How to avoid the inevitable holiday weight gain! | Jenn Edden Coaching

How to Avoid (what feels like) Inevitable Holiday Weight Gain!!

Greetings!

As a recovering sugar-a-holic, health coach, mom and avid party goer, I sometimes wish I could “empty my brain of information” and share it with the world so that more women could CELEBRATE the holiday season versus do their very best to not hate themselves by January 1 from all the unnecessary weight gain!

Here is my attempt at doing JUST THAT….sit back, sip a cup of tea and enjoy the answers to questions I was recently asked during an interview on how to avoid (what feels like) inevitable Holiday Weight Gain!!!

During the holidays, avoiding refined sugar is hard but it’s not impossible. And seriously it’s not the food that makes us fat. It’s usually all the sugar we’re consuming (this includes the wine).

So here are some tips for enjoying your Holidays (without all the guilt) like the smart, brilliant woman that you are!

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1. Take all the candy, cake and cookies sitting out in the open and put it away where you can’t see it (or throw it out). Do this after every holiday function or party.

I know it used to be a habit of mine to break out the Halloween candy 3 weeks early and leave some
in a little bowl on the kitchen table thinking somehow that would make my house more “festive”!

Or I would hang candy canes around the house tempting me at every turn.
All that sugar adds up over time. It’s never the one day of partying that’s the real problem. It’s what goes on before and after the party that causes the weight gain.

And what we can’t see we usually don’t think about, SO stop reminding yourself to eat that last piece of pie every time you open the fridge.

Stop the temptation.  Get it out of your face.

2. The Day of a Party eat high-protein, balanced meals leading up to the party and focus on the good company once you get there!

Focus on eating high-protein, balanced meals throughout the day and let the party be the “icing on the cake.” When we skip meals throughout the day to reduce calories, we end up feeling very hungry and out of control at parties.

  • So stabilize your blood sugar before the party.
  • Make sure you eat a solid breakfast and lunch.
  • Drink enough water and stay hydrated.
  • Walk into that party feeling great and you will make smart decisions all night long. Promise.

AND keep in mind there is NO way that one day of eating and drinking will cause you to gain weight or make you feel that miserable… really.

Enjoy the party, focus on the conversations and know that you will start fresh the next day.

3. Make sure you get enough SLEEP leading up to Holiday Parties.

There is nothing more tempting when you’re tired than sugar and over-eating! You actually have a hormone that helps you feel satiated, and when you are lacking sleep that hormone does not do its job!

Check out this scenario: You went to bed at midnight and in the morning you really need a cup of coffee, so you drive by the local Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. They ask you if you want anything with that coffee and you see that blueberry muffin just calling your name. So you eat it, and 2 hours later you are still hungry and looking for something else to eat, but it’s not even lunch yet!

There is no amount of self-control that can help you on days when you are tired. So do yourself a favor and get some R & R during the holiday season and for sure the day before a big party!

As I constantly tell my clients, your inbox will always have messages and there will always be dishes in the sink so drop everything and GO TO BED. It’s what I do!

And last, but certainly not least….

4. Here is what I recommend you do to curb sugar cravings when you feel like you just can’t stop.

  • Call a good friend to divert your mind. Whatever we focus on we get, so stop focusing on your weight and food and start focusing more on your friendships.
  • Tongue scrape daily to get the sugar and memory of sugar off your tongue!
  • Get help. We all know when we are in over our heads. Don’t wait till you’re 20lbs past your comfort zone. Hire a coach who specializes in sugar addiction if you think you really have a problem. Because that is what sugar is….an addiction.
  • Brush your teeth to change up the flavor in your mouth. This works every time.
  • Start a new project at work or home that brings you excitement outside the kitchen- a lot of times we binge because we are bored!

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