Maintain Weight During Holidays Lose weight after they're over

The holiday season is upon us. Other than trying to figure out what to buy for their loved ones, nothing weighs more on the minds of many people than how to avoid gaining weight during the holiday season.
Depending on which expert or study you read, the amount of weight gain from Thanksgiving to New Years can range from 1-10 pounds. In one study, researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) concluded that Americans who are of average weight gain about one pound during the winter holiday season. That is the good news. The bad news is that this modest increase in weight tends to “stick” around and may accumulate over a lifetime. So this one pound increase becomes like the unwanted, un-returnable gift that keeps on giving. In terms of those who are already overweight, research suggests they tend to gain even more weight (on average 5 lbs.) during the holiday season. Hence, those who are overweight are at greater risk of gaining weight at this festive time of year.
Calories Count
While experts may debate about how many pounds on average are gained during the holiday season, one thing is certain. Compared to other times of the year the amount of calories consumed during the winter holidays increases dramatically. Make no mistake about it, calories can add up unsuspectingly fast. All other factors contributing to weight gain were equal (e.g., type-quality of food, physical activity, stress levels, thyroid function, genetics, hormones, etc.), caloric intake is at the center of putting on unwanted, excess pounds, whether that be during the holiday season or any other time of year.
Whether or not you gain weight distills down to one fundamental principle. That is, despite the nutritional, bio-chemical, physiologic, genetic or behavioral-psychological reason, if you consume more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight, no matter if those calories come from carbohydrates, fats or protein. It is a myth that only eating fat will make a person fat. At the end of the nutritional day, managing your weight becomes balancing the number of calories you eat each day, with the number of calories you burn. For example, one pound of body fat is equivalent to 3500 calories. If you were interested in losing one pound of fat in a week, then you would have to burn 3500 calories more than what you typically consume in seven days.
Calories count. Hence, it is more nutritionally prudent to be mindful of how many calories you are consuming at any given meal, despite the touted advice of those who say counting calories is ineffective. Weight management is in large measure about counting the calories.
Nutritional Strategies To Manage Your Weight
There are a number of scientifically based and expert-oriented recommendations you can use as nutritional strategies to control your caloric intake, thereby, managing your weight and preventing the gaining of unwanted holiday pounds. The recommendations are intended to help you manage your weight. They do not necessarily represent a diet program designed to lose weight. Rather, the recommendations are nutritional strategies to help you maintain your current weight. It is possible that if you put all of the recommended nutritional strategies into practice, you may lose some weight. If you do manage to lose some weight, then this is so much the better. Consider the weight loss a gift to yourself.
Furthermore, some of the recommendations given below may seem obvious and ordinary. However, do not be misled because their effectiveness in managing weight is supported by scientific research and sound advice from nutritional and health experts. If taken together, the recommendations will increase your chances of maintaining your current weight, while enjoying the holidays.
There is no one nutritional strategy that will serve as a silver bullet to keep you from gaining weight. The holiday goal of maintaining your current weight is more likely to be achieved if you make a plan that includes more than one nutritional strategy. The recommendations are designed to introduce balance, variety, moderation and common sense into your daily holiday diet.
Avoid Starting A New Diet
One of the biggest mistakes people make is to start a weight-loss diet during the holiday season, a time when food is in abundance and the opportunities to eat are many. Wait until after the holidays to start any new diet program. You may even be able to use the other recommended nutritional strategies discussed below to lose weight in the coming year, making them part of your healthy lifestyle.
Remember, it is easier to manage weight than to lose it. Set yourself up for success and not failure. Common sense dictates that it is better to wait to start a new diet until the holidays are over. Even if you are overweight, the holiday season is not a good time to begin a diet program. The better strategy is to maintain your present weight and not to attempt to lose weight.
Drink Lots of Water
One of the most important things you can do to manage your weight during the holidays is to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. There are at least four good reasons to make drinking lots of water part of your weight-management program. First, water is heavily implicated with the body’s metabolism in that it speeds up or powers the metabolism’s bio-chemical processes, thereby, burning calories. If your metabolism is allowed to slow down, then you will burn fewer calories, making it more difficult to prevent weight gain.
Second, water is the most natural appetite suppressant you can put into your body. It creates a feeling satiety or fullness, making you less inclined to eat. One way to maximize appetite suppressant effect of water is to drink eight ounces of water right before a meal.
Third, not drinking enough water can result in dehydration, which causes fatigue and the desire to eat in order to get some energy, which in turn results in consuming unnecessary calories to become stored as fat. Dehydration also slows down your metabolism causing you to burn fewer calories. If you are concerned about weight gain due to drinking too much water, you should not be. It is the dehydration that causes water retention and not the consumption of water. When your body is dehydrated, it will tend to hold on to whatever water it has.
Fourth, an insufficient amount of water impedes the digestion, absorption and assimilation of food and its nutrients. This leads to cravings and hunger pangs, which leads to eating and the consumption of unnecessary calories and ultimately contributes to weight gain.
