Adjust Your Mindset and Enjoy Your Winter Holidays

New research from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab studied weight patterns for 3,000 participants from the U.S., Japan and Germany. In the United States, weight tended to increase from October until about ten days after Christmas. About half the weight was lost quickly but shedding the rest took about five months. Since the average annual weight gain during adulthood is one to two pounds, much of midlife weight gain can be attributed to overeating during the holidays. Moreover, many people begin packing on the extra pounds even earlier in life. Although there is nothing wrong with enjoying the each holiday, the key for managing your weight is to keep the increased eating to the actual holiday and not the holiday season.

• CONSUME FRESH FOOD - If you prepare you holiday meals from scratch, you can stay on top of what you eat and prevent unwanted weight gain. Moreover, planning ahead can go a long way towards preventing holiday pounds by allowing you to bring a healthy dish to share.
• ADD HEALTHY FATS - For decades, dietary fats were considered the villain when it came to weight gain. As it turns out, some fats are weight-loss friendly and support good health like satiating unsaturated fats made in nature and not in a food manufacturer's lab. Add nuts, seeds, fatty fish, olive oil and avocados to your holiday dishes.
• BE PICKY BUT EAT - When choosing holiday foods, stay away from items that have little to no nutritional value and empty calories like simple carbohydrates. Have a seasonal treat but skip the processed and packaged snack foods as these have too much added sugar and salt.
• GET PLENTY OF SLEEP - It is a myth that people need to retire earlier and wake up later during the winter months. There's no biological evidence that demonstrates a technical need for extra sleep. So, stick as close to your normal schedule as you can.
• AVOID FOR LIQUID CALORIES - When you arrive at a holiday function, start with a low-calorie, non-alcoholic drink like sparkling water with a slice of lime. This will help quench your thirst and satisfy feelings of hunger. As a strategy, try to alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones for the remainder of the evening.
• EAT WATER-RICH FOODS - Fresh fruits such as apricots, blueberries, oranges, peaches, pineapples, plums and raspberries contain over 80% water, whereas melons like cantaloupe and watermelon have some of the highest water content exceeding 90 percent by volume.

You might have heard that calories don't count during the holidays. Unfortunately, most people use such logic to get them off the hook for weeks instead of the actual holiday. The best advice for anyone on a weight loss journey is to adjust your mindset and attend all of your holiday events without the crappy attitude that you're missing out on everything. You're not. So, enjoy building healthy holiday memories with family and friends. If you're emerging from the holidays having put on a little weight, a few simple changes to your routines can get your right back on track. The weight loss approach at our weight loss centers is engineered for each client's unique body chemistry. Discover what makes your body different and get a head start on your winter holidays today by visiting a Metabolic Research Center near you.