How 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 to avoid gaining weight in the holiday season..
 
Updated: 11/15/2022
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Contents
  1. 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. Trick Yourself in Not Wanting that Food

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.

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? #health Click To Tweet

post banner how to stay slim showing the same woman with different weight

Tips to Avoid Gaining Weight at Your Mom’s House

  • Drink a glass of water before the meal. It makes you feel full earlier.
  • Go for the white turkey, mashed potatoes, beans, raw cranberries, and 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. For 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 and don’t go for seconds.

Navigate the Office Cocktail Party

The office holiday party is also a calorie bomb. Company, chatting, and not paying attention to how much you eat and what you eat work hand in hand. These small plates are a big trap and make you eat more than you want. Thus, going for the low calorie food is a good strategy and going either for a drink or a dessert is another helpful one.

  • Go for the tomato bruschetta, meatballs that are not bathed in gravy, shrimps that are not fried, 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 pineacolada.
  • Regarding the desserts see the tips above. If you have to have one, plain pumpkin pie is the slimmest option.

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 be aware of the calorie traps. Use these tips 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.
  • If you go for a salad, leave the croutons on the side. Go for low fat balsamic vinaigrette instead of blue cheese or Caesar dressing. Doing so may save over 150 calories. Go for grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. Be aware that cheese adds a lot of calories. If you can choose, skip it or go for Swiss, mozzarella or provolone. Tip: Goat cheese is the lowest in calories.
  • 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 as the latter has a lot of fat from the cheese.
  • Go for a plain coffee instead of a latte.
Navigate the calorie traps when eating at the mall. #health #weight Click To Tweet

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stylist in fit-and-flare dress with tights and sandals

fashion blogger in a holiday colors inspired dress, semi-opaque tights
Lulu Roe print dress, Halftee layering top, Very Fine Dance Shoes sandals, citrine and moonstone costume jewelry, ruby belt (all own) and semi-opaque tights c/o Hipstik

 

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 joghurt.

It doesn’t taste that good that it’s woth 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. 🙁

If you know someone who could benefit from these tips tweet them

I just found some helpful tips how avoid gaining weight during the holidays. #weightgain #holidays Click To Tweet

Thanks.

What do you do to keep off the weight during the holidays or generally during menopause? Let me know your biggest challenges, so I can help you.

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.

P.P.S. Stay tuned for more tips to come. Subscribe to High Latitude Style.

Photos: G. Kramm

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