Tag: keep from gaining weight

10 Ways to Enjoy The Holidays Without the Weight Gain

It’s that time of year again! The Christmas decorations are going up and the parties have already begun.

Personally, I am so excited we are entering this time of year! However, from years of experience in the fitness industry, I know some of you are already thinking about how to enjoy the holidays without the weight gain. You might even be a bit nervous about succeeding.

The good news is it is totally possible  to enjoy the holidays without the weight gain!  All you need to do is follow some easy tips:

1) If you are currently losing weight congratulations! During the holidays, I recommend you set a very vital yet realistic goal. Maintain your weight. If you maintain your weight, you are already ahead when January comes! Keep it simple and realistic.

2) Now is not the time to stop exercising. As tempting as it is to skip exercise and snuggle on the couch with a glass of wine or cup of your favorite hot beverage, you want to get your calories burned so you can enjoy the special treats without the unwanted pounds.

3) Plan ahead. Schedule all your commitments for the season on your calendar. Schedule exercise time too. You may decide to exercise at home rather than drive to a gym. Try a mini-trampoline or an exercise video.

On days that are tightly scheduled, do your best to commit to a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise to keep your momentum and your metabolism boosted. Take advantage of every opportunity to be active that comes up.  Something is always better than nothing. Every minute of exercise counts!

4)  Do some off line shopping. You can get in your exercise while supporting your local businesses and salespeople. Win-win.

5)  Pay attention to portion sizes. Scan the table before serving yourself to help you plan your meal. Take larger portions of the fruits and veggies and smaller than normal portions of the richer fare like scalloped potatoes, prime rib, desserts, etc. Watch the dressings on the salad– put it on yourself and be conservative. Go for the dressings that will drip to the bottom of the bowl.

6)  If you do not already track your daily calorie intake, consider keeping track for the next 37 days to catch any potential weight gain before it happens.

Remember, it boils down to calories burned versus calories consumed, so choose treats wisely. Most of us only need about 1500-2000 calories daily, depending on the type of exercise we do and how much “lifestyle” activity we do each day. Save the higher calories for super special treats. Trade-offs work well. For example, if I have a glass of champagne, I will probably have only a bite of dessert.

7)  Wear form fitting clothes. This is a great way to keep weight from piling on. You will know if your weight is out of whack if those jeans feel a bit snug. You can take action to prevent further gain. – Courtesy of InStyle magazine

8)  Lighten up traditional recipes. Got to have your pumpkin pie? That’s okay! Choose lighter recipes than the more traditional fare. Cooking Light is one of my favorite magazines; however, there are many recipes on the web that have been modified to reduce calories and taste delicious.

9)  Avoid showing up to a party hungry. Keep low calorie snacks like fruit with you.  Eating something before you arrive will keep you from eating mindlessly. When you are starving, the tiny quiches look much more appealing than the fruit and veggie platters.

10) There are only a few days that are actual holidays–eat normally the rest of the days. Allow yourself to indulge on the actual holidays themselves — like Christmas Day, the 8 days of Hanukkah, or New Year’s Eve.

On the rest of the days, stick as close to your normal healthy eating plan as possible. If you allow yourself a daily treat, that’s the time to work in a small piece of peppermint bark, or a small cookie.

Use these tips and you can enjoy the holidays without stressing out about the weight gain

If you have any personal secrets to keep you from gaining weight during the holidays, I’d love to hear about them.  You can share them by leaving a comment below!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

How To Avoid Weight Gain When Your Exercise Routine Is Interrupted

Making it Happen

 

It’s no secret that a successful long term exercise routine takes effort and planning.  Planning when and how you will exercise ahead of time increases your chances that you will stick to your routine.

However, if you are human then you know that “stuff” happens. Things like a new job, an injury, a new baby, starting a business, or the illness of a family member can easily put your carefully planned exercise schedule on the back burner. It’s normal and it can happy to anyone!

It’s important to be aware that these interruptions can lead to weight gain.  However, with the right back up plan, you can keep weight gain at bay!

Four Strategies for Dealing with Interruptions in Your Exercise Routine

 

1)  A little goes a long way!  Do your best. Incorporate as much lifestyle activity into your day as you can. Activities like walking to get a meal, or to run an errand; taking the stairs,’ or standing rather than sitting will help you burn extra calories.

If you’re recovering from an injury or illness, find out what exercise your doctor will allow and do as much as you can while waiting to go back to your normal routine.

2)  Don’t be afraid to ask for help! It seems like ‘do it yourself’ has become more and more common these days. If your exercise routine has been interrupted due to additional responsibilities, consider out sourcing daily tasks to free up some of your time. Look for ways you can out source in your personal and/or professional life.

3)  Cut the calories! When your exercise routine gets interrupted, you normally burn fewer calories per day. Unfortunately, the tendency is to increase caloric intake when you should be cutting back. Some of the more common reasons for this include stress, lack of time, and the inability to cook for yourself.

If you are unable to meal plan and cook for yourself, consider having healthy meals delivered. You can use a service like Magic Kitchen or an in-house personal chef who prepares meals in your home.

When eating out, try to check the menus online ahead of time and use sites like healthydiningfinder.com or loseit.com to check the calories in your choices. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to choose the lower calorie options and avoid the weight gain that is caused by eating out often.

Pay attention to emotional eating. If you know that stress triggers you to over eat, avoid buying high calorie snack foods just to have around. Come up with a plan for redirecting the cravings to a different behavior. Activities like taking a short walk, meditating, praying, reading a book, checking email, or listening to music can take your mind off the craving until it disappears.

Boredom can also cause you to snack. Boredom can occur while recovering from an injury or illness, or when caring for a loved one who is recovering. Just like with the emotional eating, find other activities to occupy your time and keep the high calorie snack foods out of reach.

4) Tell guilt to take a hike! Interrupting your exercise routine to take care of important priorities in your life is sometimes necessary. It happens to everyone, so give yourself some grace and move on knowing you’ll start back up with your normal routine as soon as you are able.

Guilt is a potential trigger for binging and can cause additional weight gain. So tell it to leave if it tries to enter your mind!

With today’s fast paced lifestyle, it’s work to juggle all of your priorities. Make sure to include your health and self care as one of them! 🙂

Please let me know if you have any questions by using the comment section below.  I really enjoy hearing from you!

To your long term success!

Jennifer