Avoid Gaining Weight Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day

Thanksgiving and the leftovers can last a week. Then it’s only a few more weeks until Christmas. New Year’s is the following week. Studies show that up to 75% of a person’s annual weight gain happens between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. 

Even if you end up not gaining that much weight over the holidays, the bigger problem is that any amount of weight gain usually stays with us and we carry the weight on to the next year.  We need to stop this self-killing habit and make this year the year that we avoid holiday weight gain.

Obviously the best way to lose or maintain your weight and keep fit is to limit how much and of what you eat and to be more physically active.

We know this. However, most of us associate the holidays with food, fun, and cheers. And all of this only leads to gaining weight. You can choose differently.

If you have not yet started with an exercise plan, with the guidance of a healthcare professional, right now is the best time to start one.

You can start with adding walks to you daily routine.

Keep reading below for suggestions to avoid gaining weight during the holidays and for any other time of the year.

And, rather than choosing the latest diet of the week, you could, instead, implement some sound strategies that have been proven to be effective in losing weight and keeping it off.

You can choose to eat and drink responsibly and still be able to enjoy the holidays. 

Avoid Gaining Weight This Holiday Season:  The Short List:

1. Start With Making The Wise Healthy Choice.
2. Eat A Healthy Meal At Home Before You Go To An Event.
3. Bring A Healthy Side Dish.
4. Focus On Things Other Than Food. Talk To People.
5. Maintain A Healthy Diet And Exercise Routine.
6. Start With A Daily Walk. Today.
7. Watch How Much You Eat And Be Sure To Eat Slowly.
8. Wait At Least 30 Minutes Before Having A Second Helping.

The Long List:

0. Start With Making The Wise Healthy Choice.

You need to start the holiday season with a solid bond and commitment to yourself that you will take care of yourself to keep active and exercise more and to eat and drink responsibly.

When you are spending time with family or friends it is way too easy to get caught up in the moment and eat and drink too much.

Throughout human history festivals and parties have been associated with eating and drinking. It is practically a foregone conclusion. When we talk about an event that we had attended, what is one of the first things that people ask about it? “How was the food?” We get it. If it is not genetically encoded in our DNA to eat and drink at parties, it sure as hell feels like it.

Go in with a Plan. Before you put yourself into temptation, tell yourself how much you’re allowed to eat. In the weeks following Halloween, save yourself 10 pieces of candy to eat. Give the rest away to coworkers and neighbors. For Thanksgiving and other family holidays, allow yourself to indulge on one item such as the appetizers or the dessert – not both.

Start with making the commitment to yourself to stop the excessive eating and drinking. With a solid commitment to yourself and a plan that can be followed, the rest of this list becomes that much easier to do.

Don’t Be Too Strict. While you may be tempted to be tough on yourself during other times of the year, the holidays are a time you should allow for some relaxation from the strict behavior. Don’t try to get through entire evenings without enjoying any of the food. The starvation diet only works for so long until you fail and over-consume. Work on your moderation skills instead. 

Don’t Punish Yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. If you do slip up and overeat one day, in the long run it won’t make much of a difference. Just tell yourself that you’ll try harder next time. Don’t be tempted to just give up and continue the poor eating decisions. It’s when you have many bad days in a row that you can ruin a good diet plan. 

1. Eat A Healthy Meal At Home Before You Go To An Event.

Depending on your current weight status it may be okay to go a little crazy on Thanksgiving. A single day shouldn’t destroy your waistline.

But, for the remainder of the other holiday events, fill yourself up with healthy food first. Eat a healthy meal at home before you head out to an event. Your stomach will be full of healthy food, and you’ll be less likely to eat junk food.

2. Bring A Healthy Side Dish.

For many of the gatherings that you will attend, it is often encouraged that guests bring a dish to share with the others attending.

Make sure that what you make and bring is both healthy and tasty. You can limit your consumption of unhealthy food, help the other guests to eat a little healthier and still enjoy the gathering at the same time.

3. Focus On Things Other Than Food.

When attending a party, instead of jumping to the buffet, bar or dinner table, spend your time and attention on the other attendees.

Mingle, socialize and have conversations with them. If you need a “prop” in your hand to calm your nerves, grab a healthy snack and a bottle or glass of water.

4. Maintain A Healthy Diet And Exercise Routine.

An occasional lapse in your usual diet and exercise plan shouldn’t do much, if any, damage, but it’s surprisingly easy to gain a couple of pounds or more within the holiday 6 weeks or so, if you aren’t careful.

Keep going to the gym and stick with a healthy diet as much as possible. Do your best to avoid deviating from your routine.

• If you’re considering the possibility of beginning an exercise program for the New Year, why wait?

There’s no time like the present to make your health a priority.

Enjoy variety. Doing the same exercise over and over again is a good way to fail before you begin. Include an assortment of exercises in your plan. Make it fun! 

• For example, combine yoga with strength training. If you don’t have strength training equipment, use canned foods or other items as your weights.
• Any activity that gets you moving is an exercise. Play actively with your pets or children.  Put on some music and dance while you cook or clean house.
• Instead of sitting on the couch, ride an exercise bike while you watch TV.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator. 

Enlist a friend. The easiest way to keep up with your exercise routine is to have someone by your side who also wants to lose weight. Remind each other how important your weight loss goals are.


Set goals and keep track of them. Get a diary or notebook and write down your goals. Keep track of how much weight you’re losing and what types of exercises you’re doing.

If you are not already walking every day then you need to start now.

Go alone or get the entire family together for a daily walk. You’ll burn off a few calories, keep your blood sugar under control, and reduce your appetite. Keep the pace brisk but fair and you’ll look forward to and gain benefit from your daily walk.

Begin slowly. Don’t overdo it when you begin to exercise – you’ll only strain muscles!

• Invest in a good pair of walking shoes and begin by walking for fifteen minutes per day.
• When you feel your body adjusting to the fifteen minutes, walk longer. Your Exercise time goal is for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. The time can be broken up into smaller chunks throughout the day.
• Do this with any exercise, inside or out, to build a healthy, strong, and slimmer body.

6. Watch How Much You Eat And Be Sure To Eat Slowly.

The slower you eat, the less you will have eaten when your body finally decides it’s full. One of the easiest way to overeat is to eat quickly.

• Chew your food slowly and completely.
• Put your fork down and talk a little between bites.
• Do not load up your fork with more food until you have completely finished chewing the previous bite.
• Drink plenty of water before your meal. This will also fill your stomach.

7. Wait At Least 30 Minutes Before Having A Second Helping.

Holiday meal food is usually really good and tasty. That is one of the problems. The variety and tastiness of the food served during the holidays is really good.

If the food is served from a buffet a second round seems to be the way to go! It is completely understandable to want a second helping. However, guess what? Your first helping was more than enough to actually make you physically full, but it takes time for the signals from your stomach to update your brain this information.