Gaining weight during the holiday season is a regular occurrence for many of us, especially when our dining tables are filled with so much good food during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.
The Holiday Weight Gain
And, with all these holidays close together, it's tough not to gain some weight, with even The New England Journal of Medicine saying that there is a significant increase of weight gain during the Thanksgiving season in the United States.
However, gaining weight is not a Christmas holiday exclusive, as the same journal has also published a study saying it can happen to all major holidays in countries around the world.
You can start the new year with an extra pound or two, and although the number may seem little, repeating the same routine does not benefit you, and you'll only keep on gaining weight--and that is because it is harder to lose than gain weight.
Besides the amount of foods available on our table, it's also hard to eat healthier during the winter season as the availability of locally-grown vegetables and fruits suddenly shrink, or that they become much more expensive than usual.
That said, is it impossible to avoid weight gain?
How to Avoid Unhealthy Weight Gain During the Holidays
There are various ways to avoid gaining weight and still enjoy holiday feasts, and one of the ways to do so, according to Medical Xpress, is to watch your extra calorie intake.
Additionally, you can add frozen fruits and dark leafy greens, as well as squashes and root vegetables to your menu as they have the same nutritional value and are readily available on the market.
You just have to choose a brand new way to introduce them to your traditional dishes.
Or, you can do calorie-swaps such as using low- or non-fat milk instead of cream and whole milk, using spices and herbs instead of using butter and salt for flavor, using club soda instead of alcohol for mixed drinks, as well as switching to whole-wheat pasta and bread if you can, as suggested by the American Heart Association.
If you're going to holiday parties by your friends and colleagues, New York psychologist, Carol Goldberg, Ph.D., also says that it's better if you don't arrive starving, so you can avoid stuffing yourself with extra calories.
You can also divert your attention from the food and focus on the company of your friends.
Most of all, staying physically active is the best way to burn off the calories that you have gained over the past few weeks of eating and partying.
Just because it's the holiday season doesn't mean you can't enjoy food in fear of gaining that extra weight.
