Holiday season is something all of us look forward. Of course aside from the great bonding time we spend we family and friends, there’s the overabundance of food which everyone is expected to enjoy. For dieters, this can be a real problem. It’s also the time when a lot of go through the proverbial struggle between the willingness of the spirit and the weakness of the flesh. Don’t worry because you are not alone. More than 50% of the American population is overweight.
A recent government study yielded positive news however. It shows that Americans only increased in weight by a single pound over the holidays. The study found that the participants’ weight gain was influenced by two main factors over the holidays: The degree of their hunger and their level of activity. The finding then was that those who reported to being less active or more hungry during the holidays had the most weight gain.
What this tells us then is that by simply focusing on these two things and dealing with them, you would not have to gain weight. After all, considering the circumstances, not adding to the weight that’s already there is victory in itself.
To this Dr. Samuel Klein, Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, MO echoes the platitude, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of weight gain.” He goes on further by saying, “Preventing the increase in weight is a lot easier and better than actually gaining weight and then trying to get it off again.”
In other words: Eat less, exercise more. Of course this is better said than done.
What people don’t realize is that most of time, people actually overestimate how much weight they have gained over the holidays. The truth is that fewer than 10% gain 5 pounds or more.
The sad part is that the small amount of weight gained is never lost. Although one extra pound is not big at all, because it’s usually not shed off, it still contributes to overall weight gain. The one pound gained here and there adds up and in time results in obesity.
We have all read so many of those “Avoid Holiday Weight Gain Tips” type of advice. The problem is that the reality of day-to-day holiday stress and situations are not taken into consideration. Let us have a look at these tips and the corresponding reality checks up close.
Weight Loss Tip 1: Just do what you normally do by sticking to your normal schedule and routine. Stay active.
Holiday Reality Check: There are so many things to do during the holiday months of November and December. Skipping gym workouts and other fitness activities is necessary if one is to get these done. Cleaning and decorating the house, food shopping and cooking, all these require a lot of time and effort so it’s really impractical and unrealistic to stick to one’s normal routine.
The Good News: You can use the time you spend walking in the mall and doing your other errands as your chance to exercise. If you think about it, you will not be idle anyway. Climbing up and down the ladder as you decorate, bending, twisting, lifting things, puttering around in the kitchen, all these burn calories too. There’s really no reason to feel guilty that you couldn’t make it to the gym.
Weight Loss Tip 2: Wear clothes that are slightly smaller than your actual size. It will become tighter as you eat thus making you feel full faster preventing you from overeating.
Holiday Reality Check: Following this advice means being ready to experience some kind of discomfort. However, the underlying reason behind this tip is much better than the idea of wearing lose clothes to make room for all food you anticipate to eat during the holidays. It might work but then again it might also cause some buttons to fall off or make you have to unzip your fly if you are not able to keep yourself from overindulging.
We leave the decision on this up to you.
Weight Loss Tip 3: Eat small portions. Load up on salad and vegetables but take only very small amounts of everything else.
Holiday Reality Check: Eating bite-size portions will not take away the feeling of being deprived. In fact, it might even increase your craving for foods you are supposed to avoid even more.
Do this instead: Eat half the serving size that you normally take. Having a little piece will only stimulate your tastebuds and intensify your desire evenmore. What makes things complicated is that there would probably be more than one type of pie being served. Why not try actual sampling instead? Cut off a slice of pie that is a little smaller than regular size. Compared to a few small bites, this is a “whole slice”. Eat it then wait for 20 minutes before you sample the next pie. You may end up eating smaller than usual slices of all the pies being served but that is still much better than having “whole slices” of everything. You will satisfy both your hunger and craving without overloading on the calories. Also, you wouldn’t feel resentful and deprived.
The usual holiday weight loss tips are really meant to help but because they tend to overlook certain factors, they are not very applicable. However, they can be modified and a happy compromise can be worked out.
Holidays are meant to be celebrated and enjoyed and leaving out the pleasure of eating would take away so much of what the season is all about. If you’re on a weight loss diet, it’s not the time to panic. Eat but eat smart. Keep these modified tips in mind and you’ll be surprised to know that the holidays can be just as enjoyable even if you consume less the calories than you normally do.
Charles Volcolatte is a health and weight loss researcher for http://www.skinnyasap.com/. He writes and researches actively on Weight Loss Program and shares his knowledge at http://www.skinnyasap.com/ where he works as a staff writer.
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