It’s a creepy crawly time with Halloween just around the corner, but this is also the time of year when something else may be creeping into your life – extra weight!
You can thank Halloween candy, Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas celebrations for holiday weight gain which commonly begins in late October and can continue through the first of the year.
But rather than succumb to the typical seasonal weight gain traps, I want to help you set a different path this fall and winter. You see, for years, I have been helping people just like you reverse this ghoulish trend. It can be done! Here are some tips to guide you:
1. Safety proof your home. One of the best ways I help my patients is by stressing that when the holiday is over, they need to clean out their house so those sweet treats either disappear completely or are kept out of sight. If come Thanksgiving, you’re someone who still has Halloween candy in and around your home, it will be awfully hard to stay on your healthy weight loss track.
Develop a smart plan that allows you to still enjoy the holiday and a moderate portion of some favorite treats without leaving too many temptations in your path. Some people buy just enough candy for trick-or-treaters (to diminish leftovers) and they pick candies they don’t particularly like; others buy small wrapped pieces of dark chocolate that can be frozen and enjoyed later on.
In our home, we end holiday celebrations by making care packages for our guests so we’re not left with all of the higher calorie treats. So go ahead and distribute all those calories instead of leaving them to tempt you!
2. Practice self regulation. Self-regulation is the secret to staying in control and limiting the weight gain creep. Self-regulation involves two things: daily self weighing and an action plan to follow if the scale shows a 3 to 5 pound weight gain.
Examples of an action plan may be to re-take the Diet Personality Quiz to get a fresh look at the habits that may have been “creeping” back into your life. Other examples include measuring or weighing foods for a few days or to use some meal replacement products like nutrition bars or frozen meals for a few meals per day 3 or 4 times per week. You should also limit eating out or drinking alcohol so you can better control your calorie intake.
Daily self-weighing will keep you in control and a 3-5 pound weight gain will be your signal to get serious and re-focus.
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3. Identify core behaviors. Holiday times can be quite stressful. Your typical day to day eating and exercise routine often get disrupted by out-of-town guests at home or you traveling to see family members or having time off from work. Rather than setting a strict goal to keep up with your “perfect” program, instead, pick 2 or 3 “core” behaviors that you will commit to doing, rain, shine, snow or sleet.
Some good examples: Eat breakfast each day, carry a water bottle with you, eat a piece of fruit each day or to record your daily food intake on a pad of paper tossed into your purse. Core behaviors will remind you that you are still on your healthy lifestyle weight management path and you are still in control of your behaviors. You also know that once “life” calms down, you will have more time and energy to get back on your full program.
4. Seek accountability. One of the reasons my weight management clients keep coming back to see me is because being accountable to someone helps them stay on track and be more successful losing weight. Accountability can help you too. And with the convenience of the internet, you don’t have to leave home to stay accountable – to me or to other buddies here on Diet.com.
Throughout the holiday season, commit to logging onto Diet.com on a regular basis to read blogs, post your own blog, comment on blogs, post how you are doing on the message boards, reach out to your fellow dieters and seek help on the premium member boards from the experts here. Whatever your struggles this holiday season, whether it’s being tempted by all that Halloween candy or being in an exercise slump, you are not alone. Reach out on Diet.com and get the help you need so you can stay in control.
What separates the people who lose weight and can maintain their weight loss versus the people who just throw in the towel and regain the weight they worked so hard to lose is being able to practice these four tips.
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