How to Have Happy Holiday Season Without Gaining Weight

You may think this is a terrible time of year to be concerned about your weight, but it’s not. In fact, with the right approach, you can eat everything you like, enjoy it more than ever, have no guilt or remorse, and keep from gaining any weight at all! In fact, my clients do all that and lose weight at this time of year!

However, this time of year is just too chaotic and stressful for many people. They just want to survive it. For most people, just avoiding a weight gain this holiday season will be a fantastic success. This is entirely possible, without a lot of anguish, self-denial or guilt, if you follow my list of Holiday Dos and Don’ts. And if you want all the details on how to succeed with permanent weight loss, read my book or listen to my audiobook shown at the right. You can make 2017-2018 the year you solve your weight problem for good!

For everyone, here are my do’s and don’ts for the next few weeks:

Don’t try to diet, discover that you can’t keep to it, and then decide “It’s impossible. I might as well forget about weight control and enjoy everything until after the first.” Giving yourself permission to binge for a month will create a weight gain that will take all of next year to get rid of.

Do pick out six to ten days that you will go to parties, go out to dinner, have Christmas dinner, New Year’s Eve and Day get-togethers, and plan on reasonable indulgences those days. Determine to eat like a health nut all the other days. You will be able to, when you have those other days to indulge in. Don’t deny yourself gratification —delay it a bit.

Don’t try to avoid the “bad foods” at parties and dinners. You’ll only feel cheated and want to eat them later, when you’re alone. Plan on the kind of things you’ll want and find out ahead of time what kind of calories are in those things. Remember, there are no bad foods or bad calories in my world.  Also remember, women usually have a “calorie budget” of 1400-2200 a day to maintain an ideal weight, and with a little advance planning, you can fit in just about anything on that.

Do eat light early in the day save your day’s calories for the parties on your party days. If you eat a lot during the day, and then eat a lot at the parties, you’ll feel awful. If you plan ahead and have the bulk of your calories at the event, they will taste better, you’ll have a great time, and you’ll feel great. And, no guilt! You’ll have had just what you loved, enjoyed it, and accomplished your health goal.

Don’t leave it up to the time you are challenged with an offer of a lunch or a pastry, to decide what to do. Have your answer ready before you face the tempter. “No thanks, I’m saving my calories for the parties, so I don’t gain weight this year.”

Don’t beat yourself up and feel guilty when you’re not perfect. Eating too much or giving in to an urge is not a capital crime or a mortal sin. It’s just a mark of humanity. You can get better at self-control as time goes by if you give yourself a break and keep learning about effective methods for change. Be forgiving of your human qualities rather than critical of them.

Do decide that you care about your health, no matter what, even if your behavior isn’t always the best all the time. Never say “I don’t care” even when you slip up. That would be a lie. You do care. Don’t lie to yourself.

Don’t decide to stay home or punish yourself by wearing clothes that are too tight all season.

Do go out and get a couple of nice outfits that are comfortable and have a wonderful happy holiday season. Be reasonable this holiday season and then really get to work, with no distractions, after the holidays.

Don’t punish yourself this holiday season trying to stick to some crazy diet, or feeling guilty about eating good things. Follow these tips, and get a copy of The Anderson Method, paperback, Kindle or audiobook, to learn how to solve your weight problem for good in 2018!

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Marla Oxlley
Marla Oxlley
2 years ago

What wonderful advice and ideas! Having that budge5 made all the difference and buying myself a nuc3boutfi5 is something I’ll remember for Christmas!

Anne
Anne
12 years ago

I really needed this, thank you! I am only 8 pounds away from my goal, and my lowest weight in 16 years, thanks to your book! It has changed the way I think about and view eating. That said, I have been so worried about gaining weight over Christmas, especially when I have come so far. I am only 3 pounds away from my lowest weight since Jr. High, and KNOW that I will for the first time in my life be at my ideal body weight. Please keep up your blog, I enjoy reading above and beyond your wonderful book!