6 Tips for Keeping Your Weight Loss On Track During The Holidays

We’re in the middle of the holiday stretch that can oftentimes be the hardest on the waistline. Not only is the time between Halloween and Valentine’s Day typically filled with chocolate and feasting opportunities, but the colder weather and shorter days can leave us less motivated to get off the couch and pursue our exercise goals.

The winter holiday stretch can be extremely detrimental to your weight loss goals if you’re not careful. With that said, we’ve helped countless patients navigate this oftentimes difficult stretch of the year, and we’re confident that we can help you do the same. In today’s blog, we share some tips for helping keep your weight loss goals on track during the holiday season.

Successfully Dieting During The Holidays

Keeping your diet on track around Christmas-time will not happen by accident. You need to be deliberate in how you approach each day. Now, that’s not to say you can’t indulge on a sweet treat every once in a while, but you can’t let it spiral out of control and sabotage all your hard work. Here’s how to do that.

Plan Ahead – Planning ahead is one of the best ways to keep your diet on track throughout the holiday season. Look at your schedule and start to plan some ways to ensure you have access to healthy meals. If you’ll be short on time to cook, prep some healthy, easy-to-reheat meals ahead of time so you don’t have to rely on fast or flash-frozen foods. If you’ll be gathering with friends or family for a feast, offer to bring a healthy side dish that you enjoy so that you know you’ll have some options to help keep your diet on track. Each morning, wake up and brainstorm some ways to ensure your meals help to keep your diet on track instead of working against it.
Hydrate With Water – You should always strive to drink plenty of water, but staying hydrated can be especially helpful during the holidays. Always having water nearby can help you say no to sugary options like holiday lattes or hot chocolate, and it can help you feel fuller and combat cravings. Keep a water bottle nearby at home and at work throughout the holidays so that water is never far away.
Healthy Snacking – Snacking is perfectly fine as part of a well-balanced diet, so long as you’re making smart choices. That gets a little harder to do in the winter when Christmas candy is in the stockings and holiday cookies always seem to be sitting in the break room at work. Stock your fridge with healthy snacking options so that you have an easy choice if you develop a craving. Fruits and vegetables make great alternatives to chocolate and candy.
Keep Exercising – The holiday can also become a very busy time in a person’s life, so you need to make it a point to make time for exercise. Wake up a little earlier, or jump on the treadmill in the evening. We understand that your social calendar may be a little busier during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean exercise gets to fall by the wayside. Make time to exercise regularly or find new ways to incorporate movement and activity in your daily schedule.
Get Consistent Sleep – Sleep is also imperative to keeping your diet on track during the holidays. Aside from the obvious that if you’re sleeping, you’re not eating, healthy sleep helps to give us the energy to exercise when we’re awake. Restful sleep also gets us in a healthy circadian rhythm that ensures many bodily processes like your metabolism and thyroid function remain optimal. We know the holidays can get busy, but make it a point to go to sleep and wake up around the same time each day.
Talk To A Specialist – Finally, if you’re finding it challenging to keep your weight loss headed in the right direction over the holidays, speak with an expert like Dr. Bhatti. The team at Bhatti Weight Loss Center can give you individualized advice and identify some personal obstacles to weight loss success. You don’t have to navigate this battle on your own this holiday season, let our team of experts help!

For more information, or for help with your weight loss goals, reach out to the team at Bhatti Weight Loss Center today at (651) 430-3800.