How Not to Pack on the Pounds this Holiday Season
The holidays offer a variety of dietary challenges for those who are battling weight gain. First there’s Christmas dinner—but one meal is not going to tip the scales in the wrong direction. However, it is the beginning of a season where cookies and other treats are tantalizingly displayed throughout the day—making a cookie-grab fly-by easy to do. We’re often not at our own homes, or are inviting family over for festive gatherings—and part of the fun is eating special foods and delicious desserts. Different configurations of this continue on to New Year’s Day. Then, it hits us—what have I done?
Well, in attempt to avoid that horror—we’re introducing The Coffee Talkers Guide to Surviving the Holidays (with Limited Weight Gain)
Pick a strategy (or strategies) that seem doable to you—and give it (or them) a try. Look at the big holiday meals as “cheat days,” and adopt a dietary strategy in between those big meals.
A low carb approach: try to limit carbs on days that aren’t the big meal days. This approach has been shown to improve high blood glucose levels that lead to weight gain
Restrictive feeding windows have been shown to be an effective strategy to maintain or lose weight. Some options include: A 12-hour feeding window, or an “early time restricted feeding” (all calories consumed before 3:00pm)
Switch up when you eat certain foods—a number of studies have shown that when different macronutrients are consumed has an effect on weight management, insulin resistance, and triglyceride levels. Glucose tolerance becomes worse as the day goes on—which suggests that eating carbohydrates early in the day may be an effective way to manage blood glucose and resulting weight gain. So if you’re going to have Christmas cookies—eat them for breakfast, and then refrain the rest of the day.
There is plenty of research that supports the old adage: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” Consciously reducing your food intake as the day goes on is a great way to maintain or lose weight.
Research has shown that the sequence of macronutrient consumption also greatly affects postprandial glucose and insulin levels, and resulting weight gain. Consuming carbohydrates after protein and fat are consumed has a beneficial effect on glucose levels—so eat that turkey first—then the mashed potatoes
Exercise. The holidays are often a time when we stray from our regular exercise regimen—but an after-meal walk with family and friends is a great way to socialize and improve blood glucose levels that can lead to weight gain. And (as I’m sure you’ve guessed) Microworkouts throughout the day act like traffic signals that will direct nutrients to your muscles for tissue repair, rather than storing them as fat
Fast before the big holiday meals. Try not eating the day before a big meal—and if that’s too challenging—try not to eat on the actual day before the big meal
Pre-load with protein before a big meal. Eating 30g of protein an hour or so before a big meal will greatly reduce the amount you will eat at a festive meal.
Remember, we’ve all been conditioned that part of what the holidays mean is overeating—but we don’t have to take that to the extreme for weeks on end. Try out some of the above strategies and stay lean and comfortable through the holidays.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart