By John Mentos
www.mindnmuscle.com
The holiday season is upon us and for most of us this means gaining weight! But the truth is, this Christmas season you don’t have to gain weight; in fact you can enjoy the festivities and even shed those some 5-10 pounds. Using these simple strategies...
Here's the math you need to know, to make this holiday season productive: first to lose 5 pounds, you need to shave 17,500 calories (or 3,500 per pound). Break that down over November and December and it works out to only 300 calories a day. That is not much at all!
At this rate you're losing at a very healthy, controlled rate--less than a pound a week--which makes you more likely to stick to your weight-loss efforts and keep the weight off post-Jan. 1. Here's how to do it. 300 Calories is nothing! It is the equivalent of a star bucks mocha frappachino! Or three donuts!
First step 1 Cut back on calories slowly and modestly
The secret to effective weight control is to do things modestly and this includes Resisting the temptation to make major cuts in your diet. Don’t fool yourself because there are just too many fabulous things around to eat this time of year. Instead, aim to reduce your intake by just 100 calories every day, while bumping up the frequency and intensity of your workouts. Sacrifice treats here and there- nothing exceptional!
The way I like to do it is to add an additional 10 minutes of aerobics to my schedule, this tends to offset the calorie increases at the holidays, focus on exercise--that way you won't feel deprived of the good stuff the holiday brings.
Cutting calories is easy if you know where to look. For instance, you can sacrifice that extra cup of coffee or give up one slice of bread; this simple two-step will cut an extra 200 calories from your diet!
Next you can choose to eat clean, by clean I mean choose lean fish or grilled, skinless chicken breast over red meat, you can also very easily save another 100-200 calories by doing that!
2 Use your free time wisely
This is the holiday season, so you are likely to have some free time! Use this time to get in more workouts and it does not have to be complicated, walk or run an extra 10-20 minutes rather than watch T.V. Also you want to make sure you never miss meals!
Eating frequent, smaller meals is the key to losing weight! So make sure you eat a small meal or snack every three to four hours to prevent overeating. If you're going holiday shopping all day, bring something to keep you going, like a some carrot or celery sticks! These will keep you full and prevent sinful snacking.
3 Enjoy the goodies (in moderation)
If you deprive yourself of your treats, you are more likely to quit!
So make sure you do treat yourself in small amounts-sometimes just a bite is enough to kill a craving! Feel like chocolate? Fine, have a bite or two-then let go of it!
You must have will power for that! Because if you don’t, one bite will lead to another (and another), you'll probably need to keep the forbidden foods out of the house altogether. If you can’t miss any Christmas goodies, you can always save them for later by putting a few goodies in a Ziploc bag and freezing them. Knowing that you can have a bite of Christmas fudge in February may take the edge off and keep you from overindulging now. Remember we want what we can’t have!
4 Go to parties armed and ready
When it comes to parties, you want to make sure you bring your own healthful dish to a potluck or choose to drink seltzers-and-lime with lower-cal alcoholic drinks, you will be setting yourself up to succeed.
Here is how to make sure you eat right when you do head down the buffet line. First, fill half your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein like shrimp or chicken breast, and the rest with grains
It is that simple, four simple steps to make sure this Christmas season becomes a time of staying in shape and not gaining weight!
