The holidays are a time of bonding with family, finding the perfect gift and eating delicious foods that were made with love. The problem is that all that food filled with love will start to fill out your waistline. People are faced with so many temptations to eat that holiday weight loss can seem impossible.
Most free your wild people have work parties, potlucks, dinners with friends and family, and gifts of food and treats. All of those extra indulgent meals and snacks add up to thousands of extra calories and that means gaining pounds of body fat. For people going into the holidays on a weight loss plan, all of the temptation can make holiday weight loss seem like an extreme uphill challenge.
For some avoiding weight gain during the holiday season is the first step towards a holiday weight loss plan. If you cannot start or continue losing weight during this time of year, the second best course of action is to avoid gaining more weight. There are steps you can take to avoid the pounds creeping on and if you do it right maybe even lose a pound or two.
Your approach involves following the 80/20 rule. This means following your diet 80 percent of the time and allowing yourself a little dietary wiggle room 20 percent of the time. Following any healthy eating program 100 percent of the time would require super human willpower. Everyone needs to allow themselves a treat now and then. Just make sure that you do not allow yourself to have too many treats or you will end up eating way too many calories. Pick the things that you really love and have a small amount of them.
You should keep in mind that your cheat should be a meal at the most. Having an entire “cheat day” can undo an entire week’s worth of dieting. If you are physically capable, then exercise should be included in your holiday weight loss plan. Regular physical activity burns calories and allows you to indulge a little more without the fear of weight gain. Just keep in mind that working out does not mean you can go all out with your eating.
Regular physical activity can also help you stay focused on your goals and also fight hunger and temptation. It can help you feel better about yourself and that alone can stop a binge. Especially if that binge is triggered by emotions. Start your day with a workout and you will not want to ruin all of your hard work by eating too much.
Allow yourself the occasional indulgence during the holiday season, but keep your holiday weight loss goals in mind during the season. You may not be able to lose a great deal of weight during the season if you choose to celebrate with food, but you can keep the damage to a minimum. Keep the 80/20 diet rule in the back of your mind and your holiday weight loss efforts can be a success.