When you're on a diet, holidays often are associated with falling off the wagon of your weight loss goals. But just because the holiday season means you might get some time off of work doesn't mean the work you're putting into your diet gets a break as well. Stay on track this holiday season with these tips for weight loss during the holidays.
Try to Lose Even More Weight
Some people like to use the holidays as a time to go on a Christmas weight loss challenge. Rather than succumb to what seems like an impossible time of the year to lose weight, why not fight back?
Can you make your weight efforts even more committed over the holidays to launch into the New Year feeling better than ever before? It takes a commitment, but if you think about it, challenging yourself to lose weight over the holidays can make them more fun by avoiding the monotony of the dreaded food coma from setting in and turning your Christmas into a lethargic day of weight gain.
Water is Your Friend
The key to getting through your diet holidays is water, water and more water. Before eating a holiday meal, drink at least one large glass of water 30 minutes beforehand. Thebenefits of drinking water to lose weight include not only creating a greater sense of being full during meals but water also helps to stimulate your metabolism system to burn off those unwanted calories being consumed over Christmas.
Since holidays and alcohol often go hand-in-hand, these holidays alternate between an alcoholic beverage and a full glass of water. This helps avoid unwanted weight gain from alcohol calories and certainly goes a long way towards cutting down on the unwanted effects of hangovers.
I'm Dreaming of a Boring Christmas
Boredom in food variety is a good thing for your diet; holidays often involve a large variety of options at the dinner table, but try limiting yourself to a few boring choices. Variety in food choices stimulates appetite. These holidays, limit yourself to just two or three different foods during each meal. This tricks the body into accepting being fuller sooner since there are no more fun new foods to try.
When making your diet holidays food choices, stick to high protein foodsand vegetables. As a rule, starchy foods high in carbohydrates as well as sweet dessert items are the worst foods you can choose from during the holidays.
Keep Yourself Busy
By keeping yourself and your hands occupied over the holidays, you can maintain your diet effectively. One tip is to always have a glass of water in your hand. This makes it harder to pile food onto a plate. Chewing gum can be another good idea for avoiding mindless holiday snacking.
Additionally, use the holidays to keep your diet in place by helping out friends and family members around the house. For most families, the holidays are just as hectic as they are relaxing. Pitch in with a helping hand to keep yourself active, busy and moving. You can volunteer to wrap gifts, run errands to pick up last minute items, shovel the driveway, and clean up the mess made by the guests at your holiday party.
Do Your Best
Let's face it, diet and holidays are like water and electricity. When it comes down to it, you may find it inevitable to maintain the rigorous demands of a weight loss and exercise program while participating in holiday festivities. Don't beat yourself up over it. Do your very best and if you gain a pound or two over Christmas, know that it's only temporary since you'll be coming back to your New Year's weight loss goals with a new level of determination in a matter of days.
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