Lose Weight By Christmas: How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain During The Winter Season

It is undeniable that even the most health-conscious people indulged on Thanksgiving while enjoying family and togetherness. Many may have overindulged, which is understandable, as apple pies, egg nog and candied yams are hard to resist. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average person gains less than 5 pounds over the winter holiday season, and most are not able to lose the weight afterward.

“Weight gain over the holidays is a large part of the typical weight gain that adults have over the years,” says Dr. Jack Yanovski, head of the Unit on Growth and Obesity at NIH.

After Thanksgiving, there are 3 ½ weeks until Christmas, another holiday for which families tend to cook dishes similar to those made in November. You can help combat long-term weight gain by losing weight in between the holidays. Here are some tips for losing weight by Christmas:

-Never skip meals. Many people falsely believe that if they skip breakfast, they will consume fewer calories during the day and lose weight. However, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and skipping that meal most likely leads to more weight gain. Breakfast revs up your metabolism and gives you the energy necessary to begin your day. It also helps keep you from overeating snack foods later on in the day. Just make sure your breakfast is healthy and nutritious and includes fiber, like oatmeal, which keeps you feeling fuller longer.

-Exercising is essential to losing weight, and during the winter season, more people tend to skip their workouts as opposed to other times of the year. Avoid this mistake by making the gym, or a home workout, part of your daily routine. You should set aside 30 minutes at least to work up a sweat, and it does not have to be at the gym. Burning calories can be achieved through running outside, yoga, pilates, weight training, going to the pool, or simply playing with your children. In addition to promoting weight loss, exercising also helps you deal with stress and suppresses your appetite.

- Avoiding high-fat foods is a simple change in your diet that will lead to weight loss. Cutting back on foods high in fat will most likely lead to you cutting down on the calories. Changes to your diet could be as simple as swapping candy for fruit and white bread for whole wheat.