The easiest weight to lose is the weight you don’t gain. As you already know, the average American gains 6 pounds over the holidays. As you also already know, women are smaller and have slower metabolisms, so it takes longer to lose that weight.
Truthfully, the only way to avoid excess holiday calories is to decline all social engagements, ignore your friends, and bring your own food in Tupperware containers to family get-togethers… in other words, unless you’re a model or bodybuilder, complete avoidance isn’t worth it.
For most women, a smarter goal is what we call Project Zero. Project Zero is weighing the same on January 2nd as you did on November 21st. This is harder than it sounds, but still attainable while enjoying the holidays. Here’s a simple plan to help you get that done:
- Keep your head out of the sand: during the Holidays many people avoid weighing themselves because they don’t want to know. Look at your weight as a scientist would – it’s data not judgment. Your weight doesn’t define you or tell you anything about your worth. Your weight merely gives you feedback on your calorie balance (and how much salty your food was yesterday). Logging your weight (not trying to remember it) let’s you know your trend and if you need to correct course.
- Use layaway not a credit card: “credit card nutrition” is when you indulge on Thanksgiving and then tell yourself you’ll “be good” afterwards. We humans suck at this. Saving up for an indulgence by eating less the days before is less expensive and more enjoyable than using credit.
- Guard the house: If you see pie, cookies, etc. every time you’re in the kitchen it’s going to get nibbled. Those calories add up at the speed of light. It is impossible to be strict with yourself all day because willpower runs at about 1pm for most people. However, willpower can be use to be strict about not keeping the things that tempt you in your house.
- Feed the goose: You are the goose that lays the golden eggs. When you stop exercising “for a week or two” during the Holidays it’s probably going to turn into 2, 6 or 12 months. Everyone feels stressed during the Holidays because we all have a lot going on. While skipping your workouts feels like it’ll make things better, the opposite is true – skipping exercise just creates a host of new problems for yourself. When you need to cut back, compromise elsewhere.
- Enjoy Thanksgiving: enjoy Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. Eat a little less the days before, and enjoy Thanksgiving on November 22nd. Then get rid of the tempting leftovers by any means necessary.
🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 🦃 Remember: The easiest 10 pounds to lose is the 10 you don’t gain. 🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃
