Holidays and the festive season are about spending time with family and loved ones and making happy memories. In times when you should be making plans for your holidays, thoughts of weight gain should not be at the forefront of your mind. Yet, holiday weight gain is a common concern among many adults.
As we tend to give in to the spirit of festivities, indulging in delicious treats, we end up overeating calorie-dense foods, resulting in weight gain. Besides, holidays are meant for relaxation, making us skip regular exercise. All these factors eventually cause us to gain weight throughout the holidays in November, December, January. A little bit of planning can help you avoid gaining weight during holidays. But if you do gain weight during holidays we here at Modest Medix a, sustainable weight loss programs in Mississauga can help you.
10 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
The following tips can help you better prepare for the holiday season and avoid weight gain. Let’s discuss further.
Planning ahead
Carefully planning your behaviour around holidays can help you avoid weight gain to a great extent. For instance, suppose you are all set for an evening party, where you know you will get to eat various sugary and other calorie-rich treats. So, what would be your plan in this situation? Are you going to deny yourself all these treats? We will not recommend that as we believe in enjoying everything in moderation. Instead, we advise you to have a high-protein and high-fibre meal during the day. You must also consume plenty of water before your dinner to avoid overeating.
Practice mindful eating
When indulging in holiday food, practice mindful eating. It involves eating slowly, savouring every morsel of food, stopping eating when you feel full, etc. It will help you avoid overeating and enjoy every bite of your meal. We advise practicing mindful eating throughout the year and not just during holidays.
Control portion size
We end up eating more if served in large plates or bowls. Besides, if too many options are spread out on your dining table, it is natural to feel tempted to load your plate with all of them. The result is accidental overeating. To avoid the same, you should focus on portion sizes. For instance, start by serving yourself a small amount of different meals. After finishing them, you can go for seconds if you still feel hungry.
Don’t deny yourself any treat
As mentioned earlier, we support eating everything in moderation. It includes even gorging on tasty treats. However, while enjoying treats, you should not forget healthy eating. It will help you maintain a balance in your overall meals.
Consume other healthy snacks
Along with holiday treats, you should also consume other healthy snacks. It is better to keep fresh fruits, yogurt, etc., nearby to help you eat healthy whenever you feel hungry. You can also consume a large salad plate with your favourite fruits and vegetables. It will help take your mind off from your thoughts on holiday weight gain.
Put away the leftovers
Once everyone at the table is finished eating, the leftovers should be put away. Doing so will help you avoid mindlessly reaching out for snacks and other food items placed on the table or counter.
Be mindful of holiday beverages
Many holiday beverages are high in calories. Hence, you should be mindful of not over consuming them. For instance, you can toast with any holiday beverages and then shift to water or drinks with fewer calories.
Avoid skipping meals
When it comes to holidays, sometimes, we tend to save our appetite for the bigger meal. In our attempt to do so, we may skip meals. However, it can also lead to overeating. Instead, we advise consuming a normal breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It will prevent you from feeling too hungry for any meal and, therefore, prevent overeating. Besides, there will always be leftovers you can enjoy the next day. Therefore, you have no reason to eat everything at once, even after you are full.
Stay active
We can understand how all the travelling during the holiday season and the need to relax might interfere with your regular exercise routine. However, with all the sugary, salty, high-calorie treats you have enjoyed, not getting much physical activity during the holidays can cause you to gain weight. You can stay active while spending time with your loved ones. For instance, you can go on walks or play games with them that involve various physical activities. It is essential to stay active during holidays to burn all the calories you have earned.
Get quality sleep
You might lose track of time when having fun with your loved ones. As a result, you might go to bed much later than usual. Further, the day’s excitement and consumption of a large meal might make it difficult for you to sleep properly. Along with controlling portions and practicing mindful eating, we advise you to wind down for the night at least half an hour before bed. It will help in improved sleep. As you feel rested, you will not feel extremely hungry when waking up and can continue eating regular meals.
How Modest Medix Can Help If You Gain Weight Over Holidays
Despite your best intentions, you may end up gaining weight during the holidays. We assure you that this is entirely normal; hence, you should not feel panicked. The more you worry about weight gain, the likelier you will impose extreme restrictions for the following days. It can affect your relationship with food, and in your mind, you may consider exercise and diet as some form of atonement for your overindulging in holiday treats.
Modest Medix believes in helping you develop a positive relationship with your food. You should be allowed to enjoy food without guilt or judgment. Hence, even if you gain weight during holidays, we will help you lose the same sustainably. You need to understand that holidays are not responsible for your weight gain. Practicing healthy habits throughout the year is essential for maintaining a healthy weight. Still, wondering how to lose weight you gained during holidays sustainably? Contact our obesity physicians, and we can help prepare a customized solution for healthy weight management.
