How To Not Gain Weight During Holidays – 12 Easy Tips

The holiday season often means getting together with friends and family. But it also can mean overindulging in decadent foods. Putting on those extra pounds doesn’t have to be your reality! So here’s our top 12 tips for how to not gain weight during holidays.

 

Is It Possible To Not Gain Weight During Holidays?

During that 6-week period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, many people are participating in festivities with friends and loved ones. That usually means there’s plenty of food and drink available.

That also means there are plenty of options for gaining unwanted weight! Temptations are literally around every corner. You may find yourself surrounded by food everywhere from the office to store food sampling stations to holiday gatherings.

So how can you avoid the dreaded holiday gain? Never fear. It is actually possible to not pack on the pounds when you learn a few easy tips.

 

1. Get Some Exercise

The holidays are always a busy time of year that can leave little time for exercise.

Therefore, it is important to carve out some time to get moving if you want to prevent weight gain.

Many people tend to forget about their workouts over this period of time.

As a result, you are more likely to put weight on because you are not burning off stored calories.

Physical exercise can help you to feel happier and less stressed. It also is an important element to factor in when trying to lose weight.

All in all, exercising over the holidays can become a challenge. Therefore, consider getting actively involved with whoever you are spending your time with.

For example, try going for a walk instead of sitting down to watch a movie. Bonding over a physical activity can be a helpful distraction from food.

Plus it’s a great way to bond with others while burning calories from holiday foods.

 

2. Get Your Sleep

If you are stressed during the holidays, getting adequate sleep can prove difficult. However, if you are not getting adequate sleep, it can lead to weight gain.

Lack of sleep can disrupt hormones which control your hunger levels.

Inadequate sleep leads to higher levels of ghrelin (your hunger hormone) and lower levels of leptin (the hormone that helps you feel full).

Research has shown that people who don’t get more than 6 hours of sleep per night tend to have more cravings, consume more calories and exercise less than those who sleep more.

In fact, a Columbia University study found that participants who slept less tended to eat 300 calories more the next day than when they got more sleep.

Sleep is also an important factor in improving the metabolism. Science is still studying if this effect is due to the body’s natural circadian rhythms.

All things considered, your body needs sleep. Definitely try to get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep per night if weight loss is your goal.

 

3. Load Up On Fruits And Vegetables

The holiday menu is often full of creamy mashed potatoes, decadent fruit pies and other heavily calorie-laden foods.

But consider adding in more roasted, baked or steamed fresh vegetables in their natural form.

Adding more fruit and vegetables to your diet is always a healthy choice as they offer nutritious, fibrous benefits.

However, that does not mean that eating pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole count towards your daily goals.

If you’re at a party, load up on raw veggies and salad (with dressing on the side). Make half your plate vegetable-based to help you fill up with the least amount of fattening damage.

Then choose a lean protein and healthy carb for the other half.

For lunches such as sandwiches, consider adding in extra lettuce, roasted red peppers and additional raw veggies for extra bulk without the guilt.

 

4. Hydrate With Water

Not having adequate hydration can lead to headaches, dizziness, fatigue and irritability. Oftentimes, we don’t even realize that we may be dehydrated.

A quick tip to check to see if you’re adequately hydrated is to look at the color of your urine.

Assuming you are not on medication that may impact its color, the lighter your urine is, the better hydrated your body is.

To stay properly hydrated, take a water bottle with you on the go. This way you are never far from getting your water intake.

Although sugary sodas, fruit juices and alcoholic holiday drinks do count towards hydration, they are also loaded with calories from sugar. This can lead to unwanted weight gain.

When drinking for hydration, always be mindful of what you are consuming if you want to watch your sugar intake.

Sparkling water with a squeeze of citrus can make a great mocktail while still being refreshing. And if plain water just isn’t cutting it for you, consider these other hydrating beverages.

 

5. Try To Relax

Although the holiday season is one meant to be happy and exciting, it can also be a time of great stress for many people.

Shopping, being overworked and not having healthy emotional support can take its toll during this time of year.

Being stressed can also do serious damage to your waistline. Oftentimes, too much stress can lead to an imbalance of good bacteria in the gut.

The effects of that can lead to bloating, extra weight and fat in the belly. Adding in helpful probiotics can help with weight loss too.

When we are stressed, our cortisol levels rise. High levels of cortisol in the blood stream can lead to cravings (especially for junk food), rapid weight gain and belly fat.

In order to reduce stress during the holidays there are many things you can try such as:

• a hot bath
• meditation
• deep breathing
• a soothing massage
• essential oils in a room diffuser
• read a good book
• enjoy the benefits of yoga
• listen to soothing music
• taking a moment of quiet just for yourself

Whatever you enjoy is what you should do for yourself each and every day over the holidays. This will definitely help you to feel calmer. 

