By now Halloween has passed and the excitement of Pumpkin Spice everything is turning into a new excitement for turkey, stuffing, pies, and whatever your looking forward to about Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
The months from October to December seem to always be revolved around many different indulging foods and in abundance. This is often a reason we get excited for the Holiday season but according to a study done in 2010 from Texas Tech, Jamie Cooper, this also results in an average of 1.5 pounds gained per person. That may not seem like a lot but she makes a valid point describing this yearly weight gain as "creeping obesity". This is the idea that you gradually become obese over time or decade. She states, "If you are 20-years-old and you gain the average yearly weight gain, 10 years later you will be 20 pounds heavier."
Now this is from a study done seven years ago but an article published from the Mayo Clinic in 2014 stated "the average American gains 5 lbs between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve".
Thats an increasing average of 0.9 lbs of "Holiday Weight Gain" every year.
I can only imagine what it looks like now in 2017. Don't let these thoughts of gaining too much during the holidays ruin it for you but instead use this as a guideline or motivation to make smarter choices these holidays. We would all rather look back on our Holiday season knowing we enjoyed great company without the risk of weight gain.
If your looking to NOT be apart of this rising epidemic then here are some tips to combat this:
Tip 1
If you don't have an exercise regiment get on one! Click here if you'd like some help to get started:
http://clhealthyliving.weebly.com/
Tip 2
Portion Control; just because it seems like the thing to do is eat until you may pop doesn't mean you have to. Focus on being with family and socializing rather than the meal itself and treat it like another normal meal.
Tip 3
Smart Choices; You don't have to cut out your favorite foods during the holidays but should be aware of how many calories they are expending you. Instead of having two pieces of something maybe have one piece of something else thats a lighter option. You can also keep the idea of "treating yourself/cheat meals" without going overboard: determine that maybe a holiday drink, for example, can be your treat of that week.
Tip 4
Cook Cleaner; Cut all the fat from your meat before cooking it, leave off the skins, using less sugar and salts that recipes call for, substitute whole milks for skim, use less fatty oils, and all around think about how you can cook your favorite meal smarter.
Tip 5
Don't Deprive Yourself; often times people will "prepare" for the holiday dinner or party by not eating for hours before hand then end up over eating when there. Instead have a snack or smaller meals before so that you are sustained and feel semi full. This will help in preventing over eating when it comes to dinners and party's.
All in all you shouldn't have to change your health habits dramatically to keep the weight off. Instead be determined to maintain good efforts regarding your nutritional value and physical activity, to keep you from being apart of these growing statistics.
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