5 Ways To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays
Holiday weight gain is a serious problem for many, and how to avoid gaining weight and staying on your diet during the holidays can seem absolutely impossible. Eating healthy and staying on your diet is hard enough during the year, and being stalwart and not gaining weight during the holidays can be a Herculean task, given the ever present abundance of not-so-healthy food and drink and the social pressures to indulge. To paraphrase Sartre, “Hell is other people when you are trying to eat healthy!” And while holidays are a great time to be with friends and family─ those very friends and family can sometimes be the source of powerful peer pressure that can steer you off course with your diet. As well-meaning as it might be, some friends and relatives simply will not take no for an answer when offering you the most decadent of holiday treats! And will insist that you partake in the feeding frenzy! They don’t care that you are trying hard to not gain weight during the holidays and stay on your diet as best as possible, they just want you to partake in the festivities with them! Compounding this, is being surrounded by an overabundance of great tasting food and it’s easy to see how we can easily fall into that cycle of gaining weight during the holidays and then feeling absolutely horrible about it afterwards. Personally, I have always found it odd that so many speak of enjoying overeating during the holidays and going off their diet, but in the same sentence would talk about how terrible they feel about the extra weight gained around their midsection. Human nature, but it doesn’t have to be this way, as there are ways to stay on your diet and not gain weight during the holidays, (and at any time to the year I might add!) It is possible to weather the holiday food storm without overindulging and still have a fantastic time with friends and family. But minus the guilt trip and weight gain by following some simple steps ─ but before we go any further into the ways of avoiding holiday weight gain, I must say that you first have to WANT to stay on your diet during the holidays! All the strategies and tricks in the world won’t help you avoid gaining weight during the holiday season if you are not serious about making a change. So you have to be honest with yourself about implementing these tips, else it will be an exercise in futility and frustration. That said, there are some very some simple steps you can use to stay on track during the holidays. I have been commended over the years─ and yelled at─ for not wavering on my diet. Regardless of the occasion or how tempting the foods may be, I stay on my diet during the holidays and all year round without any problems. (To be honest, I actually lose a pound or two every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas much to the chagrin of many.) While I like the idea of having superhuman willpower and self-control, the reality isn’t anywhere near as impressive. In fact, how I stay on my diet during the holidays─ and all year round─ has little to do with self-control and is more a matter of employing mindful eating, cognitive and behavioral tools skills developed over time. Eating well all the time isn’t rocket science, but without the proper tools it can feel like you are trying to land a man or woman on the Moon! That being said here are five battle tested strategies that have helped me and the hundreds of people who I have been privileged to work with over the past 28 years as a personal trainer avoid holiday weight gain and stay on their diets during the holidays and throughout the year. (See also my article Food and Self Control- How To Deal With Cravings for some more tips!)
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays— Tip 1: Fill Up Before The Festivities
Make sure you eat before going to any event where there is a lot of food. That way you are less likely to overeat!
On days where you are expecting either a holiday meal or a gathering at work where there will be an overabundance of food, nothing is more critical to ensuring moderate consumption more than filling yourself up long before the festivities begin. NEVER ─and I do mean NEVER─ go to a holiday meal on an empty stomach as you are setting yourself up for failure.
Food timing is an important factor in not gaining weight and having a big breakfast with high fiber foods like oat bran cereal or oatmeal—the real stuff not the instant kind— fruit and lean protein sources like egg whites are the perfect way to start your day! After a fast of several hours our bodies are designed to absorb and use the most nutrients at this time of the day. Failure to eat well at breakfast time puts you in a bit of a nutrient deficit. One that grows and grows as the day advances culminating in major food cravings later in the day. That being said on a day where you expect to have a large meal later in the day, do not make the mistake of not eating much during the day, as eating a large meal later in the day can make you gain weight! Not eating enough during the day will also lower your blood sugar levels and make you more prone to cheating on your diet and overdoing it when you do have the holiday meal. So if anything eat MORE healthy foods during the day so you will be more likely to stay on your diet and not gain weight when you go to your holiday event. (See my article: Eating Late Can Make You Gain Weight)
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays Tip 2: Drink Only Water!
Drink a glass of water before you start eating or drinking as it will help you eat and drink less and be a bit more mindful about your choices.
