14 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Avoiding holiday weight gain may sound as feasible as Santa fitting down millions of chimneys on Christmas Eve, but we promise these are logical strategies to stay on track. Many of us experience weight gain during the festive winter months & unfortunately we typically don’t get all of it back off.  Don’t get us wrong, The holiday season is all about celebrating, togetherness & indulging, but we need to practice moderation.  The following are some tips on how.

1. Eat before drinking & celebrating. Skipping breakfast or lunch in order to “save your appetite” probably isn’t the best weight-maintenance or weight loss tactic. Not eating until the afternoon may lead to binging later. If you’ve been following and your body is in ketosis, this a sure way to kick yourself out!  Follow your actual breakfast plan or stick to a reasonably sized breakfast with plenty of protein. This will keep you fuller longer and control the urge to stuff your face later.
2. Pick protein. As mentioned above, protein can help maintain a healthy weight because high-protein diets are associated with greater satiety and a bonus benefit is it’s important for healthy muscle growth.  Be sure to stay complaint with your Nutritional Supplements, even if you aren’t with your meals.  If you’re hosting serve up some turkey, roasted chicken, or prepare animal-free alternatives like quinoa, lentils, or beans.
3. Bring your own. Rather than try to figure out what’s in every dish at a friend’s party or avoid eating altogether, bring a healthy side dish.  Taste small bites of what you want if you must, but know you have a healthy alternative to fall back on.
4. Eat & chew slowly. Eating slowly may not be easy when appetizer options are endless, but it pays off to pace yourself. The quicker we eat, the less time the body has to register fullness.  So slow down and take a second to savor each bite.
5. Serve meals restaurant-style. When you sit down for the main event, leave food in the kitchen (away from reach).  When you’ve cleaned your plate, take a breather, and then decide if you really want seconds. Changing up the environment, by leaving food near the stove can help reduce overall food intake.
6. Fill up on fiber. Snacking on vegetables and other high-fiber items like our Iced Tea & Mixed Fiber drinks can help keep us fuller, longer.  Fiber also helps our body break down and move food through our digestive systems.
7. Use smaller plates. This is a strategy we encourage everyone who is actively on program to adapt because plate sizes have expanded significantly over the years.  Whenever possible, choose the smaller salad plate (8-10 inches) instead of a tray-like one (12 inches or more). Using smaller plates can actually make us feel fuller with less food. The brain associates a big white space on the plate with less food (and smaller plates generally require smaller portions).
8. Ditch added sugar. Holiday cookies, cakes, and pies are nothing short of tempting, but all that added sugar may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity.  It will only leave you craving more.  Stick to sugar that comes in its natural form like fruits & veggies. Bring your NuYou treats and snack bars with you.  They are just as good and satisfying with a fraction of the calories and no regret.
9. Just say no.  Though your relatives may encourage overeating by shoving seconds onto a cleaned plate, it’s OK to respectfully decline. “I’m full” or “I’m taking a break” should be enough for friends and family members to back off.
10. Invest in some toss-away tupper-ware. Before guests leave you with half-full platters of food, have some tupper-ware handy. Load up containers for friends and family to hand out as they leave.  You’ll receive bonus points for getting containers that are holiday-themed or for adding a festive bow to your parting gift.
11. Chew gum. You are allowed 3 pieces of sugar-free gum while on your program. Studies have conflicting results on whether chewing gum will actually help curb your appetite and lead to weight loss in the long run.  However, in the short-term, chewing gum can keep you busy when socializing or when you’re full but still eyeing a second plate or desserts.
12. Turn your back on temptation. The closer we are situated to food that’s in our line of vision, the more we’ll actually consume. A simple fix would be to face away from the dessert table and actually listen to cues from your stomach rather than your eyes.
13. Beware of booze. Not only does alcohol add unnecessary calories to your diet, but getting boozy has another effect on us, too. Drinking too much in the presence of champagne, eggnog, wine, and beer can make us lose our inhibitions around food and start eating irresponsibly. Take it easy with the wine before you start saying things like, “Eh, what’s one more cookie?”
14. Gulp H2O. Drinking water helps people feel full, and as a result consume fewer calories. Rather than guzzling calorie and sugar filled sodas and juices, treat yourself to a glass of wine with dinner (if you want to) and keep your allegiance to water for the rest of the day.  On program, one 5 ounce glass of red wine is an exchange for 1 fruit.