10 Dec Minimizing Weight Gain During the Holidays

The holidays are almost here, which means it is time for parties, gatherings, holiday stress—and for many of us, all of the holiday weight gain that comes with the season. It can be really easy to gain weight during the holidays, especially with all of the large meals, snacks and treats at work and holiday parties that come with the season. The average adult, gains, on average about a pound during the holidays—so this year, challenge yourself to take care of your health (and your waistline) and minimize your weight gain during the season.

 Here are some holiday-ready tips to get you started.

Make Getting Active a Social Activity

The holidays are all about spending time with friends and family. So, why not make your exercise programs all about friends and friendly. Sign up for holiday 5K runs, get together and walk with your father-in-law, or put together a big Thanksgiving football game in the front yard. When you make staying physical a family-friendly or social event, it can help you stick with your holiday season while keeping those extra pounds at bay.

Watch Your Snacking

In reality, it isn’t going to be the one big Thanksgiving meal you have around the holidays that causes you to gain that extra holiday weight—it is going to be the consistent additional eating throughout the holiday season. A great way to make sure that you don’t gain extra weight during the holidays is to cut back on the snacking. This means munching on the treats your coworkers bring in, having all the extra passed apps at holiday parties, and eating those holiday sweets.

Get More Sleep

This may seem difficult, especially during the holiday season, but getting more sleep is a great way to make sure that you help keep your waistline trim. Sleep deprivation is common during the holidays. Sleep deprivation can cause weight gain, as being tired can lead to excess hunger and not enough energy to exercise.

Control Your Stress

This can be another difficult feat during the holiday season—but it is one that will really help you with that extra weight gain. Keeping up with the demands of holiday obligations can be a lot. However, that extra stress can cause you to have abnormally high levels of cortisol (the hormone that your body gives off to respond to stress). These high cortisol levels can lead to higher food intake and weight gain if you aren’t careful.

If you are looking for more information on minimizing holiday weight gain, call LT Men’s Clinic a call today to schedule an appointment at 817-369-3605. We can not only help you with proven strategies to lessen your weight gain this time of year, but we can also help you with proven weight loss programs that can actually help you lose weight during this time of year.