Ooooohpie. Cut your own slice. 10) Serve yourself – Same goes with your meal. Serve yourself to keep unwanted food off your plate. 11) Eat a salad at home before going to a holiday

50 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

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It’s That Time of Year!

Oooooh – it’s the holiday season again.

It’s so exciting!

Cozy times spent with loved ones in festively decorated homes…..

Family get-togethers…….

Parties…….

Socials………

Fun, fun, fun!

BUT…

What do all of these have in common?

Food.

Eating is one of our favorite holiday pastimes!

Yes, it’s the dreaded holiday binge time again. We all fall victim to it.

Spirits are high, and we are literally surrounded the whole time by all sorts of temptations.



Last Year

Think back to last year or the year before.

Did you over-indulge during the holidays?

Did you gain weight?

Did you feel bloated?

Were you annoyed with yourself?

Did you feel guilty?

Did you promise yourself “Never Again”?

Well, “again” is coming up.

You’ve worked hard this entire year to control your weight and eat healthier food.

So, will you do things differently this holiday season, in order to avoid last year’s results?

Of course you will!

And this list of 50 things you can do, will help you to avoid the holiday weight gain phenomenon.

So, read on and gain a competitive advantage over that little voice inside that’s begging for just

one more bite of mom’s famous pecan pie.



1) Exercise on the morning of a celebration or party. Most people find it’s more difficult to

eat huge meals and many sweets after having worked so hard at the gym. When you

workout right before the event, you’ll be less likely to overindulge.

2) Don’t wear stretchy pants! Wear something form-fitting to the party or celebration.

Stretchy pants make it easier to over-eat, while tight outfits will sound the alarm bells to

STOP EATING!

3) Use holiday meals as your planned cheat meal. Eating plans normally involve a “cheat

meal”, so plan this around holiday festivities! Make a plan of action for desserts too if you

will be attending many gatherings. For example, if you are going to six gatherings, decide

at which two or three you will have dessert, and say no to the sweets at the others.

4) Don’t keep holiday goodies in your home. When the party’s over, it’s over. Get rid of any

lingering temptation.

5) Do extra workouts during the holidays to

counteract the extra calories you may be

eating at all those dinners and office parties.

6) Skip appetizers – Generally, appetizers are

fat bombs (think fried foods and sauce-

drenched meats). Skip them whenever

possible.

7) Opt for alternatives – Being health conscious has caught on so there are several

alternatives to your holiday stables available. Try almond milk eggnog!



8) Track your food intake – We’re not trying to take the fun out of the holidays, but keeping

a food diary and being honest about what you’re eating will help you say no to that

second cookie.

9) Cut your own portions – Sometimes people can be a bit too generous with the pumpkin

pie. Cut your own slice.

10) Serve yourself – Same goes with your meal. Serve yourself to keep unwanted food off

your plate.

11) Eat a salad at home before going to a holiday party so you eat less of the fattening foods at the party.

12) Skip add-ons like whipped cream – Toppings can add loads of sugar to an already sweet

treat. Skip the chocolate

syrup and whipped cream.

13) Leave the leftovers with other

people. Mmm…leftover

turkey, stuffing and gravy

sandwiches…tons of calories!

You had your fill last night,

send the leftovers home with

someone else.

14) Drink lots of water before a get together – This works year round, but drinking water

before a meal will help you eat less.



15) Avoid grazing while cooking – Ask your kids or spouse to be the official taste testers. You

could end up eating a few hundred calories without even knowing it – spread the love!

16) Limit alcohol intake – Imbibing is all part of the fun, but alternate cocktails with water to

keep the calorie count to a minimum.

17) 24-hour juice detox – De-bloat after a night of debauchery with a 24-hour juice cleanse.

You’ll help to rid your body of toxins and banish any lingering holiday hangover.

18) Stick to your routine – Just because it’s the happiest time of the year doesn’t mean your

normal routine is chucked. If you workout 4 times a week normally, that shouldn’t

change.

19) Slow down on that second plate

– Wait a bit before getting

seconds. You’ll probably decide

that you’re full and move on.

20) Chew gum – While socializing

around a bunch of food it helps

to chew gum. You won’t be able

to stuff crackers and cheese in

your mouth if it’s occupied with

something else.

21) Pile on the veggies first. Same as always - fill your plate with the “good for you” stuff first,

to limit room for more decadent options.



22) Protein second – Ditto the veggie concept with your protein!

23) Set a fitness goal for just after the holidays – Stay motivated throughout the season by

setting goals that require consistent training like a fun run or half marathon.

24) Find an accountability buddy – When you have someone to check in with, you’re less

likely to fall off the wagon. No one likes to call themselves out.

25) Just say no! – Easier said than done, but seriously, just say no if someone keeps shoving

food in your face.

