Santa: All I want for Christmas is to maintain my weight…would it be too much to ask to drop a pound or two? Especially since I’ve been extra ‘good’?
Wouldn’t it be great if it were that easy? Just ask Santa to ‘hold the weight’ or, since it’s better to ‘give than receive’, perhaps just give away those last 10 pounds to someone in need.
Well, we all know that’s just not in Santa’s job description. So since we’re left to our own devices to maintain or drop weight during the holidays and always, I thought I’d cook up ‘Ten Do’s and Don’ts’ for holiday eating.
1. You DON’T have to miss out on all the fun and flavours of the holiday, but you DO have to think about how you’re going to handle all the excess calories. Top of mind awareness and following a plan is your answer to no holiday weight gain.
2. DO mark your calendar with all the dates of social (and eating!) engagements you have this season. Prioritize what events you know will be the most tempting or when you want to indulge. Obviously, if you’re a socialite, you can’t indulge at every event and expect to maintain or lose weight.
3. DON’T try to tell yourself that you’ll ‘diet’ when the holidays are over. You know that never happens and you’ll lose motivation once the festivities are over and you’re back into your routine.
4. DO plan to do a workout everyday, preferably in the morning to set the ‘eating’ tone for the day. It helps keep you on track when you put out a little sweat. A workout can be as simple as a 20 min home workout of HIIT exercises tabatta style.
5. DON’T starve yourself before an event, eat a little something before you go. Have an apple and almonds, or even half a protein bar if you’re in a rush. If you’re not famished it’s much easier to exercise self-control when presented with a buffet of tempting foods.
6. DO wear form fitting, sexy clothes to your event. Do your hair and make up, wear high heels, go all out to look your best. (At the very least, if you don’t have ‘sexy’ in your wardrobe, DON’T wear moo-moo type clothing that has an expanding waistband to accommodate large food intake.) When you feel and look good, you’ll be less likely to dive into food with reckless abandon.
7. If you’re going to have alcohol, drink with food. DON’T drink sugary mixes and creamy drinks; keep the mixes as low calorie as possible. You can find out lots more about drinking and fat loss here. The good news is you can enjoy some alcohol in moderation, the bad news is you’re not going to lose a ton of weight while indulging.
8. DO bring your own dish to an occasion. Nobody has to know that it’s healthy or low calorie but at least you’ll know how many calories it has and you’ll have something to enjoy guilt free.
9. When at an event, DO position yourself as far away from the appetizer table as possible. DON’T sit close by the most tempting of foods. If you have to keep moving or asking for food to be passed to you, you’ll eat less.
10. If you’re hosting a party, DO send people home with food. You’ll look generous and you’ll be less tempted to ‘store the leftovers on your hips’.
If you keep these ten things in mind, you’ll be much happier come January 1st when the festivities are over and you have to go shopping to buy a smaller pair of pants, instead of a bigger pair.
And, if you need to lose a few holiday pounds super quickly, check this out to give you a jump start.
