The Diet That Stole Christmas: Helpful Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Written by Jamie, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Dieting during the holidays can seem utterly impossible. You want to stick to your meal plan, but how can you manage to around all the family, friends, food, and festivities? From experience, you know that the inevitable is going to happen. Friends and family are going to egg you on to try this and that. Platters of food and desserts covering every inch of the table will be calling your name from across the room. Luckily, you do not have to dread the holidays even if you are on a diet.

The average weight gain for Americans during the holidays is 5 pounds or more. Indeed, avoiding holiday weight gain is this season’s goal. As unbelievable as it may seem, it is actually possible to enjoy the holidays without gaining an extra pound.

The holidays can be both exciting and dreadful at the same time. While it can bring us joy, it can also make us feel uneasy by how easily it can cause weight gain. After all the effort we spent during the year getting in shape, the last thing we want to do is to retrogress to the starting point. So, what can we do to help maintain what we’ve achieved while still enjoying the holidays?

Here are some great ways to help you eat healthily and still enjoy a guilt-free holiday with your loved ones.

1. Fast Before The Big Day

Knowing your typical habits over the holidays is helpful. If you are the type who likes to overeat each holiday, then you might find that the best way to avoid weight gain is to fast beforehand. Consider fasting with Almased for 7 to 14 days before the holidays. Fasting helps reduce calories, so when overeating does happen during the holidays, you likely won’t tip the scale because you have been able to maintain your net calories for the month.

2. Plan to Fast The Morning After

If you are the enjoy-it-now-regret-it-later type, then this strategy might come in handy during the holidays. For some, gorging at the dinner table and then feeling extraordinarily regretful afterward is a common behavior. Instead of sulking in gastric misery, take proactive steps. Plan to return to your original diet or fast with Almased for the next few days. It can be a minimum of 3 days and up to 14 days. The fast can help balance net calories so that unwanted weight gain can be prevented. Plus, fasting with Almased helps the body effectively burn off the fat you’ve accumulated.

3. Make Healthy Substitutions

If you are cooking or baking for the holidays, you can definitely make your foods healthier without sacrificing flavor by merely making healthy substitutions. For example, swap out canned fruit or juice with fresh or frozen fruits, exchange potato chips for kale chips or popcorn, use whole-wheat flour instead of white flour, and replace half of the butter with unsweetened applesauce, coconut oil, or pureed avocado.

The list of healthy substitutions for different ingredients is innumerable; do a quick search online for ideas and proportion guidelines. It will help you cut half of your calories, fat, and sugar.

If you are looking to stay within a calorie limit, try substituting one or two meals at the beginning of the day with a nutritious Almased smoothie. By doing so, you won’t have to feel guilty if you mistakenly have a large meal at dinner.

4. Downsize Your Portions

During the holidays, every meal can make it seem as if you are at a buffet. The food choices are endless, and how can you not sample everything offered? So, as you plate your food, you can’t help but add an extra serving or two of your favorite dishes, unconsciously filling up your plate until it is towering with food. If you are the type of person who has eyes bigger than your stomach, then you might find this planning tip useful. Before a holiday meal, make an agreement with yourself ahead of time to enjoy a specific portion of food. For example, say to yourself, “At dinner, I will choose one mini appetizer, enough food on a one 7” plate of food, and one thin slice of pie or cake.”

While it is exciting to try an assortment of food, this is what will make it easy for you to overeat. To keep your waistline in check, downsize your portions.

You can do this by allowing yourself only to have one plate of food, one leveled scoop of each food item on the table, keeping foods in the center of the plate without passing the brim and by not going back to the serving table for an extra helping. Being specific with your portions will help you ignore all temptations and avoid weight gain.

5. Eat What You Want, But in Moderation

During the holidays, there are plenty of temptations to try all sorts of foods. The rule of thumb is to enjoy the food you love, but with some restraint to keep from overindulging. To help with eating in moderation, practice mindful eating. Put your fork down when you start to feel comfortably full. Also, if you know, you will be having a large meal later in the day, try a meal replacement shake like Almased for breakfast or lunch to help save on calories.

6. Take The Half and Half Approach

To stop eating when you 80% full takes mindful discipline. If this comes naturally to you, then you’ll like the half and half approach to keep your appetite in check. Drink ½ a shake of Almased as an appetizer then head over to enjoy the festivities. Eat a small to moderate meal while taking mental note of your fullness level. This approach can help with portion control as well as keep you from making unhealthy choices due to hunger. Almased helps reduce appetite by supporting the hunger hormone, ghrelin. As a result, your urge to overeat is weaker at your next meal.

