This is the time of year when many people realize that they have eaten too much throughout the holidays and have put on some extra weight. There are some debates about the actual number of how much we gain during the holidays. The national average weight gain during the holidays is actually less than what we’ve been told. For many years, we were told that the average is between 7 to 10 pounds. The good news is that in reality, it could be 1 to 3 pounds. One should realize that this is just an average, which means one can gain only 1 pound, and others 5 or more pounds.
There are many programs to promote weight loss and maintenance, from supplements to exercise programs. The following is a list of suggestions to help you shred those extra pounds.
- Set realistic weight-loss goals. It is recommended to aim for ½ pound to 1 pound per week.
- Keep track of your daily dietary intake. Those that keep track of everything they eat, lose twice as much weight as those who don’t.
- Motivate yourself!
- Don’t do it alone. Those that have others dieting with them lose more weight than going it alone.
- Lose the excuses and move it by exercising.
- Pay attention to portion sizes.
- Get the junk the food out of the house. If the high calorie food is in the house, you’ll be tempted to eat it.
- Avoid hunger. Eat regular meals and snacks. Make sure that you have plenty of protein foods to keep you feeling full longer.
- Keep produce on hand. Vegetables such as broccoli or carrots in the refrigerator are a great option.
- Keep things like grapes, apples and pears around the house. These foods are easy to eat without having to do much cutting and slicing when you are hungry.
- Cut out the liquid calories. Eliminate soda, sugary drinks or sports drinks. These drinks are often loaded with sugar and put calories on a person.
- Eat slowly and enjoy every bite. Those that eat more slowly have shown in clinical research to get full faster without consuming all the calories.
- Drink water before meals. Drinking 16 ounces of water before a meal can help you eat less and lose more.
- Don’t eat after 7:00 pm.