Holiday weight gain is not just a myth. It’s common for adults to gain about 1-2 pounds between mid-November and January. Abundance of holiday food and drinks at parties and family events, busy schedules, and colder temperatures make it hard to stick to a healthy diet and exercise routine, according to the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Weigh yourself every day
Daily self-weighing has been shown to help with both weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. In fact, a recent study found that adults who weighed themselves daily while viewing a graph of their weight trends during the holidays didn’t gain weight, unlike those that did not.
Track what you eat and how active you are
Keeping a record of diet (e.g., food, calories, and fat) and physical activity each day helped adults avoid weight gain during the holidays. Importantly, those who tracked the most consistently were the least likely to gain weight. Luckily, technology can make this tracking much easier! Most smartphones automatically monitor and graph movement throughout the day. Look for applications (apps) that help you track daily weight, diet, and physical activity. Perhaps even better, use apps that give you visual feedback of your progress, such as graphs of weight, dietary intake and steps. For those without smartphones, pedometers or other activity trackers can help alert you to days with low activity.
Mindfully eat your treats
The sight and smell of tasty desserts can make overeating at holiday parties and meals easy. One way to prevent overindulging is to eat mindfully. For example, avoid eating when distracted (e.g., mid-conversation, when watching television) and instead eat when you can savor the taste and texture of your food. Pay attention to your body when you’re eating. What physical sensations of hunger or fullness do you notice? Be deliberate and choose one favorite treat, rather than trying everything on the dessert tray.
Ask friends, family, and coworkers for support
Having someone provide encouragement, accountability and reminders to self-monitor has been shown to help prevent holiday weight gain. Luckily, the holidays are a time that we often spend more time with our loved ones, so it can be a convenient time of year to ask them to help keep you accountable.
Takeaway
Just because weight gain around the holidays is common does not mean it’s inevitable. Enjoying a high-calorie holiday meal does not mean you have to give up on your weight maintenance goals. In fact, self-monitoring research has taught us that fluctuations in diet, weight and physical activity are normal. But being mindful of these changes can help alert us to eat more healthfully or be more active the following day.
The Society for Behavioral Medicine offers many tips for leading a healthy, active lifestyle. Learn more at https://www.sbm.org/