You don’t have to have juices, cider or alcohol with your meal and if you are going to be faced with an overabundance of food while trying to stay on your diet then you would do best to just drink water. It might not sound super sexy to not have a drink or two (or in some cases three or four) with your meals but alcohol contains seven calories per gram and is processed by your liver in such a way that actually promotes the storage of fat around your internal organs. Alcohol also not only reduces testosterone levels—which can adversely affect your hard earned muscle mass, among other things— but studies show that it also stimulates your appetite and makes you eat more [1] which is the last thing you want when faced with a holiday buffet. See my article How Just One Drink Of Alcohol Can Make You Gain Weight.) Juices and ciders are also chock full of calories and sugar- which you really don’t need if you are eating a large meal to begin with. If you absolutely must have some cider or alcohol, you can cut down on how much you will drink of you first start off with an eight ounce glass of water which will fill you up some and make you less likely to overdo it with what you eat and with what you drink! My suggestion is to grab a glass of water the second you enter the room with a lot of food and finish it before you start partaking in the feast. It will give you a chance as well to be a bit more mindful about what you are going to put on your plate and if you want to be a little fancy, seltzer with lemon works just as well, and you can put it in a wine glass to fit in a bit more. (For a more detailed explanation on how alcohol can make you eat more and inhibit fat loss see my article here.)
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays Tip 3: Eat Only Two Items
Limit yourself to only 2 items- with one of them being a high protein food!
Whether you are trying to not gain weight during the holidays or eating out and trying to lose weight, it’s a good practice to limit yourself to just two items (and make sure one of them is a protein dish like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs or beans) and then add a salad or vegetable dish if those didn’t make it to your list. It’s all about being mindful and the reason most people overeat is the idea that they have to taste everything on the menu for the day. You don’t as the calories do add up as you pile more and more food on your plate. Instead choose the foods that you really and absolutely love to eat and stick with it. ( See my article- Understanding Calories and How It Relates To Weight Loss.) You can have as many servings as you like of the protein food as long as you lay off the gravies and sauces and really take the time to enjoy your food and the company. A form of mindful eating that leads us to the third tip for sticking with your diet over the holidays.
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays Tip 4: Eat Slowly
The slower you eat the less you will eat and the more you will enjoy your foods!
My mother was right—eating slowly is an extremely effective way to reduce the likelihood of overeating and studies show that the faster you eat, the more likely you are to eat more calories than you should.[2] It takes a while for your brain to get the signal to stop eating and for that to happen your body has to secrete the hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY which make us feel satisfied and full but it takes a while before those hormones take full effect.[2] So if you eat too quickly, you’ll get the message to stop eating long after you should have already stopped. The solution is to simply relax and take your time with each bite as slowing down is an important tool in the fight against overeating. You will also enjoy your foods more and it is will be much better for your digestion. Remember— healthy eating is about enjoying your food and your life so you don’t have to be Spartan in your approach.
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays Tip 5: Follow The Rule Of Thirds
My rule of thirds is an easy way to always keep your eating in check and works especially well to help you stay on your diet not only for the holidays, but all year round. When surrounded by a lot of food the rule is:
Always eat a serving 1/3 less than what you would normally eat and always keep 1/3 of your stomach empty at all times.
A simple tenet, but a powerful way to keep yourself in control of your eating habits at all times- and it is easy to remember and put into practice! Eating to the point of feeling like an over inflated car tire isn’t healthy, nor should it ever be a goal holidays or not. Studies have shown time and time again how difficult it is for us to estimate our calorie intake, but by using the rule of thirds you have a practical way to enjoy your foods without overdoing it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take that many calories over what your body actually needs for you to start gaining weight, so you have to be diligent about your food intake at all times. Besides, is it really comforting to feel yourself bursting at the seams? I think not!
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain & Stay On Diet During The Holidays (extra) Tip 6: Team Up
The hardest part of staying on your diet and not gaining weight for Thanksgiving, any holiday or family and friend gatherings isn’t always the food; it’s the pressure you feel from others to eat the food! We are hardwired as group animals to follow others and at mealtime, this pressure towards what is essentially emotional eating can be a real issue if you are conspicuously not eating what everyone else is eating. For me growing up in the islands staying on my diet around the holidays was always excruciating until I realized I should use the same peer pressure dynamic to my advantage. How do you do that? There are two ways:
Step 1. The Easy Way:
The easiest way is to get someone else who is also trying to eat healthy to accompany you at the Thanksgiving meal, holiday party or any big get together that involves a tremendous amount of food. It could be a friend, family member or love one but you both have to agree on supporting each other and have similar goals. It makes a huge difference! By having someone at your side you won’t feel as isolated when you don’t eat what everyone else is eating and you’ll have someone to back you up if the pressure starts to build. By supporting them you will also reinforce your own position and quite often others in the group may come around and see the value in your choices.
