How to Maintain (Not Gain) During the Holidays

We’ve reached the season where, at least in the USA, it’s customary to gather for the holidays and make cooking and a large meal the focus of the event. You just gobbled up those last leftover candies that weren’t claimed by the neighborhood kids on Halloween, Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and you’ll jump right into Christmas as soon as Mariah Carey defrosts.

Depending on your own traditions with family and friends, you could be spending the same holidays multiple times over the course of the next few months. Thanksgiving with family, Friendsgiving with your college crew, work holiday parties, the neighborhood grab bag, Christmas Eve at the in-laws, and Christmas Day with your folks can all add up to a lot of meals outside of your routine. For someone trying to lose weight or maintain where they’re at, this can be a great challenge.

Year after year I am asked this question as the trees drop their leaves: “How do you lose weight during the holidays?”

While weight loss is multi-faceted and its success depends on a combination of habits, food intake, energy expenditure, genetics, and psychosocial factors, there are ways to prevent weight gain through the holiday season. Here are a few tips that can help you thrive and not feel the need to add “lose weight” to your New Year’s Resolutions.

Move More

One issue with where the holidays fall on the calendar in the northern hemisphere is that our daylight hours are limited, and it gets colder out. Putting on extra layers in the dark isn’t the most enticing thing to get someone to start a walking habit, however, now is the time to lace up because winter involves a lot more sitting around on the couch wrapped up in a blanket. You know that holiday meals have significantly more calories than your weekday meal prep, so one way to use these units of energy is to move more. Follow a strength training program at least 3x per week so you can burn more calories at rest. Train for a Turkey Trot 5k so you have a short term low-commitment goal. Go hiking on your days off so you can spend time in nature and make it a cool photography scavenger hunt. Many fitness centers and boutique gyms (yoga, pilates, spin, etc.) have specials going on at the end of the year, so now is a great time to try out what movement modality is for you so you can stick with it after the new year!

Eat an Appropriate Amount of Food

Weight loss and maintenance is not always about “just eating less” which is why I’m not suggesting this approach. The caloric needs of an athlete are going to be different than someone sedentary, so a one-size-fits-all approach of 1200 calories does NOT work (also, nobody should ONLY be eating this amount of food ever). When the dinner table has more options than a Vegas buffet, portion control will be important. If you grew up in a “Clean Plate Club” household, use a smaller breakfast plate so that you still feel like you ate everything on the plate without going overboard. If you do have to use a full size plate, stop eating when you feel 80% full and do not feel guilty about food waste, no matter how much your aunt takes it personally and assumes you don’t like the food because you didn’t finish it. Since proteins need to be consumed daily (vs. carbohydrates that can last a few days without consumption), prioritize eating those and vegetables. On days where you move a lot (i.e. hiked for 3+ hours), eat more, and on days that you lounge around watching football, don’t go crazy. Listen to your natural hunger cues to figure out what you need. If you see a pizza commercial on TV, don’t assume you need to snack and ask yourself if you’re just bored during commercials or if you need to refuel.

Monitor Your Booze

The drinks are flowing around the holidays and it’s easy to get caught up in trying that espresso martini cocktail recipe or the wine your friends brought back from their vacation. Holidays also bring about multiple emotions, both good and bad, and it’s easy to go into the liquor cabinet and pour one out. Alcohol is technically a toxin and full of calories (7 cal/gram) and is usually accompanied by food and snacks, so weight gain sneaks up when you’re not careful. Limit your alcohol to keep your gut flora balanced and metabolism firing optimally, reduce anxiety, and make your workouts feel great. Luckily we live in a time where sobriety is acceptable and we have access to so many delicious NA beers and mocktails so you don’t have to miss the party.

Prioritize Rest and Self Care

Q4 and Q1 are stressful in our careers and personal lives, and that added stress can naturally affect our weight fluctuations. It is important to get enough quality sleep to function at our best, so if you need to be the first person to leave the party there is no shame Irish exiting at 9pm if it’s still going strong and you have a 2-hour drive back. If you feel a cold coming on, it’s ok to skip the family gathering so you can recover. You can say “no” to one party and go to the other if attending both is not feasible. Set your own holiday boundaries and don’t feel obligated to do something if it’s going to put your body in a stressed state. If you have PTO, use those days to recharge even if you can’t go anywhere.

These are just a few broad tips that have helped my clients not just survive but thrive during the holidays. For a more detailed plan of action specific to your needs, contact me here to get started on your training program!