Americans gain on average 2-5 lbs per year, with most of that occurring between Halloween and Christmas. Yes, you read that correctly. During the holiday season, most people adopt a “fuck it all!” attitude when it comes to their nutrition and go completely off the rails. Then they feel guilty and set a New Year’s Resolution to lose the weight they’ve gained over the holidays. If they’re successful, they rinse and repeat the following year. If they’re not, and most people aren’t, they continue to gain weight year after year.
So, how can YOU avoid falling into this trap? We’ve got a bunch of tips for you to help manage holiday eating.
Things to Avoid:
Generally speaking, we prefer an additive approach to nutrition. That is, focus on adding things in, rather than cutting things out. Avoidance is not typically sustainable. That’s okay in this case because we’re only looking at short-term mitigation.
Tip #1: Avoid food shopping when you’re hungry. You’re going to see all kinds of goodies at the store – candies, baked goods, festive holiday drinks, etc. If you’re hungry while shopping, you’re more likely to buy these things. In the words of Mr. Miyagi, “Best block, no be there.” Similarly, the best self-discipline is to not have access to tempting foods. Don’t buy them in the first place, and then you don’t have to control yourself. Shopping when already sated can help you there.
Tip #2: Similarly, avoid attending holiday parties on an empty stomach. It can be tempting to “save your calories” for the party, but that is a recipe for overindulging. Holiday foods tend to be hypercaloric, and DELICIOUS. It’s super easy to overconsume. Try to eat earlier in the day to limit your tendency to binge.
Things to Implement:
Tip #1: Focus on protein. While we emphasize this all year long, it’s especially true during the holidays. Protein keeps you sated, so you aren’t as hungry when shopping or attending parties. Also, the protein options at most parties are limited. If there are any, they tend to be the super fatty Italian meat blends like pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, etc. Get your protein in earlier in the day to make it more likely that you’ll hit your protein target.
#Tip #2: Use the rule of 2.
“Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it.“
―Darth Bane
No, not THAT rule of 2. When you go out to eat at restaurants or dinner parties, we can safely assume that there are 5 courses: bread/appetizers, soup/salad, entrée, dessert, alcoholic beverages. Your goal: pick 2 of those and ignore the rest. That is the rule of 2.
Employ these strategies as best you can through the holiday season, and you’ll feel like you’re already ahead of the game when 2025 rolls around. If you have a night where you fall off and go completely nuts, THAT’S OKAY! The goal is to get right back on track, rather than throwing caution to the wind because you had 1 off night.
We’re not trying to get you to have a puritanical holiday, that’s no fun for anyone. Our goal is to help limit the damage done and to avoid holiday weight gain. The occasional off night won’t much change your outcome. It’s only an issue if it’s 2+ times per week, every week, throughout the holiday season. That is a recipe for undoing your progress this year, and we don’t recommend it. So, have fun, yes, but use the above tips most of the time, and you’ll be able to have your cake and eat it too. See you in the gym.