Staying relaxed will help lower your cortisol. Moreover, learning how to relax is beneficial to your overall health.

 

6. Control Your Portion Size

Eating out means huge portion sizes. Restaurants in North America are notorious for serving meals that are far more than the average person requires.

And over the holidays, it’s very common to dine out with friends and family.

So if you are a regular diner, that means you might unknowingly be packing on a lot of additional weight.

Large plates of decadent, calorie-rich food can be a culprit in the holiday weight gain scene.

Therefore, it is important to be aware of your portion sizes. Ask for a doggy bag and take home half of your meal.

Try to be aware of healthy portion sizes. Listen to your body at the first signs of fullness. And remember, you don’t need to clean your plate.

 

7. Be Mindful When You Eat

Nowadays it is more common than ever to eat on the go. That means less opportunity to sit down and eat slowly. This is particularly true over the holiday season.

However, taking time to really savor what you eat and be mindful of each mouthful can really make a difference in your weight.

By slowing down your eating, your brain has time to realize what your stomach has ingested.

It generally takes around 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’ve eaten. Therefore, try eating smaller bites and try to chew your food longer. Really savor each bite.

When you become mindful of your eating, you will feel more satisfied and realize when you are truly full.

If we gobble our food quickly we are less likely to enjoy what we’ve eaten. That can lead to unconscious overeating.

So practice chewing more and eating slower. The benefits of fullness and satiety will help keep you from gaining that extra weight.

 

8. Enjoy Breakfast

It is common for people to want to skip breakfast in order to save the calories for later in the day during the holidays. However, skipping breakfast can lead to feeling hungry throughout the day.

And morning hunger can carry over into more cravings, snacking throughout the day and overindulging at dinner time. So consider having a low GI, high fiber breakfast to minimize this potential problem.

A nutritious breakfast will leave your body feeling satiated while releasing sustained energy throughout the day.

Opt for things like steel cut oatmeal with mixed berries, fibrous toast with eggs, or mixed fruit with plain, unsweetened yogurt.

 

9. Add More Fiber

It’s not a secret that adding more fiber to your daily diet will help fill you up without bulking your tummy out!

In fact, research has shown that adding more fiber to your diet can actually help you cut back on your caloric intake.

Moreover, this fullness from fiber may help you to eat less over the holidays.

Unfortunately, a lot of holiday favorite foods are not high in fiber.

Therefore, when given food options, try to focus on adding in things like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds when you can.

 

10. Watch The Sweets

The holidays always bring lots of sweet treats. That means there’s plenty of added sugar and calories which can really pack on the extra weight.

One strategy to consider, is not complete deprivation. Only select small portions of the things you most enjoy during the holidays.

This way your taste buds can still be satisfied but your waistline doesn’t have to suffer. Another trick is to slowly savor every bite of the things you do eat.

This tip still lets you enjoy your favorite holiday treats. However, you will be less likely to overindulge and feel guilty later.

 

11. Use A Smaller Sized Plate

With large dinner parties and potluck meals, overeating can become a serious problem quickly! Therefore, this tip is one of the easiest to use. It’s also a simple strategy to help you reduce your calories!

Instead of grabbing the largest plate on the buffet, opt for the salad or dessert plate instead. That way you will be forced to take smaller portions and choose only what you really want to eat.

Smaller plates will give you the feeling that you’ve eaten a full meal. Just don’t go back for multiple plates if you want to keep your calories in check.

 

12. Plan Ahead

One of the easiest and most important diet strategies for how to not gain weight during holidays is planning. Planning your eating schedule can really make the difference to your weight during this season.

The holidays are super busy. So try to stick to your regular meal and snack schedule. This will keep your blood sugar levels stable to help reduce wild cravings and prevent overeating.

If you’re planning to go to a dinner party, you might consider asking what will be on the menu or opt to bring your own dish so you can stick to your diet.

Another helpful tip is to look for healthy holiday meal and treat ideas that you can prepare yourself. There are many free recipes available online that can help you plan ahead to stay on track.

 

How To Not Gain Weight During Holidays Summary

Although the holidays are a busy time for family, friends and food, it is possible to enjoy them without gaining weight. Using these multiple tips and tricks can keep your weight on track while still enjoying the occasions.

Obviously it is important to try and stick to eating a healthy diet and getting adequate exercise. But should you indulge, don’t beat yourself up.

Just get right back on your plan the next day and make better choices next time.

There are ways to prevent holiday weight gain with planning and knowledge. With a little thought, you can definitely keep yourself from gaining unwanted pounds.

What are your favorite tips for how to not gain weight during holidays? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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