Holiday season is almost here, you can virtually smell the turkey roasting. It’s enough to make your mouth water and your waistline grow!
But… it doesn’t have to.
Let’s face it, Thanksgiving and Christmas is the one time of year where you are simply expected to eat too much; isn’t that why New Year resolutions were made?
Actually No!
You’ve worked hard to lose the excess weight, even if you aren’t where you want to be yet.
Equally why hamper your muscle building efforts with foods that you wouldn’t normally eat.
We understand; it’s hard not to be tempted and you certainly don’t want to miss out on the festivities. This is why it’s essential to have a plan.
Choosing a healthy 1-day meal plan is great for everyday use, but the holiday seasons requires a little extra to keep you on track.
Fortunately these 9 simple steps can help you avoid weight gain while still enjoying the holiday cheer.
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Why It Is Important To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
You may think that you can afford to treat yourself over the holiday season and then lose the weight again next year. Unfortunately it is not normally as simple as this.
You’ve no idea of what the next year will bring.
Finding time to eat right and exercise is difficult now; even if you can complete a 24-minute workout.
The New Year might bring even more time constraints and prevent you from losing the weight you’ve gained.
It shouldn’t stop you, but it can.
More importantly, you’ve spent this long working hard to lose weight and build muscle.
Why would you want to ruin your hard work for the sake of a few extra treats?
Every time you overeat over the holiday period you should think about the number of workouts it will take you to burn off the extra calories; you’ll soon change your mind about that extra dessert.
9 Ways To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
These 9 methods will help prevent you gaining weight over the holiday season. They can also be used in everyday life!
#1 – Eat High Protein Breakfast
The first step of any diet or even a 1-day meal plan is to eat a healthy, protein rich breakfast. Eggs are a great way to start the day.
If you put the eggs with some toast you are introducing carbohydrates. This is a good idea.
Protein and carbohydrates will give you the energy you need through the day and will keep you feeling full.
This will stop you being tempted by unhealthy snacks.
#2 – Revise Your Fitness Plan To Fit Your Home
It’s probably taken a lot of effort to build a good habit regarding your gym visits or other exercises.
Unfortunately, it is likely to be hard to maintain these over the holiday period, especially with the demands of a family.
Don’t give up, simple change your routine. Adopt the 24-minute workout which can be completed at home at any time of the day or night.
It’s much easier to find the time and stay committed if you can do the exercises at home.
#3 – Be Active With Friends
Remember that all activity counts towards your fitness levels, building muscle and losing weight.
Stay motivated and avoid weight gains by getting out with your friends and family.
Whether you’re walking the dogs or simply meeting for a ramble, you can have fun in the fresh air and get your blood pumping.
This is especially true if you’ve got children as they will be happy to run around with you!
#4 – Keep Yourself Accountable
Accountability means staying in touch with your workout buddy and keeping your food diary up to date.
This is one of the most powerful ways to stay motivated and stick to a healthy eating routine.
Just think about it, every time you are about to have an unhealthy snack, you’ll need to write it in your food diary.
You might also need to explain to your friend why your weight has gone up and your fitness levels down.
Just the thought of having to do that is enough to make you put the sweet treat back!
#5 – Create a Holiday Menu Using The Perfect Plates Method
You shouldn’t need to miss out on the festivities. You just need to adopt a sensible approach.
Just as meal planning helps you on a normal week it can help you get through the holiday season.
Remember the ‘perfect plates’ method. Your plate should be half vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter carbohydrates with just a small amount of fat.
That equates to veg, turkey and potatoes!
You can have the holiday dinner; just keep the proportions balanced.
By planning what you’ll eat before the season starts you can enjoy the same foods as your family without gaining weight.
#6 – Avoid Having Snack Treats On Display
It’s much harder to be tempted by sweet treats if you can’t see them.
Most of the time you find yourself munching when you shouldn’t be it’s because the treats are visible and you can’t help but graze.
Of course the best idea is not to have any sweet treats at home, but this is unlikely to be a popular idea with your children.
Unfortunately it’s difficult to keep track of what you are eating when you graze. Instead, if you need a snack make yourself get it from the cupboard.
By having to go to the cupboard to get one you can select a healthy option, or you might not even bother!
#7 – Allow Small Excesses
Even the best of us will succumb to the temptation. It might be a snack or a particularly rich pudding.
If this happens don’t panic and don’t feel guilty!
Simply move on and focus on resisting temptation.
A small treat such as an indulgent dessert is going to do very little damage and unlikely to create a weight gain by itself. Just don’t keep doing it!
#8 – Get Your Family To Help
Your family probably already knows you are trying to avoid weight gain because of your weight loss or muscle building goals. They can help you.
Children are exceptionally good at telling you that you shouldn’t be eating something.
Let them know its okay for them to tell you off if you pick up certain treats.
Not only will they be very good at monitoring your food they will have fun telling you off; it’s a win-win scenario!
#9 – Avoid The Second Helpings
One of the easiest ways to avoid weight gains is to say no to the second helpings.
Tell your family before you sit down to eat that you do not want seconds.
If you are still tempted then take a pause.
Tell yourself you’ll have your seconds in half an hour; you probably won’t want it then as your brain will have registered you’re full.
Summary
Gaining weight over the holidays is not inevitable.
Equally, it does not need to be painful to avoid gaining weight.
These simple steps can help you to maintain your current weight and be ready to tackle the New Year while feeling good about yourself.
For a little extra support and advice regarding the right foods to eat, check out our 1-day meal plan.
Implement it for Thanksgiving or Christmas Day and enjoy the holiday season free of guilt or weight gains.
Your new friend & health coach,
Dr. Anthony Balduzzi
Founder, The Fit Father Project
Dr. Anthony is a men’s health, weight loss, & muscle-building expert exclusively for busy fathers. After watching his own Dad lose his health and pass away at the young age of 42, Dr. Anthony committed his life to helping busy men stay healthy for their families.
Brotherhood Nickname: “Mr. Results”
Bragging Rights: Has helped over 10,000 fathers lose over 75,000lbs and rebuild lean muscle
If you’re interested in a proven and completely laid out “done-for-you” weight loss meal plan & workout routine – designed for you as a busy man…
I’d recommend you read the program overview letter for our Fit Father 30-Day Program (FF30X). Inside FF30X, you’ll receive:
- The simple & delicious Fit Father Meal Plan
- The metabolism boosting Fit Father 30X Workout (under 90 min/week)
- VIP email coaching where I’ll personally walk you through the program
Read the FF30X Program overview letter here to see how our plan can help you lose weight – without the complication & restriction of normal diets.
*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on holiday weight gain.