7. Be creative, not restrictive

While nutrition is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle, imposing unrealistic rules can add a lot of pressure. Instead, make creative alternatives that are equally enjoyable and satisfying. Proteins like chicken and fish provide filling nutrition that satisfies quickly, and they keep you fuller longer. Certain fruits are metabolized differently than pastries and desserts, making them a better choice. Pair with an Almased smoothie or serve a bowl with pistachios as an elegant after-dinner treat. A little creative thinking and planning ahead can truly go a long way.

8. Designate Eating Areas

If you tend to habitually eat in places like your living room, bedroom or even while driving, you will notice that whenever you are in these areas, you suddenly develop an urge to snack whether you are not hungry. This urge is because cravings can be associated with where you eat.

If you are road tripping for the holidays or will have most of the activities held in your living room, choose to allow food only in the dining room or kitchen and make everywhere else eat-free zones.

Designating eating areas is a great way to break free from unnecessary cravings and save you from eating extra calories throughout the day.

Eating at home gives you more control over healthy food choices. If you do have to venture out, have an Almased shake before you go to keep the hunger at bay.

9. Pack Away Food

Some of the best and most memorable conversations happen over dinner. Conversations carry on even after you are done eating. As you continue to mingle, have you ever noticed that even though you were full, you kept eating because the food was still in front of you, waving to get your attention?

Here’s a tip: When you feel yourself getting full during a meal, start to pack your food away, or remove the food from sight. This will keep you from reaching for more food and overeating.

10. Plan a Fun Activity

Activities during the holidays do not have to center around food or the TV. Plan one 30-minute activity or two 15-minute physical activities to enjoy with your friends or family. It can be as simple as taking a walk in the park, throwing or kicking a ball around, biking in the neighborhood, or playing fun games with your kids such as capture the flag, freeze-tag or red light, green light. More than often, participating in a fun activity will help take your attention away from food. If it’s an option, join or host a virtual gift exchange party, go on a pleasant stroll or hike outdoors or DIY-ing a Christmas wreath. The more you occupy yourself with activities, the less time you’ll spend thinking about food or circling the dessert table.

11. How much water should I drink to lose weight?

Hydrate often. Sometimes when we’re busy over the holidays, we forget to keep ourselves hydrated. An excellent way to remind yourself to hydrate is to keep a full bottle of water with you at all times and to drink bone or veggie broth as an appetizer with each meal.

Drinking water or broth between or before meals can help control cravings and hunger. This way, you’ll be less inclined to focus on food and instead can enjoy the holidays. Almased’s Diet Plan explains the best way to lose weight on the plan is to drinking plenty of water, including 4 cups of veggie broth throughout the day to help curb cravings and help you stay hydrated.

12. Relax and Breathe

Although the holidays are enjoyable, there are times when it can become stressful, which can lead to overeating. Taking 10 minutes each day to meditate is a great way to reduce tension and prevent stress-eating. Meditating can be done in the morning to jump-start your day or before bedtime to help with sleep. You can also mediate through yoga exercises, by using a guided meditation app, or in a self-guided manner if you are more experienced.

Reward yourself

If you’ve been good (with your diet) this year to stall the quarantine weight gain, use the holidays as a way to reward yourself for all the great dieting efforts you’ve made.

Give yourself a day to relax and reward yourself for your accomplishments, whether big or small, with non-food rewards.

You can do so by downloading a new movie to watch, shopping online for the latest trendy home decor you’ve been eyeing all month long, or going full glam for the gram.

Staying on the Almased diet

No matter what phase you’re on, it’s important to stay the course. The biggest problem with fad diets is the yo-yo effect. One of the best parts about the Almased approach is that it isn’t structured to be a trend diet in this way, but rather a lifestyle. The 4 Phase plan introduces the initial supplement as a complete meal replacement, but gradually adds full healthy meals as you complete each phase. Even at the fourth and “final” Life Stage, though, the diet isn’t “over.” Just the opposite--it’s the beginning of a new life with a nutritious lifestyle designed for optimal health.

So while the holidays are traditionally a time that can challenge our goals, lean on Almased to help you power through them this year.

Give Almased a try!

You can find Almased at Walgreens, CVS, Amazon and Swanson Health. To speak with a representative about how Almased can fit into your lifestyle, call toll-free 1-877-256-2733.

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