The ONE Thing You Can do to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

The traditional avoid holiday weight gain tips are to avoid too much alcohol, avoid the sweets, keep your exercise routine, get enough sleep, and manage your stress…DUH! We all know that! That is what my teen boys call ‘having a firm grasp of the obvious’. But in the season where we are all faced with the same burden of “joyful” holiday time commitments…well…we drink more, we eat more sweets, we lose sleep because we are enjoying parties and events and shopping for our Christmas list, and the outcome is higher stress levels. With all that holiday busy-ness, how do we maintain our weight and feel energized?
 
The ONE thing that you can do to avoid holiday weight gain, above all else, is to decide that maintaining your weight is important to you.
 
Like anything else in life, if it’s important to you, then you will place your attention and focus on it and be motivated to change. If it isn’t important to you, then it gets none of that. And--
just saying you want something doesn’t make it come true. You must a have a plan to create a more energized focus. Here are a few holiday party strategies so you can enjoy the holidays without packing on the pounds.  

• Have a nutritious snack before you arrive. This will help you avoid the temptations, cravings or overeating when you see the food table options. Snacking before a party that will have food available is counterintuitive for many people. We seem to look forward to the party in part, because we anticipate the delicious food. We are only human, and many of us eat what is available when we are hungry. If you are unable to snack healthily before the party, then drink a big glass of water before you fill your plate. Not being overly hungry will lead to better food choices and allow you to focus on the pleasure of the company more than the food.

 

• Decide what you will have before you go. The fundamentals of maintaining a healthy weight, especially through the holidays, are the same for all of us. However, our food preferences and approach taken will be different for all of us. You KNOW that an apple is a healthier choice than the Christmas cookie! “Knowing” is not the issue! Remember that the strategy is deciding what is important to you. If standing next to the food table at the party will provoke you to eat more, then walk away from the table. If you don’t care about the entrée food, and are focusing on desert, then your job is to be selective with what desert you choose and be mindful of how much you eat. You might even consider looking up the calorie count to dampen your desert eating desire. Alcohol consumption lowers your inhibitions and you may eat more than you normally would. Know that ahead of time and decide to make only one mindful and healthy plate if you are drinking…and plan for a designated driver.

 

• Focus on what you can have. Focusing on what you can have is always the way. You get more of what you focus on. If you focus on what you “can’t” have, then you are in for a holiday food struggle. Focus on what you can have, create meaning around what you want and know why it is important to you to maintain your weight during the holidays.  Knowing your “why” will make you more successful at finding pleasure and reward in the choices that you do make, rather than focusing on the pain of what you believe you are missing out on.

 
Food will always be a part of life’s celebrations and I am happy it is. The holidays are the best time for enjoying family and friends, counting our blessings, practicing gratitude, and helping those less fortunate. Your energizing focus on those things will have you seeing food as a wonderful adjunct to life’s celebrations with the people we love, and not the other way around. Happy holidays to all and for those who believe as I do, Merry Christmas!
 
Kathryn Scoblick is a certified health and wellness coach with Health Inspires (www.healthinspires.com) and the author of Health Inspires™: Your Way to Sustainable Weight Loss. She uses a holistic approach to inspire each person to reach their full potential and master their wellbeing. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin Mayor’s Health and Fitness Council working on community and organizational health and wellness initiatives, from obesity prevention to mindfulness and stress reduction techniques. Kathryn is VP of Business Development for AblePay Health-helping people with their out of pocket medical expenses, and previously served as Director of Employer Health and Wellness for a large healthcare conglomerate based in Austin, Texas, working with employers on wellness strategies and employee engagement. 
 
 
©Kathryn Scoblick
healthinspires.com

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