Want to avoid gaining weight during the holidays? Here are a few tips on how to maintain, without restricting.

For a lot of us, the holidays are a time where we spend time with friends and family, get some time off from work, and attend holiday parties and events that often include a lot of food and alcohol. Oftentimes the holiday season is accompanied by holiday weight gain, which is different for everyone. While it isn’t surprising that an increase in parties, foods, and beverages would lead to weight gain, a lot of people are left with a ten pound increase in weight once the holidays are over, which, needless to say, is typically not welcomed. The good thing is that this holiday weight gain can be avoided, and no, you don’t have to forgo your holiday events in order to do so! Below are a few steps that you can take to avoid gaining too much weight during the holiday season, while still being able to enjoy your holidays as you should.

Allow yourself to indulge, but don’t overdo it

Just because you don’t want to gain any holiday weight, doesn’t mean that you have to restrict yourself and skip the fun during the holidays. It’s okay to indulge! In fact, you may be better off indulging more often here and there, than completely restricting yourself from all the goodness that the holiday season offers. It turns out that restricting yourself when it comes to food in particular, can cause binging, in which case you will consume far more calories in one sitting than you would by simply having one or two cookies and some cocktails at your office holiday party. Instead of starting the habit of yoyo dieting, allow yourself to indulge a little bit, especially during the holidays. If you eat a few more cookies than usual, it’s fine, just keep that in mind for the next day or the next event you go to, and try to slow down a little bit next time. The same goes for drinking. If you like to drink at parties and holiday events, treat it like any other party. Have a drink here and there, but unless you’re really so passionate about the holidays that you feel the need to take ten shots to celebrate, don’t. A lot of people use the holidays as an excuse to let loose and overdo it in every aspect, but you don’t have to! Enjoy your time with family and friends, allow yourself to indulge, but don’t use the holiday season as a time to completely let yourself go and go off the rails. It won’t be fun for you, or anyone around you.

Experiment with your holiday baking

If you are one of the amazing people cooking and baking throughout the holidays for friends, family, and coworkers, thank you! Not only are you the star of the show, but you also have the power to create delicious (and health conscious friendly) treats for you and your loved ones. There are so many fun recipes out there for all kinds of delicious holiday meals and treats that you can play around with. That doesn’t mean you need to serve people kale for dinner and dates for dessert. Instead, it means that you can try cooking and baking healthy alternatives to your traditional holiday meals and treats. You can serve a little bit of both, to give yourself and the people around you the option to pair their traditional holiday meals with your gourmet healthy versions! Chances are, you're not the only one trying to maintain your weight. So you may even be a big hit when all the dinner parties and festivities come along.

Spend some more time at the gym

Unless you have outstanding self control, you will inevitably be eating and drinking a little more than usual during the holiday season - and that’s okay! You’re allowed to indulge and enjoy the holidays. However, if you do feel like you’re going to indulge a little more than you’d like to, consider spending a little extra time at the gym to make up for the extra holiday snacking. This way, you can pack it in at your holiday events, and use that extra energy for fuel at the gym! Using this method will be a win-win both ways, because you’ll be able to indulge freely, and get some gains at the gym along the way. There’s a reason why the winter months are typically classified as “bulking season” for weight lifters and gym goers. Eat a little extra, work out a little bit harder, grab some heavy weights, and watch your body transform from fit to toned. Once the holiday season is over and you start cutting down on all the holiday snacking, the weight will come off and you’ll be left with more definition than before the holidays!

The most important thing is to enjoy yourself during the holidays and not to focus too much on gaining or losing weight. It’s okay to indulge a little bit here and there, and while you may gain a little bit of weight, that weight can come right off. The holiday season is all about enjoying time with your loved ones. If maintaining your weight is a priority to you, you can absolutely follow the above mentioned steps to make your life a little easier, rather than waiting until after the holidays to lose everything that you’ve gained. Have fun with your family and friends, and let this holiday season be a good one!