Here\u2019s the truth about losing weight during the holidays: it is a ridiculous goal. However, just because it is unlikely you would lose weight this time of year doesn\u2019t mean you should have a goal of gaining weight. When you don\u2019t have a strategy for the holiday\/weight problem you\u2019ve inadvertently set a goal to gain weight. It is important to have a strategy for the holidays so you can set yourself up for a great new year.<\/p>\n
Your first strategy is to adopt a more realistic mindset. Instead of thinking, \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to lose weight so I might as well just eat,\u201d you could think about eating with the intention of maintaining your weight through the season. If you ate with the goal of maintaining your weight you could still indulge but you\u2019d probably be a little more selective. So strategy number one: Eat with the intention of maintaining your current weight.<\/p>\n
Secondly, be strategic about how you party this time of year. Where do you position yourself at parties? Are you right next to the food; sitting in front of the chips and dip (which by the way you can get any time of year)? Are you across the room from the food but staring at it? If so turn your back. Human beings are suggestible and the visual trigger of dishes and dessert is extremely powerful. Now you know about positioning (and knowing is half the battle) so this year position yourself away from the food as much as possible.<\/p>\n
Lastly, do you show up to an event starving? If you think resisting temptation is hard when you\u2019re not hungry, its impossible when you are hungry! It is in our nature to overeat when we get too hungry. No one is immune to this, not even me a Registered Dietitian of more than 20 years. Whether you are meeting friends for dinner, going to a party at church or dining at someone\u2019s home, eat a little something (preferable include some protein \u2013 that\u2019s the dietician in me speaking) before leaving the house. You will be able to make more reasonable choices and manage your portions.<\/p>\n
So there you have it, three very powerful strategies for making it through the holidays without gaining weight. I\u2019m curious, what tactics have you found to be helpful for getting through November and December?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here\u2019s the truth about losing weight during the holidays: it is a ridiculous goal. However, just because it is unlikely you would lose weight this time of year doesn\u2019t mean you should have a goal of gaining weight. When you don\u2019t have a strategy for the holiday\/weight problem you\u2019ve inadvertently set a goal to gain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":30,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n