7 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain During the Holidays

The holiday festivities are around the corner, offering many opportunities to gain a few holiday pounds. According to studies, most of the weight gained during the year is over the holiday season! For some, it’s the parties or family dinners, and for others, it’s the lack of physical activity that causes the calorie surplus that translates into a few extra pounds.

Here are 7 tips for enjoying the holidays, while maintaining your weight—or even intentionally losing some inches.

 

Eat a small meal before going to a party.

Dr. Jennifer Levine’s personal trick for staying fit during the holidays is to eat a small, protein-rich meal prior to attending a party. Just like you shouldn’t go grocery shopping while hungry, attending an event with holiday treats is best done on a satisfied stomach. Foods high in protein and fiber will keep you feeling full (, and away from extra servings).

 

Limit alcohol consumption.

If you’ve been looking forward to egg nog all year, it’s okay to sip on some—balance is key! But consuming excess alcoholic drinks is not only directly correlated to weight gain, but studies show that there is no benefit to your health.

 

Get moving!

Holidays tend to be a time filled with sedentary activities such as sitting at dinner tables, watching television, and taking a few extra naps. The key to moving throughout the holidays is making a commitment you can keep. If you know you’re not going to workout for an hour every day, don’t make that promise to yourself. Instead, commit to doing 100 squats, 100 push-ups, and 100 jumping jacks every day. Bodyweight exercises are especially helpful when you’re traveling and may not have access to your gym or fitness class.

 

Plan your meals.

One of the benefits of the holidays is that your parties are usually planned ahead of time. Your meals in between should be planned as well. If you know that you are going to several events in a week, plan to eat high-protein, fiber-rich, and low-fat foods before, during, and after. Easy-to-go versions of this include yogurt, whole grains, apples, dried fruit, low-fat protein bars, and almonds.

 

Get enough sleep. 

Sleep hygiene plays a very significant role in maintaining a healthy weight. During the holidays, it’s easy to come home late from an event and miss out on sleep. You should get at least 6-8 hours of sleep to avoid sleep deprivation, which is linked to weight gain, heart issues, and mood disorders. 

 

Do 20,000 crunches with Emsculpt NEO.

Impossible?  Emsculpt NEO makes it easy to stay fit—and get fitter—during the holidays by combining fat reduction with muscle toning and skin tightening. It uses radiofrequency heating and High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic fields (HIFEM), to quickly burn fat while simultaneously tightening muscle fibers. High-intensity contractions build muscle mass, increasing strength and contouring the treatment area. 30-minute treatments spaced a week apart are equivalent to at least three months of HIIT because these muscle contractions are deeper, and the machine is able to target more of the abdominal muscles, glutes, arms, and thighs than exercise alone can.

Buy your treatment here or call 212-517-9400 to schedule.

 

Get rid of unwanted fat with CoolSculpting® Elite.

CoolSculpting® Elite is another body sculpting treatment our patients love. It uses cryolipolysis, which is the freezing, and ultimately killing, of fat cells. Dr. Levine offers two CoolSculpting Elite machines so you can treat four areas at once! It can be used to reduce fat safely and effectively almost anywhere you can pinch it, including the submental area (under the chin), arms, inner and outer thighs, bra and back areas, banana rolls, and of course your abdomen and love handle.

Buy your treatment here or call 212-517-9400 to schedule.

 

With these tips on avoiding weight gain during the holidays, you can now enjoy the holiday season guilt-free!

 

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