“My favorite part of the holiday season is blaming my long-term weight gain on the holiday season.”–Unkown
Did you get enough to eat? Most of us were overfed the last few days. Weight management took a brief vacation, eh? Now, it is time to get on track, again—before the next wave of holiday overindulgence.
So, you went a bit overboard. All is not lost. The key is to remember that it is our lifelong habits that shape our bodies—literally. It is not the events of a few days. How about this: give a scale a brief vacation and focus on getting back to your healthy habits (or getting to healthy habits, if you have not been eating right and exercising).
First, don’t punish yourself for indulging in some delicious food and drink. Focus on the healthy habits that have the long-term affect on your Physical well-being.
Second, don’t think you can redeem your behavior by depriving yourself. Eat healthy. Don’t go looking for the latest fad diet.
Weight management is a lifestyle. According to the “setpoint” theory, your body will naturally adjust to the minor indiscretions of the Thanksgiving Holiday. You don’t have to force your weight to adjust.
K.I.S.S. is not just a great rock band. K.I.S.S. is the acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid. In other words, don’t overcomplicate this diet and exercise thing. Maybe focus on a just slightly more aggressive approach to losing fat in preparation for the destructive storm that is coming between December 24th and January 2nd. I call it “preemptive fat loss”.
During the weeks between the holidays, be a bit more calorie-restrictive. Cut a couple hundred extra calories out of your normal plan and add a little more exercise and physical activity. Don’t go extreme, though.
Choose your foods wisely. Be a bit more restrictive of carbohydrates (maybe cutting 0.5 grams per pound of body weight)—maintaining sufficient carbohydrates to fuel your level of activity. Limit sugary foods and drinks. Focus of nutrient dense, low calorie foods. Eat a lot of filling veggies and salads. Get adequate protein—at least a palm-size serving of protein per meal. Eat two thumb-sized servings of healthy fats with each meal, as well. Drink a lot of water—no calories here, and filling up on water can ward off hunger pangs (not to mention increase physical activity with frequent trips to the bathroom!). Cut the foods that are calorie dense and not necessary for good health—i.e., limit desserts! Cutting out sweets will make them less appealing and more rewarding come the next round of holiday celebrations.
Exercise! If your health and fitness levels permit, do a few sessions of high-intensity interval training a week. Lift weights. Both of these activities will have a greater affect on fat-burning than long, continuous-intensity “cardio” sessions. Sweat, but don’t sweat the details. Just move as much as possible.
Limit alcohol consumption between the holidays—maybe a bit more than usual. A few tips: a shot of liquor is roughly 100 kcals (add high calorie liquids and calories can soar); a 5-ounce glass of wine has 125 kcal; and beer can range widely. With beer, I consider that, for every %ABV, there are 30 kcal in a 12-ounce glass/bottle. Calories can add up quickly. Many craft beers are 7-8% ABV (or higher!). This is 210-240 kcal per 12 oz serving (280-320 kcal per pint!!). Choosing a good tasting session-style beer (4-5% ABV) can save 120-160 kcal per pint!
The biggest factor to consider in body fat management is caloric balance: eucaloric (calories in = calories out) leads to a stable body weight; hypercaloric (calories in > calories out) leads to weight gain; and hypocaloric (calories in < calories out) leads to weight loss. You will want to be in a slightly greater hypocaloric state, if your long-term goal is fat loss. (Thus, the inevitable holiday hypercaloric indulgences will be less damaging to the long-term progress.) If you are already at a healthy weight, you are fine to be a bit more eucaloric. Allowing yourself to gradually turn down your “setpoint” body weight between holidays will limit the destructiveness of the holidays to your body composition. If, however, you allow the holidays to stretch from November through the New Year, the excess calories will move the numbers up on the scale.
Patience. You will have opportunity to enjoy what the holiday chefs and bakers have in store—in moderation—soon enough.