In short, drinking water throughout the day, especially before a meal, will assist you greatly in eating less, burning more calories and preventing weight gain.
Practice Portion Control
Portion control (i.e., reducing serving size) is one of the most effective and proven nutritional strategies to either maintain or lose weight. In a study reported in 2004 in the journal, Obesity Research, portion control accounted for the most weight lost than increasing planned exercise, increasing regular physical activity, cutting back on dietary fat or eating more fruits and vegetables. This is not to say that these other weight management strategies are not effective. Rather, it is to say, that portion control is a frontline nutritional strategy in maintaining or losing weight.
I recommend that you go to the web site of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health for examples of visual equivalents of what constitutes one serving size of particular foods in the categories of grain products, vegetables and fruits, dairy and cheese products and meat and alternatives. It is a useful government web site providing extensive and practical information on portion control.
Here are some examples of visual equivalents from the web site to help you determine what constitutes one serving size for a particular food:
One cup of cereal flakes is equivalent to a fist.
One cup of salad greens is equivalent to a baseball.
One-half ounce of cheese is equivalent to four stacked dice or two cheese slices.
Three ounces of meat, fish and poultry is equivalent to a deck of cards.
Other examples are given at the web site, along with cards on which there are different food categories and visual examples of what constitutes one serving for a particular type of food. The cards can be cut out, laminated and put into a wallet or purse.
Portion control is about practicing moderation and putting the concept in the forefront of your mind. If you are not accustomed to practicing portion control, it might take several attempts to change the behavior of piling food on a plate and digging into it. Also, eat slowly to help you moderate your food intake and wait a few minutes before giving into the temptation to go back for seconds. It takes a little bit of time for the brain to send the signal or create the feeling that you are satiated or full. Engage in mindful eating instead of the mindless consumption of calories.
Eat Small Meals Throughout The Day
Avoid falling into the trap of starving yourself, especially on those days when you will be attending some sort of holiday festivity. It is a myth that skipping meals will bring about weight loss. You are better off in the long run to eat at least three and preferably four to five small meals during the day. This will keep your metabolic rate up (thereby burning calories) and create a feeling of satiety or otherwise feeling full. Skipping meals is a sure way to gain weight because it can trigger an increase in appetite, binge eating and feeling “flat” or as if you do not have any energy. In short, it is nutritionally smarter to eat less and more often throughout the day. If by chance you get hungry between meals, try eating what I call “squirrel food,” that is, raw fruits, berries and vegetables, along with some nuts. My motto is, “If it’s good enough for the squirrels, its good enough for me.” You can also include the reliable in-between snack of plain yogurt or a low-carbohydrate version of yogurt.
In addition to not starving yourself, eating smaller meals throughout the day will allow the opportunity to practice portion control. Remember, you can still gain weight by eating a lot of healthy, nutritious food. While quality of food is an important nutritional issue and you want to avoid eating unhealthy foods because they can accelerate putting on the pounds, weight gain ultimately remains a function of consuming more calories than you burn, whether or not those calories come from healthy or unhealthy food.
Avoid Eating “Bad” Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates in and of themselves are not bad. In fact, carbohydrates are essential to a healthful diet. They are the master fuel for the body. Carbohydrates provide the necessary “good” calories, vitamins, minerals and fiber needed to meet the energy demands of the physical activities of our day-to-day lives and to perform those activities in a vigorous and energetic way. The nutritional trick is to eat the “good” carbohydrates derived from fruits and vegetables. The “bad” carbohydrates are found in foods made from highly processed white sugar and white flour. Highly refined white flour and white sugar in the form of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are found in many of the foods served during the holiday season such as cakes, cookies, candy, crackers, soft drinks, pastries, potatoes and white rice to name a few. These refined carbohydrate foods contain lots of empty, non-nutritional calories and are high on the glycemic index (GI) scale. Eating foods with a high GI index rating will cause a rapid spike in your insulin levels. Elevated insulin levels leads to the body storing more fat than it normally would, resulting in weight gain.
If you want to maintain your weight during the holidays, resist the temptation of eating those calorie-loaded, high-glycemic “bad carbohydrates.” If you eat them, then there is a good chance you will not be able to maintain your current weight. Hence, it is a nutritional sin you want to avoid committing.
Eat A Balance of Carbohydrates, Fats & Protein
Eating a balanced diet consisting of carbohydrates, fats and protein is fundamental to weight management. Diets high or low in one or the other of these macronutrients over extended periods of time eventually leads to all sorts of health problems and nutritional imbalances and deficiencies. For example, eating a diet high in carbohydrates will trigger insulin release. High insulin levels tend to result in the body storing fat. Eating complex carbohydrates and “good: fats will serve to counterbalance or otherwise offset the carb-insulin get fat effect. Eating a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat results in other potential problems, from of which one of which are low energy levels and feeling lethargic, constipation from an adequate amount of dietary fiber, an overworking of the liver and kidneys and diminished cognitive functioning from lack of proper nourishment (i.e., glucose & essential fatty acids) to the brain.
