Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Ahhh yes. The holidays have fallen upon us. With Thanksgiving under our belts, let's hope we haven't all started packing on the Seasonal Seven. The Seasonal Seven is said to be the average weight gain for Americans between the Thanksgiving and New Year's holidays. Everywhere you go you'll find Christmas cookies, chocolate sweets, eggnog filled to the brim, sugar, food, sugar and more food!

Here are some ways you can help yourself avoid any holiday weight gain:

• Don't Leave Your Home Hungry: If you are traveling for the holidays, always have a nutritious snack prior to leaving so that you don't arrive to dinner starving. You are bound to eat more and more quickly, thus overeating.
  
• Avoid Excessive Use of Alcoholic Drinks, if any: Consuming alcoholic drinks not only gives you an extra 150+ calories per serving, but will also lower your overall control of making good food choices. I know whenever I take a sip of anything containing alcohol, the first thing I want to grab is a huge bag of chips. The sour cream and cheddar Ruffles. Those are so good. (But anyway...)
• Portion Control: You don't have to skip the sweets, just eat smaller portions. And that can be for everything. Don't load up your plate and it's wise to set your utensil down after taking each bite. You'll have more control of how much you end up eating because you're likely to chew more slowly.
• Socialize: Remember what the holidays are about. The holidays are not just about food. Believe that or not! ;) Spend more time socializing with friends and family members, rather than hanging out at the buffet table snacking all night.
• Stick to Your Workouts: Do not put off working out until after the New Year. Schedule your workouts, even if it's just a few minutes each day. Ten minutes of physical activity is better than no physical activity at all.
• Intensify Your Workouts: If you find yourself splurging on too much food, intensify your workouts. Up the weight you're lifting or lengthen the amount of time you workout.

Don't feel like you can't eat anything, just know that it's important to control your portions to avoid overeating. If you eat small portions and continue to exercise regularly each week, you should have no problem avoiding the Seasonal Seven. :)