEap.com“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. “Preventing weight gain is much easier and better than gaining weight and then trying to lose it.”

Website design By BotEap.comSo the answer seems simple: eat less and exercise more. The reality of implementation, of course, is much more difficult.

Website design By BotEap.comThe good news is that most people overestimate how much weight they gained over the holidays. Less than 10% gain 5 pounds or more.

Website design By BotEap.comThe bad news is that the small amount of weight gained is never lost. A pound of weight gain is a fairly small amount, but since you usually don’t lose it back: the weight accumulates over time and becomes obesity.

Website design By BotEap.comNow we all know that there are loads of tips around this time of year, designed to help us avoid gaining that extra pound or two during the holidays. Unfortunately, what is often not talked about is: The reality of stress and everyday Christmas situations. Let’s explore the tips…along with their reality checks…in depth:

Website design By BotEap.comWeight loss tip 1: Stay active. The best thing you can do is try to stick to your normal schedule and routine.

Website design By BotEap.comHoliday Reality Check: It’s pretty hard to get into any kind of decent routine in the busy months of November and December. Busy people tend to sacrifice yoga classes, long walks, and visits to the gym because they need time for extra things like decorating the house, cooking, cleaning up before visitors arrive, and of course, shopping.

Website design By BotEap.comThe good news: Walking around the mall and stores is great exercise, as is cleaning the house. In addition to those activities, decorating can also get pretty intense: You’re going up and down to hang things; lift, drag and haul boxes out of storage; bending, twisting and turning to make everything look good. So don’t blame yourself for not being able to go to the gym… you’re getting a lot of activity and everything helps!

Website design By BotEap.comWeight Loss Tip #2: Don’t let yourself get too hungry. If you go to a party and you’re starving, everything will seem even tastier than normal. And of course, you will eat much more thanks to it. Try to start each day with a good, solid breakfast, especially something with protein. And when you’re at the party, try eating vegetables to help keep you feeling full. These two things will help keep your hunger in check and, in turn, help you refrain from “gorging” on anything you see just because you’re hungry.

Website design By BotEap.comChristmas reality check: We’re all very busy during the holidays, and it’s not always possible to remember to eat, let alone eat right, especially in the morning when we may have already fallen asleep and be late for everything. And eating healthy at a party is also not always possible: not everyone in this country serves vegetable plates, salads or fruit bowls. Sometimes the only things on the site are junk: chips, candy, and cookies.

Website design By BotEap.comHere’s a suggestion: Try bringing your own vegetable platter 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 greens and some ranch salad dressing. Alternatively, eat a decent meal before you go to the party. Don’t overdo things, but don’t make it a light snack either. Eating first will help you ‘nibble’ a bit at the worst of the holiday treats on offer.

Website design By BotEap.comWeight loss tip 3: Stay away from food. Literally. Just stay away from the buffet table, the appetizers, or the treats…and you’ll be fine.

Website design By BotEap.comChristmas reality check: In most cases, food is everywhere. And even if it’s not right in front of your face, you can sure smell it! Trying to just “stay away from it” is quite unrealistic, and can seem like torture to some of us. And for most people: when you can’t have something, you want it even more. Therefore, trying to stay away from food will most likely make you overeat worse than you otherwise would have.

Website design By BotEap.comTry this instead: Allow yourself what you want. But cheating. First: take only half the amount you would normally take. And he only eats one food. Eat that 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 guilt-free, then wait before getting anything else.

Website design By BotEap.comAllowing yourself to eat eliminates the “I can’t have it (and therefore I’m more determined to have it)” mentality. It allows you to enjoy good food and the holidays, without punishing yourself. This is healthy and can help tremendously with the way you view food and eating in general. However, only taking half will help you not take in as many calories, fat, sugar, or other bad things that you normally avoid. And then waiting 20 to 30 minutes before getting something else will help your body realize when it’s had enough… or too much. So you’re much less likely to overdo things and feel physically awful later.

Website design By BotEap.comWeight loss tip #4: Wear clothes that are a little tight. This should help you feel full faster and prevent you from overeating.

Website design By BotEap.comHoliday Reality Check: We want to wear looser clothes because we can’t wait to eat all that great food! Yeah, wearing something tight could help keep us from going back for a second helping of fries…or it could ruin a favorite outfit.

Website design By BotEap.comIn the end, how you approach this tip is up to you and you alone. Make your decision and be happy with it.

Website design By BotEap.comWeight Loss Tip 5: Keep your portions small. Try to eat salad and vegetables, and eat only small amounts of anything else.

Website design By BotEap.comHoliday Reality Check: Taking just a “bite-sized” amount of anything will put you in the mindset of not having mentioned above. You will feel that you cannot have something, and you will want it even more.

Website design By BotEap.comTry the tip mentioned above: take half the size you would normally wear. Trying to eat just a small bite of cake will whet your appetite for more, but eating a whole piece is a bit of a stretch, especially if there are 5 different cakes to try. Instead, try actual sampling: cut a piece half the normal size. This allows you to have a “whole slice” and more than several small bites. He then waits about 20 minutes before going and trying the next cake. Even if you end up eating a bit of all 5 cakes, by having a slice half the size of each, you have drastically reduced the amount of calories, carbs, and sugars compared to what you would have consumed with whole slices. And you’ll still feel full and sated, rather than deprived and resentful.

Website design By BotEap.comSo 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 seek. forward to

Website design By BotEap.comWhatever you decide to do, remember to have Happy Holidays!