This season is going to be all about a strategy to avoid holiday weight gain. I’ve stopped fooling myself about actually trying to lose unwanted pounds at this time of year. I’ve tried that in the past and have suffered such disappointments time and time again. I kept telling myself that this time would be different. It wasn’t. Not once. So…this time it will be different! 🤣
How I Will Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
This is a big time of year for baking (I LOVE BAKING), cookie exchanges, and meeting friends and family for coffee, drop-ins, dinners, parties and other events themed for various celebrations. This means that it is ultra challenging to avoid holiday weight gain. At least this year I’m not silly enough to think that I can get through all this while actually reducing. Was I nuts? I guess that’s something I could only learn by experience.
So instead of packing on the pounds, I’ve decided to create a strategy to avoid holiday weight gain that doesn’t involve blimping up throughout November and December and desperately trying to lose it all in January for some demented New Year’s resolution. My plan? I’m going to indulge…a bit.
What Do I Mean by That?
What I mean about indulging a bit is that I will still take part in gatherings, I’ll still bake, I’ll still exchange, and I’ll still eat. But I won’t be eating the mountains of food every day that I usually do. I will plan. I’ll choose a treat per day. I’ll give myself a break to take part in feasts served at dinners, but I won’t eat until I feel sick. I’ll make sure I have some of everything I like, but not the absurd amounts I usually have. I don’t even feel good when I do that. Why put myself through that only to have to live with the guilt…and pounds?
So, in the name of being able to avoid holiday weight gain, I’m going to take part guilt-free, but I’m not going to go over the top.
Days that don’t involve gatherings and celebrations will be treated as normal days, not holiday season days. I will be allowed one reasonable dessert after dinner, as usual. But because it’s a normal day, I will avoid holiday weight gain by not treating it like a special day. It’s an everyday. I will plan my treat in advance, so I don’t decide to add at the last second.
Sticking to the Plan to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
Treating normal days as normal is key to my plan to avoid holiday weight gain. I’ll be sticking to my routine and making that a priority. That includes eating normal foods at normal times and exercising – even if I only have time for a bit. I’m already cooking big meals now and portioning them into my freezer so that when I think “I’m too tired, I’ll order a pizza”, then I won’t have any excuse. I have a better meal ready to go in the freezer that can be tossed into the microwave.
All the actual event days on my calendar have been marked with a special color. That way, they stand out, and I can plan around them. Even better, I’m already planning (and preparing and freezing when possible) my lunches for those days, so that I have something quick and reasonable (calorie-wise) to eat before I end up with an unpredictable number of calories later in the day. I’m starting early this year and am absolutely determined to succeed at being able to avoid holiday weight gain. Who’s with me? (Let me know on Facebook or Twitter!)
