Did you know that the average American gains somewhere between 7-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas? That's 7-10 pounds in just a little over 4 weeks! While that number is crazy high, it's not unbelievable. Think about how much food we generally consume during that time and how little we move.
I know personally in holidays past, I would use the whole holiday season as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, and usually those things were consumed in very large portions. Then after I gorged myself for 6 weeks I would make a New Years resolution to lose weight and get healthy...which would only last maybe a week. I mean it's crazy what we do to ourselves, isn't it? We eat, and eat, and eat until we feel sick. Then we have to sleep just to allow our bodies to digest the enormous quantity of food we just ate. We don't dare look at a scale until a few days before we make our New Years resolutions and then when our eyes behold how much weight we just gained, we again feel sick and start out defeated. It's a vicious cycle, and it needs to end.
I'll be the first to tell you that it's extremely hard to lose weight during the holiday season.There's so many delicious, but unhealthy foods readily available for weeks at a time...and lets not even mention the leftovers! There are so many parties and family get-togethers to go to that losing weight can seem virtually impossible...but it's not! I've put together a list of 5 things to help you lose weight during the holidays!
1. KEEP TRACK- Track your weight every morning and also make sure to track what you eat. You should be tracking every single item that crosses your lips! Have a new saying for yourself, "If I bite it, I write it"! myfitnesspal.com has an excellent app to help keep you on track. Also, make sure that you track your meals and snacks BEFORE you eat them!! I can't stress that enough! It's a lot harder to try to remember what you ate five hours after you ate it...especially if you're in a turkey coma!
2. AMP UP THE EXERCISE- You might be tempted to take a break from your workout routine because of how busy you are during the holidays, but don't do it! Instead, you should up the intensity! Add an extra 15-20 mins of cardio to your workout and you'll feel better and definitely be less inclined to cheat.
3. HAVE A PLAN- You might not know exactly what foods will be at the parties, but there are a lot of holiday staples that you can bet on to help you have a plan. Make sure to plan your meals and snacks for the day.
4. EAT SOMETHING SMALL EVERY 2-3 HOURS- Your day should always start with breakfast, even during the holidays. It can be just a granola bar or a banana, but eat something within 30 mins of waking up. We tend to save up our calories for a big meal , but doing that will only cause your metabolism to plummet and will cause you to over eat. But if you eat breakfast and then eat every 2-3 hours after that, it will insure that when you do go sit down to a meal, you won't be very hungry.
5. DRINK YOUR WATER- Make sure that you drink a lot of water because it will keep you fuller for longer. Try to challenge yourself to drink a small glass of water before and after every meal, that will help you reduce the amount of food you can actually eat.
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