Holiday Weight Gain: Does it Stay With You?

How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

That time of year is upon us once again. The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. Many of us are putting travel plans together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we can spend the festive season with the ones we love most, including that one uncle who decides to talk about politics at the dinner table…

While this may sound gluttonous, one of my favorite parts about the holidays is the food! Right now you’re probably picturing the Thanksgiving Day turkey at the center of the table, surrounded by mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Followed by that pumpkin pie you’re going to devour soon after. However, what we often forget during this time of year is the impact all of this delicious food is having on our long term weight loss goals.

Holiday weight gain is a very real thing, with the average American gaining 1 lb between November and January. I know what you’re thinking, 1 lb of body weight doesn’t sound like a lot considering the vast quantities of food you have probably inhaled during this time. However, researchers have also found that most people don’t shed that extra weight by the next year! As a result, that single pound can turn in to 5, 10, even 15+ pounds of unwanted weight gain as the years roll by!

With this in mind, here are few tips that will help to prevent holiday weight gain from occurring:

1. Go on More Walks

While a brisk walk may not seem like much of a workout for most people, I am certain that it is better than what you are probably doing this time of year. Most of us can become content with sitting on the couch and watching TV, especially with a belly full of turkey. But this level of inactivity in combination with a sudden spike in overeating can be a recipe for disaster. Going on a short walk is not only a great excuse to get some fresh air and spend quality time with family, but It will also help aid digestion, offset some inflammation and prevent blood sugar spikes from occurring.

2. Be a Mindful Eater

If you’re anything like me, it is difficult to say no to extra helpings of food during the holidays. Despite being moments away from an impending food coma, I still believe that I have extra room for that slice of pecan pie I’ve been thinking about all day. With such a vast quantity of food available, most of which is very palatable, it’s important to be mindful of what you are eating and how much of it you really need. Prior to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, try to limit snacking and consuming large meals that will only make your daily caloric intake even higher. Knowing that a big slice of pie is waiting for you at the end of your meal, you could also consider smaller portion sizes of turkey and all the fixings. As you can see, none of these suggestions require you to remove any of the food that you love. But they do require you to be aware of your portion sizes and appetite levels.

3. Find a Nearby Gym

If your holiday plans call for you be away from your home comforts for an extended period of time, it might be a good idea to seek out a local gym. Even if this is just a planet fitness or the local YMCA, you can still get a great workout in when you have minimal equipment at your disposal. A couple of resistance training sessions will go a long way in keeping the pounds off during the holidays and prevent you from returning home undertrained.

See below for a sample workout that can be performed easily at any small commercial gym:

A1) Slow Tempo Goblet Squat - 3x10

A2) Deadbugs - 3x6/side

B1) Pushup or 1-arm Alternating DB Bench Press – 3 x 5 or 3 x 7/side

B2) Side Planks – 3 x :20/side

C1) Glute Bridge w/ Iso Hold – 3 x 12 (:02 Iso Hold)

C2) 3 Point DB Row – 3 x 8/side

Finisher: (4 Minutes)

D1) KB swings x 8

D2) Bear Crawl x 6 steps/side

Ultimately, as with many things, you should be searching for balance at this time of year. Given that most of our daily lives are consumed with traffic-filled commutes, deadlines, and plenty of stress, the holidays serve as an opportunity to switch off and enjoy quality time with our families. However, it is important to not become too lax with our eating and exercise habits. Along with remaining mindful of your food intake, making sure that you move often and set aside time for physical activity will go a long way to keeping you on track as we head into the new year! From myself and the entire SAPT team, have a happy holiday season!

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Sweet and Good For You Desserts

As Bob Rivers so poignantly points out, it's the most fattening time of the year...

I love Christmas music parodies. We all know it's true; cookies, cakes, candies, and other c-starting foods that contain lots of calories. (See what I did there?) To combat the oh-so-sugary tempting treats, I have a couple of recipes that won’t send you into a glucose coma should you have an extra helping.

4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are great because they’re pack with fruit (instead of refined, straight sugar) so you get some fiber in there to boot. The nut butter acts as the binder and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter is a LOT less calories (and crap) than two sticks of margarine found in traditional cookies.

The oat flour, again more fiber than refined flour, has a lot of soluble fiber in it which promotes heart health. Chocolate, well, that’s just tasty. If you're into dark chocolate, the Reed household is a regular purchaser of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips.

Recipe:

- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used apricots)

- 3 Tbs nut butter (I used peanut butter but almond butter will have milder flavor)

- 1/2-2/3 cups oat flour (just grind up oats in a food processor)

- 1-2 handfuls of chocolate chips (we use the dark chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 375-ish.

2. Pulse fruit, nut butter, and oat flour in a food processor until combined and rather sticky looking. Remove blade (this is a very important step) and toss in the chocolate chips and fold in using a spatula.

3. Scoop out dough with either a spoon or ice-cream scooper onto a lightly greased baking sheet.

4. Bake about 15-20 minutes.

5. Scarf down accordingly.

 Coconut Luvers Cookies (I found it over at Healthful Pursuits, a fabulous food blog by Leanne Vogul found here)

I adapted this a bit because the first time I made them, Steve said they were a bit dry. Unsweetened coconut provides healthy fats (gotta keep those cell membranes healthy!) and fiber (see, all these desserts will keep you regular!) and the sugar content on these babies isn’t sky high as in a lot of other desserts.

- 2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut

- 2 eggs

- 2 TBS of cocoa powder

- 1 small-ish handful of chocolate chips, melted

- 1/2 cup honey or agave nectar

1. Preheat oven to 350… as it is for seemingly every baked good.

2. Melt chocolate chips either in the microwave (my preferred method) or on the stove.

3. Combine the shredded coconut with the cocoa powder and eggs. Add in the melted chocolate and agave/honey. Stir vigorously until goopy and thoroughly mixed.

4. Plop batter into desired cookie size on a lightly greased baking sheet. Leanne Vogul recommends using your hands, as if you’re making mud pies, but I used a large serving spoon (I had a couple of cuts on my palms that I didn’t want goopy-goop getting into).

5. Bake about 17-20 minutes. Then, dig in!

p.s. Steve has found these to be fantastic pre-workout snacks.

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas

I know, it sounds weird, but these things are absolutely addictive (and better for you than say, M&Ms or Puppy Chow). Chickpeas come stocked with fiber (notice a theme? Besides keeping you regular, fiber helps blunt the blood sugar spike thus preventing crashes post-sugar intake), a cup of these little buggers contain roughly 14 grams of protein (better than M&Ms for sure), and they have phosphorus (good for bone development), potassium, and manganese (super important mineral for cellular functions and wound healing). These guys pack a punch!

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on how much you like cinnamon)

- 1-3 teaspoons raw sugar, stevia, or coconut sugar (pick you favorite)

1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with foil (trust me, this makes clean up a lot easier)

2. Place chickpeas in a mixing bowl. Combine the sweetener-o-choice with cinnamon and sprinkle over the chickpeas as you toss them to coat.

3. Spread out the chicky-peas on the baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they look crispy.

4. Place in a bowl (after they’ve cooled a bit) and munch on during your next movie night.

p.s. you can, should you desire, to sprinkle some sea salt on them before baking to give a sweet-n-salty taste.

Enjoy your extra desserts today!