So, the holiday parties have started, plates of cookies are showing up at the door, and it’s time to start deciding whether or not to give in and go nuts with all of the delicious temptations. I mean, you can always hop online and order some elastic-waisted pants, right? The thing is packing on a few {or a lot of} extra pounds during the holidays has kind of become a twisted tradition for me. This year, though, since I fit into my goal jeans, I really want to avoid the viscous cycle of regret altogether, without having to sacrifice too much…is that really so much to ask?!
I think with just a couple of compromises, I can slide right into my jeans on New Year’s Day {that is, if I decide to get out of my pajamas :)}, all while still having enjoyed most of what the decadence of the holidays. If you are trying to do the same thing, here’s a couple of easy solutions to keep the battle of the bulge in your favor:
- Decide on one party or event to splurge. One splurge night won’t make a bit of difference, but several parties start adding up pretty quick. Pick one where you know there will be a great spread, that’s your “go nuts” party. Shovel it in if you want, but the rest of the parties, you have to agree to exercise good judgement.
- Enjoy the neighborhood Christmas lights with an evening stroll. Walking is great exercise, and you only have to commit to it every evening for this month. It’ll help burn off excess calories, release endorphins, and probably change to world. That’s how cool exercise is supposed to be.
- Eat before you go out. If you have been invited to a party or holiday event, eat before you go. The idea is not to tempt yourself when you are overly hungry. Hunger = lack of self-control {or at least it does for me}. It’s a heck of a lot easier to say no {or to just have one} to a plate of fudge when you’re not really that hungry.
- Drink water. Liquid calories really add up quickly. If you don’t want to eliminate some of the food choices, make an effort to only drink water. Alcohol, punch, and eggnog all pack a lot of empty calories. This one move is an easy way to reduce the amount of calories you might otherwise have taken in.
- Make “healthy” treats. Find lower sugar/calorie alternatives to the sweets that accumulate over the holidays. That way, if your sweet tooth strikes, you have something on hand, and don’t immediately go to the large tin of homemade caramel corn the neighbor just dropped by {not that that has every happened to me, this is all purely hypothetical}.
I think the key is being reasonable. It’s no fun to not get to enjoy the festivities, but it’s also no fun to have indentations where your pants are cutting off your circulation. What do you think, how do you manage all of the unhealthy options this time of year without losing your waistline?
~Mavis
Carol says
Sound advice, Mavis! Enjoy and still look forward to fitting into your jeans next month. 🙂
Kathy says
You may not believe this, but I tend to shed pounds during the holiday. Between housework, outside work and helping my mother, I’m never hungry! I constantly taste what I cook and am not hungry by the time it’s served. Unless it’s Hungarian layer cabnage or stuffed cabbage…just love sauerkraut, pork and cabbage! I am the one who bakes as well, maybe sampleing 1-2 of each kind. Bread I make yes I do eat, goes well with the 2 dishes mentioned! I’m not really tempted by sweet things, unless it’s chocolate.
Work is constant (cardio) walking amd movement. Plus a lot of water!
Mary G says
All good advice. I would just add to stay active. If you have an exercise routine, try to stick with it during the busy holiday season.
Marcia says
All great tips. I seem to do better when I go all hard core over the holidays. I lost 20 lbs of baby weight over Christmas 2007 (Nov 1, 2007 to Feb 28, 2008).
I’ve lost 9 pounds since Nov 1 this year (working on the second baby weight).
The key for me is to really say “no” to pretty much everything, always. Just a little cheat here and there can turn into too much.
My husband’s holiday party, I ate and drank what I wanted (really fancy place). Otherwise? I say no to the bread. I have no alcohol in the house. I plan my meals and eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
I didn’t have bread, pie, or stuffing for Thanksgiving.
But you can’t just say no to absolutely EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME. So I only say “yes” once or twice a week and only to something that is really worth it. For me, that might be a really good piece of dark chocolate.
But I’m not going to eat Christmas cookies. They aren’t worth the calories. I had a glass of wine out with my husband this weekend. 3 sips and I thought “this is not very good wine”, so I didn’t drink it.
Eating before you go out – that may work, depends on your personality. Some people will still eat even if they have already eaten, if it’s tempting. I generally don’t – so it’s actually better for me to eat a full meal before I go out and eat nothing out. I would find it MUCH harder to have self control if I ate a “snack” before I went out and tried to eat “okay” when I am out.
Happy Feminist says
I think we should stop putting all this pressure on ourselves. Come on! We’re expected to cook, clean, care for, buy for, arrange, and SMILE SMILE SMILE all month, and now we’re restricting our food intake to maintain skinny waistlines? I’m all right with being healthy and not going too far from your ideal weight– but “ideal weight” is a medical fantasy and a marketing triumph. If your pants are tight, buy a size that fits and get on with the more important things in the world.