Maintaining Weight During the Holidays

The holidays are once again upon us. During these months most of us are focused on family and celebrations. Big meals, sweet treats and even a cocktail or two are commonplace through December. Eating healthy and/or maintaining weight generally slides down the priority list at this time. In this post I want to talk in detail about how you can both enjoy the holidays and stay fit and healthy.

Our weight loss clients like everyone else, battle putting on weight in November and December. If the goal is to maintain weight through this period of time we cannot simply “wing it”. We must have a strategy that works to fight against putting on body fat and also allows freedom of enjoyment. These are the keys to our Holliday Maintenance Program. Here are some of the key points of this program.

First it is important to note that we don’t expect people on a maintenance program to lose weight. We simply want to militate against the damage until the holidays are over so we can pick back up where we left off in January. It is for this reason that there are a lot of “off” days in our Holiday Maintenance Program. We typically say that you should not be too careful watching your diet on the following days during the holidays:

• Thanksgiving and the day after
• Christmas Eve and Christmas (or another religious holiday)
• New Year’s Eve and day
• 2 other “party” days of your choosing

During these “off” days you would still want to consume proteins and vegetables as part of your meals but then you can add to it whatever you like (think things like pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, etc.). All other days during November and December you should follow whatever maintenance diet that works for you. Doing this should balance staying healthy and not gaining weight with having fun with family and friends. On top of this there are some simple things you can do to help fight fat gain that require little to no effort. Taking specific supplements can be a great way to help keep your weight down. While there are no “magic pills”, certain nutritional supplements have been shown to be effective in fighting weight gain. Another simple thing that you can do is to stay hydrated. We recommend drinking a minimum of 80 ounces of water every day. Doing this will keep your metabolism running efficiently and take out daily water weight fluctuations.

As with anything you want to be successful with a solid plan is of paramount importance. It is easy for me to say eat this or that or take this or that but if it does not fit into your particular lifestyle then it is doomed from the start. All of the suggestions above are completely malleable. If you are truly focused on maintaining your weight during the holidays you are going to want to have a plan well before Thanksgiving rolls around. Use the above suggestions to map out your holiday schedule so that you can stay healthy and also feel like you can celebrate fully.