Stuffed turkey with homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato topped with decadent marshmallows, and Grandma’s pecan pie. These are the dishes served at a traditional Thanksgiving with all the extras that make this holiday memorable. How can you possibly avoid holiday weight gain?
Thanksgiving and other holidays are when we tend to throw healthy eating out the window and indulge. Statistics show the average American may gain up to 2.3 kilograms after indulging during the holiday season. What’s alarming is that most people do not lose this extra weight.
Increased weight gain could result in obesity, heart issues, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These health conditions tend to arise from inflammation in your body and can be fatal.
You may ask: “Can I avoid holiday weight gain?” Yes, you can - with a little forethought, planning, and perseverance.
You may find yourself unable to avoid holiday weight gain because of your family and friends. You may feel pressured to take several helpings at dinner. Your mother may feel offended if you don’t have a slice of her pumpkin pie. Or, your Aunt Ruth may feel slighted because you did not partake of her Christmas pudding.
It is often those who are the closest to you that tend to sabotage your efforts to avoid holiday weight gain. So, to avoid this lapse, you should learn to politely refuse even when it's difficult.
You could, for example, simply say that you need to avoid holiday weight gain because of health reasons. Or, you could say that you have already eaten, or you are saving space for later.
If your family has a known food pusher who loves to convince you to eat more than than you want, try to avoid this person. This avoidance could help you keep your weight and health intact this holiday season.
Weighing yourself regularly may help you avoid holiday weight gain.
A study asked participants to weigh themselves daily from Thanksgiving to New Years’ Day. Keeping a record of their weight was also a requirement. They were expected to avoid any weight gain but were not told how to do so.
Those in the control group did not weight themselves and were given no challenge. The results showed that the group who weighed themselves daily either lost or maintained their weight. However, those in the control group gained weight.
Daily weighing tends to keep you more focused on your weight. It also helps you address any weight changes immediately and effectively.
The holiday season often means relaxing in front of the television. Unfortunately, this goes with snacking and very few calories being burned.
Rather than sitting back and allowing the weight to creep up on you, participate in physical activity. Taking the dogs (or family) on a walk or tossing around a football in the backyard will get your blood pumping and calories burning.
An effective way to avoid holiday weight gain is practicing mindfulness. This means consciously thinking about everything we eat, as well as how we eat.
Keeping a food journal of everything you eat during the day gives you a good idea about your calorie intake. Another aspect to consider is what you eat.
For example, when eating a snack, instead of opting for one high in sugar, choose a snack high in fiber. Your body needs to work harder at digesting fiber and uses more calories than is the case when you eat sugary foods.
Sometimes you may find yourself carried away by the conversation around you. You may then lose focus on what you are eating, and you may eat more than usual.
Chew your food slowly and thoroughly, paying attention to the taste and texture of your food. Recognize when your body tells you that you have had enough and stop eating.
You should also mind your portion sizes. For example, when pressed to eat a slice of cake or pie, take half a slice. You still get the gratification of eating the sweet treat, but you consume fewer calories.
The holiday period may often see you getting less than eight hours’ sleep each night. Sleep deprivation is linked to a slower metabolism which often leads to weight gain.
Many people find the holiday season quite stressful. To avoid holiday weight gain, try reducing your stress levels.
Higher stress levels are linked to an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone. An increase in cortisol is your body’s natural response to stress and is, in turn, linked to your fight-or-flight response. This response is known as the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response which may result in a cascade of events influencing your bodily functions on many different levels.
Prolonged stress and continuous high cortisol production are linked to weight gain.
Hot chocolate with marshmallows or a spicy eggnog drink is synonymous with the Christmas season. These treats are also laden with sugar. The same goes for soda or alcoholic beverages.
So to avoid holiday weight gain you should limit your intake of these beverages. Choose options like green tea or warm water with a few slices of lemon.
Alcohol not only has a high-calorie content, but it also tends to stimulate your appetite. So, don't drink too much!
You can offer to do some of the cooking to avoid holiday weight gain. You will then get to choose dishes that are healthy and light on the fats and carbohydrates. This also gives you the opportunity to add more of your healthy dish(es) to your plate, and also help your loved ones' health. This is a win-win situation.
Your body may be in a state of low-grade chronic inflammation without your knowledge. The symptoms associated with this type of inflammation often take years to manifest. Some of these symptoms include anxiety, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, food sensitivities, and brain fog. Many health issues also include an element of inflammation, like diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and stroke.
While there are many causes of inflammation, diet and obesity are among the main factors.
Certain foods like sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats, may trigger the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. These cytokines work to regulate your immune response and inflammation.
Under normal circumstances, they do a great job of healing your body. But, when your body is subjected to constant stress (like frequent consumption of unhealthy foods), your inflammatory response may go into overdrive. This then leads to you experiencing a state of chronic infections.
Being overweight may also result in chronic inflammation. This is because obesity increases your immune response and thus triggers inflammation.
Weight loss research has discovered that weight reduction is accompanied by a reduction in the pro-inflammatory cytokines. This bodes well for those with symptoms associated with chronic inflammation.
When you avoid holiday weight gain you actively address the possibility of initiating an inflammatory response.
Your diet, weight, inflammation, and adrenal fatigue are closely linked. A poor diet and weight gain may trigger your inflammatory response which may negatively affect your adrenal function. Eventually, chronic inflammation may cause an adrenal crash and result in a prolonged recovery.
It may be difficult for most of us to avoid holiday weight gain. Yet it is not an impossible task. Forethought, preparation, and following these tips can go a long way in keeping off the pounds during the festive season.
Weight gain is about more than your outward appearance. It is about your health as well. If you can avoid holiday weight gain, you also avoid inflammation and its accompanying health issues.
If you enjoyed reading this article and want to know more about weight loss, inflammation, or any of the health issues associated with inflammation and adrenal fatigue, please navigate to the appropriate pages. We also have numerous articles on healthy eating and the adrenal fatigue diet.
There is a lot you can do to avoid holiday weight gain. Start by weighing yourself each day, practice mindful eating, and adopting the idea of portion control. You can choose to practice these tips and the other ones at any time, not just during the holidays.