Step 2. The Hard Way:
The other way is to recruit family, friends and people around you to help you stay on the right path during the holidays. People are very interesting beings in that if you say that you’re on a diet for health reasons, hardly anyone is going to take you seriously and they’ll keep on doing everything in their power to entice you to eat the foods that you shouldn’t. However if you said you entered a contest where you’ll win $1,000 if you lose ten pounds in two months and that needed everyone’s help to stay on track- you’d be surprised how eager people can be to lend their support (just don’t promise to share the profits!) I think it makes it easier for people to relate as the healthy lifestyle approach just doesn’t cut it. When I was younger at a big food gathering I would announce that I had a major bodybuilding contest or photo shoot coming up and that my career depended on my doing well (which was always true). The response was usually overwhelming- with some of my friends going so far as to inform everyone that I was really important that I stayed on my diet and to look out for me to make sure that I didn’t slip! The support was invaluable to me over the years and to this day my friends would leap across the room to stop me from eating a piece of cake as they know the way I look and the way I live is an important factor in my credibility as a personal trainer and health and fitness writer. I don’t see myself ever going for that piece of cake, but it is nice to know that if I did my friends and family would be there to stage an intervention! Having a family that takes eating well as seriously as I do makes my life much easier as well! So do your best to get others involved. Not only will it make you feel better but it also gives them a chance to feel good about helping you! Happy Holidays!!!!
High Intensity Bodyweight Training: Ballistic Pushups & Dips!
This was a tough one!
Starts out with ballistic push ups (like clap pushups but without the clap as my wrist is still not 100%) nonstop for 20 reps, then all out on dips for 10 reps.
To say it was painful would be an understatement, but you just have to push through and keep on going.
Still training, hope you are too and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#hometraining #homeworkout #homeworkout #highintensitytraining #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingvideos #chestday #chesttraining #naturalbodybuildingtips #pushups #dips #bodyweighttraining #highintensitytrainingtips #drugfreebodybuilding #calesthenics
Kevin's Unconventional Biceps Training- 3-6 Minutes a Week!
In this video I go over my biceps training using the Naturally Intense High Intensity Training protocols that helped me go from having arms measuring 11.5 to 12 inches to 18 inches drug free!
It's an unconventional approach for certain, but it's one that's helped my arms grow and the hundreds of men and women I have trained over the past 30 plus years.
Now, my success isn't due to being genetically gifted, as it took me the better part of 11 years to get my arms up to those measurements.
Which is significant as it works and been been proven time and time again to work for the average man or woman trying to grow their arms without drugs.
It's my hope that these high intensity training protocols can help you as much as they helped me!
Click on my bio link to see the full video on my YouTube channel and thanks as always for taking the time to look at my work!!! Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#highintensitytraining #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingvideos #armworkout #bicepsworkout #naturalbodybuildingtips #biceps #armtraining #highintensitytrainingtips #drugfreebodybuilding #barbellcurls
At the Lancaster Classic Day 2 Elimination Rounds Against European Champion, and World Record Holder Leo Pettersen @leo_barebow_archer
I don't talk much about it but I'm also a competitive barebow archer (surprise!) and last Saturday I had the honor of making it to Day 2 at the Lancaster Archery Classic in the Barebow Division, as I made the top 64 out of 267 competitors and had a chance to shoot with some of the greatest barebow shooters on the planet!
I didn't make it past Leo, but it was a real rush to be there and a huge thanks to my coach, Joe MyGlyn @prolinearchery for helping me get there.
Thanks as well to my good friend @sean_chan33 for all of his help from the very start, to my line buddy Aaron Shea for taking the shot and showing up to support!
My thanks as well to rob_kaufhold for putting on and promoting one of the best archery tournaments on earth!
