5 Fitness Tips To Prevent Weight Gain Before 2018
The holidays are full in session! It’s time for family gatherings, holiday parties, and endless sweats, and at the end of all the festivities, reality rears its ugly head. Clothes don’t fit correctly, a feeling of guilt washes over you and you realize that something has to change. So how can you prevent the New Year slump that stems from overindulging in all of those holiday goodies? The great thing is that holiday weight gain is preventable, but you’re going to have to work for it.
Here are 5 tips to curb those holiday cravings.
#1: Attitude Is Everything
A recent study showed that holiday weight gain spikes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it can take the average person up to 5 months to lose the excess weight! While the pounds may have come on quickly, getting them to come off is a whole different story. One of the most basic steps, in order to prevent holiday weight gain, is to go into the holiday season with the mindset of maintaining your eating habits, not going wild. Don’t go into the season thinking that you’re going to gain weight and that it’s inevitable. Go into it, knowing that you will probably enjoy a treat or two, but remember how difficult it was to get those pounds to come off. Sticking as closely as you can to your healthy eating habits will help to combat those pesky pounds from creeping up on you.
#2: Hydrate Properly
It’s a common misconception to believe that you’re hungry when in fact, you’re actually thirsty. Make sure to stay hydrated by drinking the proper recommended amount of water daily. Even if you decide to run while it is snowing and you’re not sweating, you should be drinking water frequently. You should be drinking approximately half of your body weight in ounces of water per day, depending on your activity level. Make sure to stay hydrated and you’ll be more likely to skip that extra cookie later.
Tip #3: Prepare and Bring Your Lunch
If you work in an office or any other place with people, it’s hard to look past the donuts on the break room table or avoid the going out for lunch suggestion. It’s especially hard when it’s the holidays and people are bringing in treats. The key here is to bring your own treats. Pack a balanced meal for lunch and add in some items that you can snack on during the day, like almonds, veggies or yogurt. This way you’re not as tempted by the new treat that just appeared out of nowhere.
Tip #4: Remember Your Goals
Sometimes it’s difficult to remember how much you had to work to get the weight to come off. Maybe you’re just at the beginning of your healthy eating journey. I recommend keeping a diary of photos that can motivate you. Some people prefer before and after photos. Some like to keep photos that motivate them and push them forward. Whatever you prefer, keep them around you. Take pictures every two weeks to see how far you are progressing. Remember weight loss always starts face down. No matter what your system is, keep it in mind when you think about overindulging.
Tip #5: Enjoy in Moderation
Okay, so we’re all human, and we are not perfect! We all have that one treat that we look forward to each year. Instead of indulging in every treat, choose the one you’re most looking forward to enjoying…and enjoy it! Have that piece of grandma’s homemade pie or enjoy that sugar cookie. The key is to enjoy it and then move on. It doesn’t always help to completely deny yourself of what you like. Oftentimes, that ends up backfiring on you.
To recap…
The holidays are tough when it comes to maintaining your diet and your weight, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Remember these helpful tips the next time you want that extra cookie (or three):
- Stay positive! Don’t give in to the notion that you’re bound to gain weight during the holidays.
- Stay hydrated! Oftentimes you’re not hungry, you’re thirsty!
- Stay prepared! Bring your lunch into work, so that you’re not tempted with those yummy treats in the break room.
- Stay motivated! Find something that motivates you, whether it’s a picture or a quote, but keep it around you.
- Stay real! Enjoy that cookie and move on!
Hopefully, this helps you to stay focused on your weight loss goals and you can go into 2017 with a positive outlook on yourself!
