9 Do’s and Don’ts of Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Advice to improve your movement, fitness, and overall health from the #1 in orthopedics in the U.S.

Advice to improve your movement, fitness, and overall health from the #1 in orthopedics in the U.S.

Here are some of the do’s and don’ts Dr. Andrew shares with her clients around the winter holidays. “Of course, you can bring them out of storage any time you’re facing a food-focused event like a vacation or weekend getaway,” she says. “These strategies can help you avoid unwanted weight gain any time of year.”

A good place to start, says Dr. Andrew, is finding ways to ease stress and anxiety when they bubble up (or before). “That may mean meditating, taking a hot bath or shower, listening to music or calling a friend to catch up,” she says. “Even just 10 minutes can help you feel more relaxed and make it less likely that you turn to food for relief.” If you’re having trouble finding time to unwind, mark a daily 10-minute stress break on your calendar and tag it with an alert—then treat it like you would a doctor’s appointment and don’t miss it.

Some people skip meals to “save up” calories for a big holiday dinner or party, but this strategy may backfire and lead to overeating later. Instead, try time-restricted eating, or limiting your intake to an eight-hour window of time each day. “This has been shown to be an effective weight maintenance strategy,” says Dr. Andrew. Or try having a lighter breakfast and lunch at your usual times, making sure they incorporate a lot of vegetables and proteins with minimal carbs. For example, you might have a Greek yogurt for breakfast, a green salad with grilled chicken and light dressing for lunch, and then let yourself enjoy the evening feast.

At every dinner or party, it helps to have a plate of salad or vegetables before anything else. These low-calorie and high-fiber foods will help you fill up before you dive into the higher-calorie options. Next, have some type of lean protein. If you are going to have carbs (such as potatoes, chips, rice, pasta, bread or a sweet dessert), save them for the end of your meal. By then, you’ll be less hungry and the protein you’ve eaten will slow your digestion a bit, so you’ll feel full for longer afterward.

An easy way to cut calories is to avoid drinks like regular soda, juice, coffee drinks with added sugar and alcoholic beverages. If you do decide to drink alcohol, choose spirits mixed with something without added sugar, such as seltzer or diet tonic water, rather than beer, wine or mixed drinks. Or stick to a drink has only about 100 calories per serving.

Do keep in mind that alcohol can lower inhibitions and make you more likely to indulge, so limit yourself to one or two drinks, and have a glass of water after each one. (In general, try to aim for six to eight glasses of water per day.)