Thanks also to to everyone who took the time to send a supporting word and I am looking forward to next year!!! #naturallyintense #barebow
#lancasterclassic #lancasterarcheryclassic2024 #lancasterarchery #archery #fitover40 #barebowrecurve #targetarchery
Dumbo, Brooklyn circa 2004
This shot was taken as part of the promotion for my Naturally Intense DVD and was about a year after my last bodybuilding competition.
It was a grueling photoshoot.
We started at about 10 am and finished around 4pm and I was completely spent, but the more we shot the sharper I looked, so we kept on going.
It's nice to look back from time to time and as tired as I was, we all had a blast!
My thanks to @stephanie_corne_artwork, @https://pulse.ly/itgnag2dec and @ftaz1 for taking the shots!!!
Thanks for watching and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #throwback #fifthavenuegym #5thavenuegym #drugfreebodybuilding #naturalbodybuildinglifestyle #gymlife #gymmotivation #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #bodybuilding #blackandwhite #instablackandwhite #bnw
Can You Build An Impressive Physique Training Only At Home?
Absolutely!
I stopped training in commercial gyms as of March 2020 and have been training at home ever since.
Initially I was admittedly worried that I might lose some of my gains or not make as much progress, but that certainly wasn't the case.
I've consistently continued to improve with my high intensity workouts and muscles have no idea where they are training.
As long as the criteria of adequate intensity and overload are met, there will be an adaptive response and your muscles will get bigger and stronger.
So don't worry at all about where you train, focus instead of what will be the best way for you to always be training!
Thanks for watching and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
Kevin's Three Day Training Spilt!
For the past 33 years I have trained three times a week with Naturally Intense High Intensity Training workouts lasting 10, 15 to 20 minutes max.
It's a training split tried and testes not only in it's helping me realize my goal of becoming a successful natural bodybuilder, but it's also helped hundreds of men and women over the past three decades.
I have tested just about every possible training split imaginable and for this particular style of high intensity training, this particular grouping consistently yields fantastic results.
I hope it helps you as much as it's helped me over the years and thanks so much for taking the time to look at my work.
Keep training hard and Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#trainingsplit #3daytrainingsplit #threedaytrainingsplit #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuildingvideo #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #naturalbodybuildingtips #drugfreebodybuilding #bodybuilding #highintensitytraining #highintensitytrainingtips
405 Stiff Leg Deadlift for 7 Reps! High Intensity Training.
First leg workout of the year and already pushing it!
I haven't done a stiff leg deadlift over 315lbs for about 3 years at this point, and I did my last set with 315lbs and comfortably got to 10 reps and decided I had far too much gas left in the tank and that I should go up in weight.
So I did.
I figured I might get a solid 6 reps in, but I made it to 7 and I think I could have gone on to get a full 10 reps BUT that's when good judgement prevailed.
As a bodybuilder having not trained this heavy for so many years, the shock of this much weight would be more than enough to stimulate muscle growth, and doing more reps wouldn't yield any greater returns, only increase the likelihood of injury.
It's not about the numbers, it's about training to a point where you achieve your goal, and it's important to have a goal in mind as a bodybuilder based on increasing muscle mass rather than hitting a particular number.
Besides, if in my 20's I never did more than 405lbs on a stiff leg deadlift, it doesn't make any sense going heavier than when I am almost 50!
Could I deadlift more at this point?
Absolutely but just because you can doesn't mean you should!
So keep those weights in a good working range, keep it safe and as always Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#hometraining #homeworkout #homeworkout #roguerack #highintensitytraining #naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #fitover40 #naturalbodybuildingvideos #backworkout #naturalbodybuildingtips #backtraining #highintensitytrainingtips #drugfreebodybuilding #fitoverforty #deadlift
Turning 50 in a few months...
Not much of a big deal for me as I still feel pretty much the same but I hope that my example helps show what can be done with a lifetime commitment to eating well and training consistently!
Thanks for coming along on the journey and as always, Excelsior!!! #naturallyintense
#naturalbodybuilder #naturalbodybuilding #healthylifestyle #fitover40 #drugfreebodybuilding #naturalbodybuildingmotivation #natty #fitness
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Featured everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to CBS News, Kevin Richardson’s Naturally Intense High Intensity Training have helped hundreds lose weight and transform their bodies with his 10 Minute Workouts. One of the top natural bodybuilders of his time, Kevin is also the international fitness consultant for UNICEF and one of the top personal trainers in New York City.
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