My good Friend and Nutrionist Dr. Chris Mohr was nice enough to do a guest post and tell us about Holidays and weight gain.
Do you know what the average weight gain is for the holidays?
We’ve heard it all…
…8-10 lbs, 12-15 lbs, and even as high as 20 lbs!
Newsflash: if you gain 20 lbs in 6 weeks from overeating, it’s going to take a lot more than a few nutrition tips and strategies to help out!
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine actually showed that the average weight gain is just 3-5 lbs.
"That’s it?" you ask? Then who cares what I eat?!
But here’s the problem … it’s not that small weight gain during the holidays that’s the problem, it’s the fact that people don’t lose that weight year after year.
A 5 lb weight gain each year for the next 4 years means 20 lbs. People tell us all the time that they’re not sure how they gained so much weight "it just crept up on them."
This is exactly how it happens. You may not notice a few pounds. They come on slowly, but surely. And it’s all relative to your current weight. What started out some pants that were just a bit tighter than last time you tried them on, gets quickly pushed aside as "I just got them out of the dryer." And suddenly those same pants no longer fit. But this process is slow, so we then rationalize that we’re getting older, so it’s just "middle age."
And the cycle continues.
Stop the Insanity!
There are 2 1/2 weeks from now until January 1st.
That means you can either gain the "average" 3-5 lbs during this time, or you can stick to your plan and maintain, if that’s your goal, or lose…if you’d like to.
How do you do that? That is up to you.
These 5 Holiday Fat Loss Secrets can help
1. Remember the "holiday season" is just a few select days within a 6-week period. Enjoy the food on the holiday itself, enjoy the work parties, social gatherings, and other holiday get togethers … but when they’re done, they need to be done. Don’t let 1 night carry over into the next!
2. Always make time for exercise. While there’s no research to show there’s a "best" time of day, our own non scientific research, of working with 1000’s of individuals over the years, points to the morning as the best time to get exercise out of the way, so you can move on to your other daily tasks.
3. Plan ahead. Seems obvious, I know. But this is a high stress time many people — getting gifts, seeing family and friends, and so much more. And to top it all off, there’s just 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas! Plan, make time for you, and know that everything will get done…just like it always does.
4. Don’t bake cookies as gifts, bake pies! Seems like a weird fat loss recommendation, but when you’re giving cookies as gifts, it’s really easy to eat several of them without *anyone* (except you) knowing. Try that with a pie and it might look a little weird if you give a pie with a piece taken out of it.
5. Never "save up" your calories so you can decidedly overeat later on. Instead, eat normally throughout the day and then simply enjoy smaller portions of your favorite foods later on. Starving yourself in anticipation of all the different foods will surely lead to overeating more than anything
Dr. Christopher Mohr, PhD RD is a nutrition spokesperson and consultant to a number of media outlets and corporations including the Discovery Health Channel, The Dairy Council, Clif Bar, and Nordic Naturals. He is also the Sports Nutritionist for Under Armour’s TNP Training Council. Through his company Mohr Results, Inc., he works with all types of individuals from soccer moms to collegiate and professional athletes.
Any favorite tips that have helped YOU get through the holidays?
Chelsea C.
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