Jeff here….

Thank you for continuing to read the Self Help Tips Blog!

The holidays are here, which usually means that people are given dozens of opportunities to eat a lot of great holiday treats and traditional foods with friends, family, and coworkers. This also usually means that we have entered the season of gaining weight for almost everyone.

Who doesn’t gain weight during the holidays? It seems like an annual tradition for the majority of Americans to gain 5 to 15 pounds of extra weight between October 31 and January 1.

It starts by munching way too much of the Halloween candy and then snacking all the way through Thanksgiving, where everyone tends to overstuff themselves.  My brother had three plates full of food! Then you’ve got all of those Christmas parties right up until the actual Christmas dinner, and then the big New Year’s party. By the end of the joyous holiday season, you may have packed on weight like a roly-poly jolly Santa Claus.

Thankfully, there are ways to avoid gaining weight during the holidays. First, you need to have a plan. Second, you need to have the resolve to stick with your plan.

Rather then just giving up and planning on gaining weight, you truly can set yourself up to enjoy the holidays and even have a few treats and not gain weight.

So start the holiday season right, by making a decision to have a healthy and happy holiday time. You do not have to let loose and abandon your healthy eating for the next two months. You can choose to have some self-control.

Here are some tips that may help you:

When you eat, take small portions so that you can still enjoy all the special holiday foods. If you take the time to thoroughly chew your food, put down your fork between bites and enjoy some conversation with your friends and family. You may find you will not be so apt to have second helpings.

Pace yourself on days when you know that you will be attending several parties or holiday functions in a row. Don’t overeat at each one. Instead, choose to eat a little bit at each event so that you’re still hungry when you arrive at the next one.

Eat a good healthy breakfast each day. You may want to try eating fruit each morning during the holidays. This will help you to start off your day with a light and low-calorie nutritious meal that tastes great.

Continue with your exercise program. Or if you’re not exercising yet, begin walking at least 30 minutes each day. Instead of mindlessly eating when you feel holiday stress, go outside and get some fresh air and enjoy a break by taking a walk to center yourself.

Drink lots of fresh water each day. Our bodies tend to need more hydration during the dry winter months. The extra water will help you feel much better and it also helps you feel a bit fuller, so you’re less likely to overeat.

People that have a plan beforehand and then stick to that plan are the ones that finish out the holiday season feeling great, because they have not only enjoyed the wonderful times with family and friends, but they also still fit very comfortably into their clothes.