Surveys show the average adult gains between one and five pounds during the holiday season. This is in addition to general weight gain over the year. After a few sugary holiday seasons (plus other indulgent holidays, vacations, birthdays and special occasions), those pounds add up.

The holidays can be a perfect excuse for weight gain. Although this year is a bit unique, holiday weight gain is typically a result of: 

• An abnormal routine of social events (with food being the spotlight)
• Out-of-town guests visiting
• An influx of treats at home & work
• Being less physically active due to weather changes, a busier social calendar and the time change 
• Using food to cope with holiday stress 
• Having the mindset that the holidays are “The Last Supper” before the New Year 

The good news is the strategies for weight management and weight loss during the holiday season do not differ from other times of the year. The key is to establish a healthy lifestyle routine and implement intuitive eating techniques prior to the holiday season so that when the holidays come, the strategies are already a habit. 

Strategies to maintain healthy habits during the holidays: 

1. Plan ahead

What happens when there’s NO plan? 

• Easily become ravenously hungry and have to make decisions under the influence of hunger 
• Choose foods we wouldn’t have chosen if there was a plan in place 
• Rush to the supermarket after work, opt for drive thru meals, eat out or order delivery
• Ultimately, overeating results due to intense hunger and lack of planning ahead 

Prioritizing the time to make a plan in advance will take the guesswork out of meal time and ensure healthful foods are planned. When food is prepared in advance & put in Tupperware containers, this assists with proper portion sizes. Remember: with hunger, exhaustion and stress working you, having meals decided in advanced will set you up for success.

2. Proper portions 

Portion control is the single most important strategy for weight maintenance and weight loss. How much you eat is just as important as what you eat. How are you managing your portion sizes? 

We tend to eat whatever is on the plate in front of us without thinking about the amount of food we are actually consuming. Learning to recognize standard serving sizes can help bring awareness to how much you are eating, and make changes according to your weight loss goals. Start by putting the suggested serving size that appears on the label on your plate before you start eating. This will help you see what one standard serving of a food looks like compared to how much you normally eat. Also remember to consider the serving sizes of sugary beverages, such as sports drinks, coffee drinks, juice, sweet tea and soda. 

3. Mindful Eating

Mindfulness is defined as being conscious or aware of something. Mindful eating means to become more aware of the full experience of eating. If you are in a fast-paced, high stress lifestyle where food is available anywhere and everywhere, mindless eating can easily become a way of life. 

Start by assessing the conditions of your eating environment. 

• Create a distraction-free zone.  Disconnect from your devices. This restores your attention, making eating an intentional act instead of an automatic one. 
• Sit at the table rather than slouched on the couch. Sitting up straight allows for better digestion and draws attention to the feeling of fullness. 
• Take note of the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures, and even the sounds (crunch!) of our food.  When we rush through without considering these aspects – it affects meal satisfaction. If we are not satisfied after eating (due to distraction), the urge to eat continues, despite having just ate. 
• Make your meals meaningful by slowing down your pace of eating. This helps bring awareness to satiety, enhances digestion and draws attention to flavors you might have otherwise missed if the meal was rushed. 

Shift your mindset away from seeing the holidays as “The Last Supper” before the New Year. There’s no better time than now to implement healthy lifestyle strategies!

Interested in learning more about mindful eating? The Intuitive Eating Journal is now available on Amazon! This self-paced journal is divided into five categories: thoughts, habits, diet culture, eating thoughtfully and self-care. Set aside just 20 minutes in the morning to focus on each of the 30 mindful and instinctive thoughts to start your day. As the day goes on and you begin to marinate on each concept, you’ll have the opportunity to answer each thought-provoking question and complete the relevant tasks to assist you in your journey toward mindful eating. This practice allows you to connect the principles with your own real-life experiences.

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Disclosure:  The 30s Guide to Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

About the Author

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Cassandra Golden Sampson MS, RD, LDN, MIEP is a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Nutritionist, and a Mindful & Instinctive Eating Practitioner™. After recovering from a personal battle with binge eating disorder, Cassandra has dedicated her career to teaching the art of mindful and instinctive eating. Cassandra now owns a telehealth-based private practice offering one-on-one nutrition counseling, group classes and online courses. Nutrition Nibbles Consulting, LLC is an outpatient service offering medical nutrition therapy and wellness counseling through convenient telehealth appointments. Learn more by visiting www.CassandraGolden.com.

Cassandra holds a Master’s Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from the University of South Florida. She has served as a nutrition expert for local media outlets to deliver accurate and trustworthy information to communities across southwest Florida. Cassandra has also written a cookbook, loves to teach Zumba fitness classes, is an active volunteer at her local food pantry and strives to live life on purpose with intention.