The Biggest Holiday Weight Gain Mistakes

By Rigel Celeste on December 3rd, 2009

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Tis the season for gobs of goodies, too much to drink, and holiday party after holiday party. You might think you have your strategy down for managing all the wining and dining without packing on any extra pounds, but do you really? Despite all the advice out there, people still make the same mistakes over and over, year after year:

1. Starving yourself early to “save room for later.” This approach only sets you up to binge and go overboard, eating way more calories total for the day than you would have if you’d just eaten a normal breakfast and lunch. A better plan is to eat a healthy, fiber-rich snack before the party so you can make smart choices and enjoy every bite.
2. Drinking alcohol before you eat. Studies show that those who drink alcohol before a meal eat more than those who drink the same amount during the meal.
3. Assuming weight gain over the holidays is unavoidable. Weight gain does happen to a lot of people over the holidays, but it’s on accident. If you give yourself the “okay” and assume that gaining weight during this time of year is inevitable, than you’re pretty much guaranteeing it’s going to happen because you’ll stop trying to prevent it.
4. Planning to go on a big diet starting January. Lots of people plan post-holiday diets, but few actually succeed, and in the meantime most will stop watching what they eat between now and then. If you’re like most, you’ll just end up bigger in January than you are now, plus a gross ugly diet plan that you hate and won’t follow. Not a good plan.