How to Prevent The Christmas Holidays from Ruining your Weight-loss Routine

The Christmas holidays are usually a time of joy, but for someone on a strict weight loss program, they can be traumatic. It’s not unusual for 8 months worth of dieting to be undone just over the course of the holiday break. This article will provide a list of what holiday foods and habits to avoid, as well as some methods to stay psychologically disciplined enough to resist particularly strong food cravings.

The two principles (and complementary) reasons that people put on weight over the holidays are that they get less exercise and overeat at numerous holiday events. Thus, one must ramp up their physical activities, and additionally be extra disciplined regarding what they eat.

For starters, make being as active as possible your prime directive. Yes, it is true that typical December weather is not exactly conducive to outdoor activities, but look at things from this perspective: your body burns more calories when it’s cold. So unless is right and properly dreary, go ahead and walk to do your errands and remember to take the stairs whenever possible.

Obviously, even the most dedicated person isn’t going to walk in a blizzard, but just because the weather is temporarily against and you have to take a break from your daily constitutional run is no excuse to become one with your couch. There’s no need to invest in expensive exercise equipment to fill in these “snow days”, but simple repetitive exercises like squats and push-ups can burn up plenty of calories if you do sufficient reps. Additionally, you can get creative with figuring out ways to break a sweat. Many people put on quite a bit of weight at the numerous office, family, and community functions that occur at Christmastime. So if there’s any dancing going on, that would be a far better way of sticking to your weight loss goals than throwing back the pints or devouring those tempting holiday snacks.

When it comes to weight gain from traditional Christmas dishes, it’s important to remember that it’s not inevitable. Too many people instinctively bake a traditional Christmas cake, that then gets left half-uneaten, so they end up consuming it all to keep it from going to waste. But do you actually LIKE Christmas cake? If it can be avoided, and particularly if nobody is keen on having it, then don’t include it in your Christmas shopping list!

Additionally, don’t buy up half the supermarket a few days before Christmas. Don’t let the knowledge that the markets will be closed for a few days trick you into buying enough food to survive an asteroid collision!

One ought to keep a food and fitness diet regime journal throughout the holidays. It has been proven that those who keep an eye on what they try to eat and document their progress enjoy more success with weight reduction. People who focus on the things they eat can lose a double the level of body fat of people who aren’t quite so conscientious.

Keeping a huge supply of walnuts on hand can also help you with your holiday weight loss objectives. Walnuts are very filling, don’t pack too much fat, and can also be a yummy treat. Eat up to a half-dozen at a time. You’ll see that they work wonders for taking the edge of your food cravings!

Make an effort to stay away from eating before heading to fall asleep for the night. Although this is usually easier in theory, it is worth it to heed these suggestions because any food items that you eat before sleeping is ultimately kept as body fat, instead of getting used up by physical activity.

Banish all negative opinions including “I can’t” or “It’s extremely hard”. Yes, the shortbread may appear irresistible, yes your auntie makes the best gravy in all of Yorkshire, but if you would like to have good results in weight reduction, a psychological discipline is key. Your thought process must remain positive, for example, “I can resist this temptation,” not “I can’t eat this”

So now that it’s clear that your unwanted holiday weight gain issues are due to bad habits (and fear of the weather), do not fatalistically give up maintaining or even reducing your weight this holiday season!