Losing Weight During the Holidays, Diet vs Exercise

The holiday are here!  The media has reported that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Ouch.  Big dinners, more alcohol, more snacks, more finger foods, tempting desserts, and appetizers. How can we work to combat those pounds?

Exercise and keep going. Work out longer or just start to exercise.  Shoot for 30-45 minutes, three to five times a week.

A recent Time Magazine article raised eyebrows with the proclaimation “Why Exercise Won’t Make you Thin”.  The article sums it up with: “In short, it’s what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain”

So we need to focus on eating less and eating right!

1) Fill up your stomach with low calorie healthy foods including fruits and vegetables. Shoot for 7 servings or more a day.  Fill up BEFORE you head to a party.

2) Avoid areas with temptations.  Do not hang out by the buffet table or dining table.

3) Splurge on that fatty item, but limit it.

4) Drink low calorie drinks that will fill you up.  Mineral water anyone?

5) Use a small plate, avoid sauces, load up on low cal salads, and focus on socializing not eating.

Get a dog? Average dog owners exercise up to 6 hours more a week than those who work out at a gym.

Related posts:

1. BPA in Canned and Packaged Foods
2. Happy Holidays from EasyEcoBlog.com!

Posted on December 17th, 2009
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.