Avoid Holiday Weight Gain with These Tips from a Top Trainer!

The holidays bring about festive parties, decadent holiday drinks, and endless delicious dinner buffets. The holidays also bring about tons of sneaky ways to pack on the pounds.

As exciting as the holidays are, this is also a time of year when high calorie meals and drinks are flowing. The holiday season also tends to bring about stress and anxiety which can lead to overeating and indulging in fatty, sugary foods that lead to unexpected weight gain. Avoid any accidental weight gain this season with these trusty tips from Oprah’s very own trainer, Bob Greene!  

Stop Emotional Overeating

We wait all year for this magical season, but for many people, the holidays can lead to depression, pressure, stress, fatigue and family tension. It’s not uncommon for people struggling with stress and depression to reach for fatty foods when they’re trying to cope. Greene explains, “It’s so funny that we’ll look to save 50 calories by switching out an item, but then we’ll do 400 calories worth of damage because we are trying to comfort ourselves over a bad relationship or a job that we can’t stand…Resolving those issues in your life is the key.”

Nip your emotional eating in the bud and find solutions (that have nothing to do with food) to help you deal with your issues! Greene recommends making a list of the most important areas of your life and finding some ways to improve them. A few ways you can do this is writing a letter to a relative, working on a new project, or catching up with a friend.

Plan Ahead

 

The holidays are full of so many scrumptious temptations! You may not be able to avoid every event where there’s food, but you can prepare yourself and plan ahead! Avoid overeating at a holiday soiree by eating a healthy snack and hydrating yourself ahead of time. It’s also a good idea to remind yourself of why you want to stick with healthy eating habits. Are you working on a fitness goal? Do you want clearer skin, or are you trying to fit into a cute outfit for New Years Eve? These are all reasons not to overindulge at your next holiday party!

Shift The Focus Away From Food

What do the holidays mean to you? For many, the holidays are a time to gather with loved ones. The holidays are all about meaningful traditions, building bonds and creating lasting memories. Unfortunately, it’s hard to ignore the fact that food is a large part of these traditions and celebrations. Greene encourages us to “Make holiday get-togethers focused more on the people and experiences….That way your satisfaction from the event is no longer about overindulging in food and drink.” Don’t dwell on the food surrounding you. Take the focus off of all the indulgent food and turn your attention to socializing and spending time with your loved ones. If you need something to keep your hands busy and distract yourself from the endless appetizers, offer to play with the kids in the snow, tend to the fire, or help trim the tree!

Restructure Your Workouts

During the holidays, you may find yourself skipping workouts or neglecting them altogether — but this is the time of year when you really need to burn those calories and work off all that stress! It may be too cold to go for a run or you may not feel like heading to the gym after work, but there are other ways to get in a good workout!

Greene suggests working out at home to keep up with your workout routine during the holidays!

It may seem difficult to avoid all of the tempting foods and drinks during the holiday season. You may get so caught up in the overwhelming number of events and activities surrounding the holidays, that you put your healthy diet and steady workouts on hold. Fortunately, you can plan ahead, adjust your workout routine, and nip emotional eating in the bud to help you stay on track and keep the pounds off!