The holidays area a difficult time for healthy eating. As we make our way through them there will be plenty of articles with tips and tricks on navigating the minefield of rich foods and drinks. This is not one of them.
It’s Not As Much As You Think
Above all, know this: holiday weight gain is probably not as drastic as we all think. While it seems like a scary time, research seems to indicate that, on average, people only gain around one or two pounds during the end of the year festivities.1 2 3 If that’s a surprise and you feel like you balloon during the six weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas, you may be noticing water weight. Eating a lot more, especially of tasty things, ups your sodium intake which causes you to retain water.
Keep Your Eye On The Trend
The fact is weight is not static. It’s something that is always in flux. Think of it like the stock market. There are ups and there are downs but what matters is not today, or this month, but rather the long term trend. A year, remember, is fifty-two weeks. If the Holidays last six of them, that still leaves forty-six weeks to influence the overall trajectory. That’s eighty-eight percent of the year! When you think about it that way, it should seem fairly clear that the Holidays are not really the disaster we tend to think. They are a blip on the chart. In fact, there is little reason to feel that anyone should spend the season struggling in a desperate battle to control themselves in the face of overwhelming temptation. On the contrary, take the season and indulge a little. If that other eighty-eight percent of the year is on point, it won’t be a problem.
…the question is, how is that eighty-eight percent?