How To Lose Weight After The Holidays
It is very common for people to gain a few extra pounds during the holidays. This is because the food temptations are a lot and the tradition states that in order to enjoy the holidays better you have to eat and drink well. All people, obese or not should be careful not to overdo it during the feasting period.
This does not mean that they should not enjoy the tasty food and traditions but simply means that they must be a bit cautions on what they eat and the quantities of food and drinks consumed. After all taking care of your diet is a healthy habit with many more benefits to your health than losing weight.
It is very important therefore that you watch your diet during the holidays. Your goal is not to lose weight but to make sure that the holiday period will not give you more weight. If you can manage to get out of this period with the same weight you had before then this is a success. The holidays are a period where you need to relax and enjoy.
Forget about weight loss for a few days but do not overdo it. You do not have to eat everything that is on the table in big quantities. Be more cautious and selective. Enjoy all the tastes but in smaller portions. Read on to find out how you can get rid of all that holiday weight.
8 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Holiday Weight:
Here are some of the easiest ways to get rid of all that extra weight you gained during the holidays.
- Set realistic goals for yourself. Losing one to two pounds a week is quite doable. The best weight loss programs recommend that after you lose the first 10 lbs and maintain it for around six months before you try losing more weight.
- Drink more water. People often feel that they are hungry, when actually they are just thirsty, so the next time you feel hungry, try drinking some water first. Drinking water will also make you feel full. Whenever you sit down for a meal, sip water or iced tea along with the meal. This helps to add weight and volume to your food.
- Eat more often. Frequent light meals help to curb appetite and boost energy. This helps to speed up your metabolism and will even improve your mood.
- Whenever you feel the craving to eat, try to ignore it for the next 10 minutes. Studies suggest that food cravings usually last for only about 10 minutes. Keep your mind off eating for these 10 minutes by doing something else.
- Out of every 21 meals, if you eat what you want for two meals, you will not cause damage to your weight loss regimen. Just stay within that limit and you will feel a lot better.
- Take one third off your meal. Even if you are eating out, you don’t need to polish off the plate. Ask your waiter to pack it up for you. Even at home, try reducing the portion sizes by one third. You can reduce up to 500 calories per day doing this.
- Do away with sodas. Sodas and other soft drinks just add empty calories to your meal and they don’t even satisfy your appetite as solid foods do. If you really are thirsty, drink water, fruit juice or unsweetened iced tea.
- Start your weight loss regimen, targeting only 10 percent of the long range weight loss goal. This will increase your chances of losing weight more easily.