We talked Wednesday about planning to maintain your weight this year during the holiday season, even if you're currently losing weight. For most people, weight loss during this time of year is a real challenge. Chances are, you're busier than usual, making exercise and adequate rest less likely. You'll probably face both more frequent and higher-calorie temptations food-wise. And the holidays bring a mix of both positive and negative stresses.
All of this means that maintaining weight during the holiday season can be a more realistic goal, even if you're currently losing weight. Maintaining weight means you'll need to keep it up with what you're doing, of course. But, just as with weight loss, you don't need to do weight maintenance perfectly.
In fact, with maintenance, you have a little more leeway than you do with weight loss. It's okay to stay up late a few nights, enjoy a half-cup or two of eggnog, have a few candy canes, and cut back on your workouts a few times a week. You won't lose weight, because you're not keeping up with the behaviors that lead to weight loss. But as long as you don't get too carried away, you won't gain weight, either.
That said, I want to point out that the holidays tend to encourage getting carried away, whether the topic is shopping for gifts, partying, or food choices. And, of course, that's why so many people gain weight during the holiday season.
So, this holiday season, I encourage you to consider how you can change what you're doing a little bit. Not a lot, just a little -- just enough to give you some leeway to enjoy the holiday season, without crossing the line to abandon. It's crucial to give it some thought now, and to plan ahead for the challenges you're likely to face.
We'll talk about that more next week, and discuss some ways to overcome some common holiday challenges to weight maintenance. If there's a particular situation you're anticipating that you'd like to discuss, please post! Until then, have a happy, healthy weekend. See you Monday :)!
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