Holiday Weight Management Tips
By Dr. John D. Mikuzis, D.O.
Medical Director
Action Weight Management Centers

The winter holiday season is upon us, and with the holidays comes the Great Weight War.  Every year each of us starts our struggle with the Battle of the Bulges. Some simple tips can help you to avoid that extra holiday weight gain.

The main reason that people gain weight during the holidays is that they break from their usual routines. Parties, family gatherings and the general rushing around for the holidays, cause us to lose our focus. This combined with all of the cookies, snacks and favorite traditional family recipes, our good habits can easily get buried in a mountain of empty calories.  This is when mindless munching can become a part of your routine and you may not even know it.  Paying attention to how you eat is as important as what you eat.  Your brain usually receives messages of satisfaction and taste during eating but mindless munching can prevent this from happening.  The additional stresses of the season add to overwhelming your brain’s control centers resulting in additional signals of hunger, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. 

It is important to pay close attention to what you are eating and how much you have put on your plate.  Mindful eating takes place when we eat with awareness and focus on the experience of eating.  If you have a special holiday treat, make it special and savor the flavor.  Take “a” cookie, not a handful of cookies. This will give your body the extra time it needs to feel full and prevent that overstuffed feeling that is all too common during the season.  Also, with the extra activities and colder weather, we often forget to drink enough water causing our body to feel more hungry, so don’t forget to get at least 8 glasses of water per day. 

Food choices are also critical.  Carbohydrates are necessary for healthy body function but avoid refined sugar and processed foods as your “Carb” sources. Protein is the vital component in building and maintaining your body’s muscles, ligaments, tendons, brain, and immune system.  These structures need a regular supply of amino acids found in protein.  Research has shown that protein based meals fill you up more than carbohydrate based meals, keep you feeling full longer, feeling less hungry, and preventing between meal snacking. Studies also show that you can burn up to twice as many calories processing proteins as carbohydrates.  Fats are important to the body but should be obtained from lean meats, fish and some vegetable oils and nuts.  Avoid getting your fat calories from cakes, desserts, and processed or fast foods. 

Try these other ideas this season as well.  Get enough sleep.  This will decrease the body’s production of stress chemicals and prevent weight gain.  Increase physical activity.  Do an extra 10 minutes at your next workout, take an extra walk in the evening with your friends or family or dance a little bit more at your parties.  This will help to keep your metabolism burning those extra calories. Involve friends and family.  Let your friends and family know that you are following a healthy diet.  They can help to support you and can help with healthier menu choices. Perhaps they will even join you in your healthy efforts. Remember, the holidays are a time for fun, and family.  You can still celebrate but remain in control of what you choose to eat. 

Back to Weight Loss Education