If you’re trying to lose weight, you probably find the holidays to be a real challenge in this area. From the middle of Autumn to the end of the year, we’re surrounded by food. It’s practically nonstop parties and holiday meals between Halloween and New Year’s eve; regardless of which holidays you celebrate, you’re probably seeing food and treats wherever you go. Temptations are everywhere! What can you do to start off the new year without carrying around ten (or maybe even more) extra pounds? If you’re serious about not gaining weight (or even losing some) over the holidays, pay close attention to the pointers we’ll be sharing in this article.
Join a weight loss support group. It is a good idea to join forces with a friend as long as you are positive for each other. Joining a weight loss support group like Weight Watchers is even better. When you have a sounding board, like the meetings are, to help deal with the anxiety that is caused by holidays and the increased temptations, it makes it a lot easier getting through the time period. It might not seem like it, but it is comforting to have a group who are fighting through it just like you are.
For every meal that you make for yourself, focus on healthy ingredients. Do not mistake this for instructions to increase the severity of your diet. One thing you want to avoid is making too much space in your stomach for fattening foods. Instead make sure that the meals you cook are as healthy as they can possibly be so that you can actually use everything you eat and less of it will get stored as fat. If you eat healthy as much as possible for the meals you prepare yourself, the indulgences that you fall prey to won’t be as costly.
The problem with the holiday season is that you see, or are offered an endless barrage of sweet and fattening items, such as holiday cookies, cakes and candies. The holiday season is a time when lots of people do their own baking, and those who don’t bake tend to buy holiday treats from the bakery or store. Delicious looking candies, cookies and cakes are very difficult to say no to. It’s not easy to say "no," but it’s not impossible either! Just be polite and let them know you’re on a diet. Just keep your goals in mind, and make sure you’re friendly and humble about it. Also give yourself permission to cheat every now and then, as this is only human. Simply allow for some treats in your diet plan, but be conscious that you don’t overdo it. We’ve looked at just a few of the ways you can maintain your weight loss plans during the holidays. One point of view is to just eat whatever you want for the holidays and worry about dieting after New Year’s -but this puts lots of unnecessary pressure on you next year. You can do things right now to make it easier to have a good holiday season, stick to your goals and make it to the new year without having to feel guilty.