26) Leave early – If you’re not around for dessert,

you don’t have to eat it.

27) Use small plates – Less of an opportunity to pile

on the good stuff if you have limited real estate!

28) Be the hostess – The ultimate way to save on

calories…cook everything yourself. You’ll have

full control over what goes on your plate.

29) Create new traditions – Who says that all holiday

activities need to be done indoors? Start a new

tradition of a Christmas morning hike and burn off some of last night’s indulgences.

30) Start with a salad course – Fill up on less calorie-dense foods. Of course, be wary of fatty

dressings. If there’s nothing but, ask for lemon juice, salt and pepper.



31) Only eat your ‘must have’ holiday treats – Be strategic about what you spend your

calories on. If you only sort of like apple pie, don’t eat it just because it’s there.

32) Realize the celebration isn’t actually 2 months long – It’s tempting to use the holidays as

an excuse to indulge for a long time. Stick to only going off plan at parties and dinners.

33) Allow only one celebratory night a week – It’s possible to have several invitations in the

same week. Attend all the parties you’d like, but choose only one to treat yourself at.

34) Make early plans for the following day – If you have to get up early and meet friends for a

morning run, chances are you’ll lay off the booze the night before.

35) Be a social butterfly – More talky, less eaty!

36) Don’t linger around the food –

Positioning yourself within

arm’s reach of temptation is

dangerous. Try to hover

around the non-edible items

at the party.

37) Put something on your plate

you don’t like – If you’re

having self-control issues, try

toting around a food item you’re not that crazy about. It’ll help keep your hands busy

without the temptation.

38) Be a helping hand – When you have something to do you’re less likely to reach for the

chips and dip. Offer to help refresh drinks or tidy up throughout the evening.



39) Avoid the punch bowl – Holiday punch is delicious…and full of sugar. Ask for dry

champagne or red wine instead.

40) Arrive fashionably late – Sneak in a small, healthy, fiber filled meal before heading out for

the evening. This will lessen your chances of overeating.

41) Go shopping! – Ok, twist your arm! Really though, doing several laps around the mall will

burn a few extra calories. The festive decorations and sales aren’t so bad either.

42) Make a snowman – This not only gets you moving, but being active in cold weather burns

more calories.

43) Offer to watch the kids, and take a shift watching the little ones, like toddlers who can’t

sit still for a minute. They’ll keep you on your feet, which results in more calories burned

and away from the temptations in the kitchen.

44) Suggest a potluck to friends and family – You’ll be able to bring your own healthy items.

45) Make a special request – There’s nothing wrong with telling the hostess that you’ve got

dietary requirements and would appreciate it if she set aside a portion without salt, oil,

butter, etc. Any good hostess

would be more than happy to

accommodate their guests.

46) Offer to drive people home –

Talk about keeping that high

calorie alcohol drinking under

control! If you volunteer to be



the DD (designated driver), you’ll save lives and calories!

47) Walk after dinner – Take a stroll around the block after the main course. You’ll get your

digestive system working, burn some calories, and more than likely, skip dessert.

48) Say yes to after dinner espresso – Caffeine is an appetite suppressant. Ask for a cup of Joe

before deciding on dessert.

49) Eat raw when available – Fiber keeps our tummies full. Fill up on fiber rich foods before

dinner.

50) Eat slowly – You should be doing this all the time, but eating slowly prevents you from

over-doing it. It can take about 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal from your

stomach that it’s full. It’s not a race, take your time!



2 Bonus Tips

Yes, I know I said 50 tips, but I just couldn’t stop:

Be last in line – If you wait to fill your plate, chances are all the heavy hitting favorites will

be picked over. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it!

If you know that you are easily tempted, choose which parties you will attend, and skip

those that are not as important to you, either personally or professionally.



Enjoy!

There you have it! 52 different ways to help you take control of your health and weight during

the holiday months.

Planning ahead and bracing yourself for the food extravaganza that awaits will bring you one

step closer to saving your diet from total annihilation.

A parting note: It’s important to remember that you are going to mess up. Chances are, you’ll

drink one too many glasses of punch, rapidly followed by a creamy dessert!

If this happens, be kind to yourself. It’s not the end of the world - having an extra slice of your

favorite pie isn’t going to kill your progress. But be sure to start over the next day. Slow it down,

certainly, but as long as you can get back into the swing of things quickly, it’ll only represent a

temporary setback.

Go out and enjoy your holiday traditions, just don’t let seasonal weight gain be one of them!

YOU CAN DO IT!!

Documents

Ooooohpie. Cut your own slice. 10) Serve yourself – Same goes with your meal. Serve yourself to keep unwanted food off your plate. 11) Eat a salad at home before going to a holiday