Say “No” to the Holiday Bulge!

This is the one time of year that I often listen to my clients express fears about eating. I usually give them the same response: If you can make it through the holidays eating healthy, then you can make it through anything! And I believe that very strongly. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying don't touch the eggnog or the pumpkin pie or the Christmas cookies. That would be cruel and unusual of me to do. When I speak of eating healthy during the holidays, what I really mean is this: Moderate your portions and don't overeat!

Overeating is very common during the holiday season. Many of us are accustomed to going home for Thanksgiving, sitting down to a huge family dinner, and eating until we can't eat anymore. In my case, growing up, my grandfather would sneak food onto my plate while I wasn't looking. So my advice to you this holiday season, above anything else is to moderate your portions. If you don't, you probably won't be happy the next time you get on the scale.

There are also several other things to remember that will aid us in achieving fat loss this holiday season. Here are a few.

1. Again, most importantly, control your portions. Over-eating is the best way to gain weight.

2. Continue to eat smaller meals more often throughout the day. I know that this is difficult during the holiday season, but it is not impossible. This way of eating speeds our metabolism, and makes it easier for us to burn more calories.

3. Continue to exercise. Doing consistent resistance training is the best way to burn fat calories and maintain lean mass at the same time. Don't let the holidays be a vacation from working out. In fact, it's probably the most important time to be working out! Pick up those weights!

4. Perform aerobic exercise consistently, especially after resistance training. After resistance training, our bodies are depleted of glycogen, our muscles' primary fuel source. Therefore, by doing low level aerobic exercise immediately after resistance training, we are able to burn more fat. Also, by staggering your intensity (interval training) on days in which you are not weight training, you use both a lower heart rate which will burn more fat, and a higher heart rate, which will burn more calories. We want both. This is a win win situation.

5. Avoid excessive starchy carbohydrates and simple sugars at inactive times of the day. OK, I know this is asking for a lot, but think twice before you eat that stuffing right before bed time. Consuming these kinds of foods at inactive times will result in carbohydrates not being utilized for energy, and therefore converting to fat. This is one of the biggest reasons for the obesity epidemic in this country.

6. Get plenty of rest. This may seem like a no brainer, but I actually find a lot of people have trouble sleeping this time of year. Your body needs adequate rest, otherwise it will not recover properly, and this can have a negative impact on your workouts. You also burn a lot of calories while you are sleeping. This is probably one of the most important yet most unrecognized principles to follow.

7. Stay hydrated! This is another unrecognized but very important principle to follow. Water is the most abundant nutrient in our bodies. Without, we would not even exist. If you are working out, you are going to perspire, and therefore lose water. It then becomes even more important to replace the water that you have lost. Multiplying your body weight by .55 will provide a good estimate of how many ounces of water an exerciser should consume in a day. Drinking water throughout the day can act as a valuable step in helping to mobilize fat.

8. Make sure you're getting your essential fats, namely the omega 3 and omega 6 fats. You can achieve this by taking a tablespoon of flaxseed oil every morning with your breakfast. You can also find them in fresh produce, fish, and even certain animal meats. If necessary, you can also take fish oil as a supplement.

Here's something else to aid you in your holiday eating. If there is one thing to be extra cautious of, it's simple sugars and refined carbohydrates. These have been called notorious enemies of fat loss, and for good reason. Most foods that contain a lot of simple sugars end with the letters o-s-e: glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc. Unfortunately, many of the "sweet" foods or beverages that many people like to snack on contain high amounts of these simple sugars. These would include juice, cola and other sugared sodas, cakes, cookies, etc. It's no secret that these foods and drinks are usually around a lot during the holiday season. What's important to realize is that when high levels of these simple sugars are ingested, it can affect the pancreatic hormones in such a way that the release of fat for energy is severely limited. It can also lead to erratic energy levels, food cravings, and sudden fatigue due to insulin spikes and blood sugar drops.

Refined carbs are another problem. They include white flour and bleached and processed grains. Not only do these foods have little nutritional value, but the carbohydrates they contain are rapidly broken down into glucose, and that takes us right back to the simple sugar problem again. They also can be easily converted into triglycerides and stored as fat.

Well, I know that's a lot to think about. Remember, I am not saying deprive yourself. This article is aimed at inspiring you to make healthy food choices this holiday season. The most important thing to remember is to use moderation. And with that, I leave you. Happy eating, and Happy holidays!