Use common sense and follow the old adage of eating a balanced diet. Following the guidelines set by The USDA has set the following guidelines for the consumption of macronutrients:
45%-65% of calories derived from carbohydrates
20%-35% of calories derived from fats
10%-35% of calories derived from protein
If you would like more information on the USDA’s recommendations dietary guidelines, click here.
Avoid Those “Lethal” Liquid Calories
Another nutritional trap people fall into during the holidays is to assume that it is better to substitute liquid calories for calories from solid food. Liquid calories are stealth calories in that they add up without you knowing it. Going to a holiday party and just drinking alcohol, soft drinks, juices or other liquids loaded with calories will rack up the calories and make it more difficult for you to manage your weight. Moreover, it is important to understand that the bio-chemical mechanisms controlling hunger and thirst are different. As it turns out, liquid calories do not cause the brain to send the signal that you are full. Hence, you will more than likely end up eating anyway and maybe even overeating, leading to the consumption of calories above and beyond the liquid calories you already consumed.
Liquid candy (e.g., soft drinks, juices, etc.) and liquid pleasure (i.e., alcohol) will make you gain weight. Again, it is recommended to remain mindful about what you are consuming in terms of calories during the holidays and know that liquid calories are lethal.
Include A Lot of Fiber In Your Diet
Including fiber rich foods (i.e., grains, fruits, vegetables & legumes) or supplemental forms of fiber in your diet during the holidays will increase the odds of maintaining your current weight. It is well documented in the literature that eating fiber will assist in short and long term weight management. Dietary fiber has fewer calories per serving, decreases hunger and creates a sense of satiety between meals by slowing down digestion, balances blood sugar and insulin levels, improves the absorption, digestion, and assimilation of food and supports maintaining normal levels of C-reactive protein, glucose, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides. It is recommended that you included 25-35 grams of fiber in your diet per day. Be sure to drink plenty of water when eating fiber to prevent constipation and improve digestion and elimination.
Take Supplements for Weight Control
It is important to take nutritional supplements during the holidays so that you can provide your body the nutrients its needs to stay healthy. At a minimum, it is recommended that you take a good multiple vitamin and mineral formula. Use the multiple as the foundation of your supplement protocol. Augment the multiple vitamin and mineral formula with the taking of probiotics, digestive enzymes, essential fatty acids, antioxidants (e.g., Alpha lipoic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and selenium), aged garlic and co-enzyme Q 10. All of these nutritional compounds taken in combination with a multiple vitamin and mineral formula will help keep your digestive and immune system healthy.
In addition to keeping your body healthy, you can take nutritional supplements to help you maintain your current weight. These supplements will help to burn excess fat, moderate your appetite and speed up your metabolism, all of which will assist you in controlling the amount of calories you consume.
Some compounds that can help in the burning of fat include: conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), green tea, acetyl-L-carnitine, 7-Keto DHEA and citrus aurantium.
A standardized extract, made from white kidney beans that can block the absorption of starchy foods (e.g., pasta, potatoes, bread, rice & baked goods) is Phase 2.
Some products that can assist in suppressing the appetite include, Gena Slim by Country Life, Hoodia 24 by Vitalogic and Relacore by Basic Research.
Other products that have a thermogenic effect or otherwise can increase metabolism include, Xenadrine EFX by Cytodyne , Hydroxycut by MuscleTech, Thermo DynamX by EAS and Thermonex by BSN.
Maintain Your Healthy Eating Habits
You may already practice many of the nutritional recommendations outlined above. If you do, then keep on practicing them this holiday season. Remember, it is easier to manage weight than to lose it. If your diet and approach to eating do not include the recommended nutritional strategies, then it would be of great benefit to try and include as many of them as you can into your day-to-day nutritional life. Instead of trying to implement all of them at once, you might consider trying one or two at a time. Managing weight is in great part behavioral in nature because eating habits are just that, ways of behaving. It is good to have a positive attitude about managing and losing weight. However, attitudes and beliefs about diet and food have to be put into action in order to either maintain or lose weight. You just cannot think the excess pounds away or think your body into staying at its current weight. You can lay a foundation for success by being patient and knowing that it takes time to change eating habits. Practice makes perfect. I learned as a musician that if you do not practice, you lose interest. This principle applies to managing weight as it does to playing a musical instrument.
Conclusion
Given all of the food temptations during the holiday season, it is a more realistic goal to maintain your current weight than it would be to try and lose weight. Maintaining your weight during the holidays is an achievable goal, provided you keep a balance between calories consumed and calories burned and provided you use more than one nutritional strategy.
Drink water, practice portion control, eat “good” carbohydrates, eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats and protein, moderate your intake of high caloric beverages, including alcohol, introduce more fiber into your diet, take supplements, continue any cardiovascular exercise (even moderate walking for a half hour) and do not abandon your existing healthy eating habits. Don't forget, always consult your physician if you have any medical conditions. All ten of these nutritional strategies in combination will increase your chances of maintaining your current weight during the holiday season, while keeping you healthy at the same time.
The best of health to your and families during this holiday season.