Mitigating the Holiday Weight Gain this Season

Holiday weight gain is frequent and affects millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, what should be a happy family gathering usually turns into a never-ending dinner that parents prepare “just in case.” This overconsumption culture slowly led to worldwide obesity, even though one in ten people around the world starve. It’s an unprecedented situation and should be solved for social disparities to disappear.

But besides the global outlook, gaining weight from the holidays is serious. It can disturb your lifestyle since the body suffers significant changes, and your immune system might be affected, too. Of course, the pressure of starting the year fit instead of with a few unhealthy gains can ruin your kickstart and affect your mental health. Together, these two aspects will take a toll on your well-being, so here’s how to cut off the problem from its roots.

How does Gaining Weight Happen so Fast?

If you’re wondering how someone can gain weight in such a long time, knowing the recipe for disaster is quite simple. Holidays are incredibly stressful with all the gifts, food, and preparations, increasing people’s cortisol levels and leading to the urge to eat to feel better. Since there are plenty of meals during this time, the amount of stress you experience will translate into more plates of food. Moreover, since most meals are calorie-dense, resisting them is difficult, primarily as they’re associated with feelings of joy.  

How to Stop Yourself from Overconsumption

There are many ways to lose weight after the holidays, and many people start to go to the gym right after New Year’s Eve. But sometimes it’s better to prevent the situation and choose to change your habits for the better. For instance, you could minimize the size portion if you’re snacking multiple times a day or stick to three meals that will make you fuller. Instead of sugar-based beverages, try drinking only water as it balances your body’s fat and sugar intake.

Exercising is paramount, but you might find it difficult without something to help set up motivation. Some people choose to consume cannabis products from blueberry strain because they uplift the mood and provide more energy. Others like to take creatine to help with recovery after an intense workout. Whatever you choose, make sure to take it moderately.

Even snacking can be updated as you can make it healthy. You can treat yourself with fresh or dried fruits, nuts and seeds that not only are filling but won’t contribute to gaining weight. A delicious and calming option also includes gummies from cannabis clones.

How Stress is the Biggest Contributor

Although having access to plenty of delicious, sugary, fatty food surely doesn’t help, the biggest issue is stress. Many people are stressed about various problems, such as meeting their toxic families again or having to buy gifts for everyone, therefore making a massive financial effort.

Others are simply feeling blue due to seasonal depression and are only able to eat and sleep.

Managing stress is complex and requires a lot of time invested. But holiday stress is even more challenging because it’ll depend on others. It’s best to play ahead in this case and imagine the worst-case scenario for which you can prepare. Managing expectations is also mandatory, as you may be prone to imagine that everything will go right despite previous experiences. That’s why you must set boundaries with those who hurt you before and simply prioritize yourself.

Stress can also intensify if you’re not sleeping enough. Whether it’s short-term or long-term, insomnia can have severe effects on your body, from increasing the risk of hypertension to gastrointestinal issues and slowing down the nervous system.

Processed Foods are the Biggest Enemy

While consuming processed foods from time to time won’t do any harm, binging meals made of processed ingredients will definitely make you gain weight rapidly. Boxed mashed potatoes, stuffing, or anything that comes in a box already prepared and full of sugars is not healthy.

Cooking foods from scratch is the ideal way to get through the holidays in good shape. That’s why getting whole foods is better, because you can add ingredients as you like and avoid over-processed ingredients. This also helps monitor your diet more efficiently and make sure you’re not filling your body with the wrong stuff.

The thing with processed foods is that they’re incredibly delicious and seem to have been made professionally, whereas your cooked meals at home seem bland. However, you must break the barrier of taste and acknowledge that health is more important.

Don’t Beat Yourself Over It

The beginning of the year is the perfect time for everyone to showcase their new goals on how to be skinnier or healthier. However, what you see on social media is far from the truth, as most people will only post their start of the journey and then let themselves fail it in silence. Not even what influencers post is reliable.

Therefore, you must not beat yourself over it because everyone’s body is different, and while you can gain a lot of weight in a short time, others have a different metabolism. What you can do instead is priorities yourself and improve what can be achieved and not only given by nature.

That’s why changing your eating habits is the first step towards a better life, no matter where you are with your weight right now. As long as you’re not overwhelmed by cravings and bad feelings, you can control your weight. That doesn’t mean being stricter on yourself ―just more patient.

Wrapping Up

Everyone is excited about the meals shared with friends and family during the holidays. Eating together builds a sense of security and happiness, as it brings close ones next to you. However, in many cultures, the foods over the holidays are considerably sweeter and fattier than usual. This can send you into a spiral of overeating due to your brain being tricked, but if this part of the year isn’t the happiest, you may eat only to feel better, which is also dangerous. So, stay safe out there and take control of your life!