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Holiday Weight Management by Ashley
Finding ways to maintain a healthy weight during the holidays is tough. But, there are ways to help with that:
Drink Lots of Water Before Your Meal
Drinking water before your meal not only makes you a little less hungry, but it gets you fuller faster when eating your big meal.
Incorporate Healthy Foods into Your Meal
Whether it’s a side dish of roasted veggies or a Keto pie, you can incorporate healthy foods with your traditional meal. There are so many recipes to make that’ll taste great but also ate great for you.
Watch Your Portion Sizes
Portion sizing is key when eating big meals like Christmas dinner. Try and have more healthy dishes than unhealthy. You can still have the foods you love but create a balance between healthy and unhealthy foods.
Make Sure to Stay Active
Staying active is really important, especially before the big meal. Going on walks or doing quick workouts are great ways to stay active before and after Christmas dinner.
Although maintaining a healthy weight is tricky through the holidays, these tips are a great way to prevent gaining the weight that you want to keep off and feeling good afterward.
Holiday Weight Management Tips by Marie
Whether you are trying to lose, gain, or just maintain, weight management is something many of us think about on nearly a daily basis. For many of us, the “holiday spread” happens not only on our dinner tables but around our midsection too if we aren’t mindful when we eat.
First off, let’s make sure we set realistic goals for ourselves during the holidays. It’s okay to indulge a little when celebrating with friends and family. It’s what makes life more enjoyable. Let’s be honest, being that person at a party who refuses to take a single bite of something simply because it doesn’t fit within their self-imposed dietary restrictions takes a little bit of the fun out of a social gathering. I know, I was that person at times.
I know myself and my body better now. I take some preventative steps beginning in the fall. You see, I have a very physically active job from March through September, but once the warm weather is over and my job duties slow way down, I tend to be less active and put on weight. Combined with the fact that I tend to eat when I’m bored, and I easily begin putting on the pounds as the days get shorter and winter sets in. Then add on holiday sweets and big celebratory meals and, well, you know.
Preventative Step 1: Stay Active
I easily get 15-20,000 steps in daily during the busy summer season, but once winter approaches I struggle to get my steps in. Doing what I can to make sure I hit my daily step goal helps me avoid the holiday weight gain. I love being outside at any opportunity. So as long as it isn’t actively raining or snowing, I bundle up and get some outside work done, take the dog for a walk, or take a hike and enjoy the nature around me. Hit those step goals and reassess those goals often.
Preventative Step 2: Practice Mindful Eating
Logging my food intake on the Fitbit app helps me stay on track with my calorie intake. It’s important not to guess at serving sizes. I find that weighing out portions helps me learn over time what a serving size actually is to avoid over-consuming. Mindlessly snacking out of a whole bag of chips is the surest way for me to accidentally eat way too much. Sure, it’s a pain at first, but over time I’ve developed my “eye” for portion sizes. Now when I’m out at a social gathering and that huge buffet is before me, I can take a reasonable portion of several things and have a fairly accurate idea of roughly how many calories I’m consuming.
Preventative Step 3: Stay Hydrated
I know we’ve all heard it over and over. For a long time, I thought it didn’t apply to me, but I’ve learned it does. Stay hydrated! Even a slight amount of dehydration slows down our metabolic systems, including our GI tract. Constipation can easily add several pounds of unnecessary weight as waste builds up. Staying hydrated also helps us fight off colds and other infections when they do find us. Drinking plenty of water also helps us feel full so we may avoid overeating. So fill up those water bottles and keep drinking.
I hope you find my tips on maintaining weight during the holiday season helpful to you. I’d love to read some of your tips and tricks for managing weight in the comments. Thanks for reading the Fitbit Community blog!
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Please note that content published here is written by Fitbit Community members and does not reflect any opinions or official positions of Fitbit. The Community Blog entries are published as submitted and are not edited for grammatical or other accuracy. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
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