Petra @newmiboYou have a solid fasting routine and you’re making progress but then comes autumn/winter and all the food celebrations let loose: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. Come January, you find you have gained most of what took you all year to lose.
I came across a small study which “tests the effectiveness of a brief behavioural intervention to prevent weight gain over the Christmas holiday period.”
I will also follow it up with my experience and strategy. If you’re determined not to gain weight over the holiday season, keep on reading.
THE STUDY
The researchers conducted a trial examining the effectiveness of a short 4-8 week behavioural intervention with the aim to prevent Christmas weight gain. The 272 participants were divided into 2 groups;
Group 1 (G1), the intervention group, was given the following advice:
- track & record body weight daily
- follow specific weight management strategies
- they were also given an information sheet of festive food and beverages and the equivalent of physical activity it would take to burn off the calories
Group 2 (G2) received a leaflet on healthy living with no other instructions.
RESULTS:
The intervention group (G1) lost on average 0.3 lb which may seem insignificant, however, imagine losing weight over the Christmas period. Let’s be honest, that is quite a significant achievement.
The second group (G2) on the other hand gained on average 0.5 lb.
How can we interpret the findings?
Well, it seems that if you have a specific plan, but mostly if you maintain paying attention to your weight, eating and moving, instead of letting go completely, you can in fact lose weight even during Christmas.
Not having a plan, even though you know what’s healthy and what isn’t, will more likely result in weight gain.
STOPPING THE CYCLE
Every year I used to be on some kind of a diet trying to lose weight, only to completely spoil it over the Christmas period. Thinking about it now, every year I was basically trying to lose the weight I had gained over Christmas.
I would start indulging in early December, then go totally over the top during the Christmas week, not monitoring or limiting anything at all. Only to wake up to a dreadful realisation every January that my clothes no longer fit.
This was a pattern I followed until September 2016. That was the year I decided to change this vicious cycle. I haven’t gained weight over Christmas ever since. In fact, last year in January I posted my progress photos on Instagram as there was no weight gain and I was pretty proud of that fact.
MY STRATEGY
Starting in September I always refresh and tighten my routine. I figured If I lose a few pounds, I can afford to gain a few pounds and it will all balance itself out once the celebrations are over.
For example; This September I’ve rejoined the gym and I’m focused on weight training to build muscles and thus speed up my metabolism, so that I can get away with eating more food without gaining weight. I do a regular 36 hr fast 2 times per month and I healthify my diet. I do daily “clean” intermittent fasting but that goes without saying. In the run up to December instead of relaxing around food, I will recreate my fasting challenges, liquid fat fast and an egg fast to help me reduce my appetite ( which I was naturally blessed with, I wish I could donate some, but hey it is what it is)
Weight gain is intermittent, we tend to gain extra pounds over special occasions and holidays. This is very much true in my case, which is why I prepare in advance specifically for the occasions.
My goal for the following 2-3 months is to:
1. increase activity (weight training and daily walking)
2. and reduce appetite (intermittent and extended fasting, egg fast and fat fast challenge)
Even though it may be tempting to start relaxing around food and eating, because hey, winter is coming, we can wear big coats and who doesn’t like snuggling up with a hot cocoa and some homemade cookies when it’s freezing outside, autumn is the best time to get on top of your health and weight loss routine. Imagine ending the year the fittest you’ve ever been. Now that is something to celebrate.
Create a tight intermittent fasting routine
Challenge yourself to extended fasting
Clean up your fast
Limit your indulgences
Move more: walk, cycle, join the gym, take classes, do a home workout, invest into dumbbells
Hope you found this helpful xox
