Tips to Avoid Gaining Weight during the Holidays

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Lulu Roe print dress, Halftee layering top, Very Fine Dance Shoes sandals, citrine and moonstone costume jewelry (all own) and semi-opaque tights c/o Hipstik

This post provides tips and tricks to avoid gaining weight in the holiday season..

Contents
  1. Why Holiday Weight Gain Is a Vicious Circle
  2. Tips to Avoid Gaining Weight Eating at Your Mom’s House
  3. How to Navigate the Office Cocktail Party
  4. Survive Eating at the Mall While Gift Shopping
  5. Keep Up Your Workout Routine
  6. How to Trick Yourself in Not Wanting that Food

 

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.

 

Why Holiday Weight Gain Is a Vicious Circle

Holidays mean company, gifts, awesome food, and finally 3 to 5 pounds more on the scale. By New Year’s Eve, with three holidays within 36 days the pounds add up to 9 to 15, which is a full clothing size, i.e. nothing will fit right anymore. New Year’s resolutions to loose weight and exercise more are made, which stresses you out leading to further pounds on the scale.

A vicious circle! Don’t even go there.

 

Did you know that 9-15 lb make one dress size difference?

 

 

Tips to Avoid Gaining Weight at Your Mom’s House

  • Drink a glass of water before the meal to feel full earlier.
  • Go for the white turkey, mashed potatoes, beans, raw cranberries.
  • Skip the gravy, marshmallow sweet potatoes and filling. Gravy and filling are a lot of starch, crabs and fat. The marshmallows have pulled a lot of the nutrients of the otherwise healthy sweet potatoes and are high in calories.
  • Go for the lowest calories dessert. At the same size of the slice, pumpkin pie has the least calories followed by raspberry Linzer Torte, apple pie, mince meat pie, chocolate mouse, and pecan pie. If you absolutely have to have the pecan pie, share it with someone.
  • Chew slowly.
  • Don’t go for seconds.

 

Navigate the Office Cocktail Party

The office holiday party is often a calorie bomb. Company, chatting, and not paying attention to how much you eat and what you eat work hand-in-hand. The small plates are a big trap because they make you eat more than you want. Therefore, going for the low calorie food is a good strategy. So is going either for a drink or a dessert.

  • Go for the tomato bruschetta, meatballs (that are not bathed in gravy), non-fried shrimps, vegetables (without dipping them), melon cubes, strawberries, and mozzarella, provolone, Swiss cheese cubes.
  • Stay away from pigs in a blanket, spinach-artichoke dip, crab-cakes, meatballs with gravy, fried chicken, wraps, cheddar-cheese cubes, and egg-rolls. The latter are all high on fat.
  • If you have to have a drink, choose a vodka soda, champagne or Mojito over a gin tonic, margarita, beer or pine-colada.
  • Regarding the desserts see the tips above. If you have to have one, plain pumpkin pie is the slimmest option.

 

Ask yourself: Do you really like pumpkin pie?

 

 

Survive Eating at the Mall While Gift Shopping

When the hunger strikes while shopping for gifts at the mall remember these calorie traps. Use this knowledges to make intelligent choices.

 

Sometimes choosing one over the other can save hundreds of calories.

 

  • Take a minute and study the calories listed behind the items if you are lucky to live in a state where they have to list them.
  • Go for oven-roasted chicken instead of fried or orange chicken.
  • Skip the butter when you have a pretzel.
  • Stay away from cinnamon rolls, bagels, wraps and burritos. They are loaded with calories from fat or sugar or both.
  • When going for Italian food choose Mariana sauce instead of anything Alfredo because the latter has a lot of fat from the cheese.
  • Go for a plain coffee instead of a latte.
  • Avoid the salad trap. Leave the croutons on the side. Go for low fat balsamic vinaigrette instead of blue cheese or Caesar dressing to save over 150 calories! Choose grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. Be aware that cheese adds a lot of calories. Skip it, or order Swiss, mozzarella or provolone.

 

Tip: Goat cheese is the lowest in calories.

 

 

Keep Up Your Workout Routine

Holiday stress, gift shopping, and the cold stress of late fall are frequent causes to skip exercising. Keep your workout routine up to support yourself in (keeping) your healthy weight journey. Your health should be a good motivation to stay with your fitness routine.

 

Recall: Diets can be stressful. You don’t want to start the New Year with a diet or going more often to the gym on your resolution list.

 

woman in fit-and-flare dress with tights and sandals burning calories by dancing

woman continuing to exercise to avoid gaining weight
Lulu Roe print dress, Halftee layering top, Very Fine Dance Shoes sandals, citrine and moonstone costume jewelry, ruby belt, and semi-opaque tights c/o Hipstik.

 

 

How to Trick Yourself in Not Wanting that Food

Ask yourself whether that item is worth that you have to give up wearing your favorite dress, skirt, … (fill in the item).

If this trick doesn’t help, think about that you have to bike 20 minutes to get rid of the calories of one yoghurt.

 

It doesn’t taste so that good that it’s worth the effort, does it?

 

Pro tip: Be aware that light only means it has just 50% less calories than their usual product. It still can be a calorie bomb in disguise. 🙁

 

Have a nice holiday season!

P.S. Are you looking for what to wear for Thanksgiving or other occasions? Wear the right look in every situation by looking up what to wear when in my book How to Dress for Success in Midlife. Buy your copy now.

 

Tip: Buy 2 so you have a gift for someone on your list.

 

Photos: G. Kramm

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