We all admit holidays are the time of year we all have been waiting for. It’s that time of year when we all want to relax on the couch and eat our favorite food, watch tv and spend our time with our family and friends. But what about the weight you are going to gain? Yes, you heard me right you are going to gain weight in this period because of lack of activity. The average person gains 0.5 kg of weight during the holiday season (in the west).
In this article, we are discussing ten ways to get rid of holiday fat. What measures you should take if you want to lose weight and get back into shape. It’s not that difficult as you think
- Don’t eat sugary, oily stuff
- Consult a physician
- Increase water intake
- Exercise
- Set a goal
- Say GoodBye to holiday stored items
- Gym buddy
- Home-cooked meal
- Portion control
- Rich protein diet
- Don’t eat sugary and oily stuff:
The first step to reducing weight is to avoid sugary and oily stuff. In the holiday period, we all are inclined towards eating doughnuts, pastries, burgers, and roast. Now you are worried about getting back to shape and how it’s done? Don’t worry we got you.
Replace sugars and carbs with fruits and vegetables.
- Consult a physician:
Before going for a full-fledged weight loss program one must consult a physician first. Sometimes the weight gain is not from the holiday’s food and there is an underlying health problem such as thyroids.
Many of us want to lose weight and take weight loss supplements without consulting physician. One must go to the physician first before taking any supplements. Its physician’s choice if he wants to prescribe some medicine for weight loss.
- Water intake:
Many times we feel hunger and urge to eat. It is not hunger but thirst. Increase your water intake. Take a bottle of water always with you. Set a target that you will drink 5 to 6 liters of water daily. Set a reminder on the phone that now you have to drink water.
Water makes you feel fuller and it helps to remove the toxins from your body.
- Exercise:
You have to burn all the carbs and sugary stuff you had during the holidays it is as simple as that. Now hit the gym and start exercising. Start with a small set of workouts. One by one increase your pace. The one common mistake made by many of us is we want to shed weight fast. It takes time to shed weight. It cannot happen overnight. Don’t start your exercise routine with a heavy workout. It will only sore your muscles and losing weight seems impossible.
Losing weight rapidly has adverse effects on health such as weakening the immune system.
- Set a goal:
To reach any target you must set a goal first then step by step try to reach it. You have to set a goal not only in your mind but you must write down on paper. Now write down all the important steps you require reaching that designated target.
Also, write down the time frame. Now, month by month check your weight and write it down whether you reached your sub-goal or not. Check your progress each month or even every two weeks.
- Bye-bye to holiday leftovers:
The holidays are over but the food is not. We all have holiday leftovers in the fridge. Which we are still consuming. If you want to reduce weight say bye to items stored in the fridge. No, we are not encouraging you to waste food. Give it to someone in your family or someone needy and hungry.
- Gym buddy:
When we are trying to reach a particular target we need a team. Sometimes we get discouraged if we have a partner he or she will motivate us to reach a certain target. Make a friend who has the same goal to reduce weight and get back in shape. Now you both can join the efforts. Check each other’s progress. Motivate each other. Share meals. Go walk together. Share recipes. Now it will be fun.
- Home-cooked meal:
Another important aspect of losing weight is what we are eating and how we are eating. We are what we eat. So avoid junk food completely. Try home-cooked meals. There are many recipes available online. Junk food is expensive as well. If you cook food at home it will be hygienic and according to your requirements.
Save money, eat better, and get back in shape. You can eat lots of vegetables, fruits and lean protein such as fish, chicken, prawns, turkey, etc. you might think it’s time consuming but there are many recipes available which you can make in half-hour or less than half-hour.
- Portion control:
Many people who want to reduce weight do this mistake of skipping meals which is wrong. When we skip meals our body starts storing when we consume it. The body goes to starvation mode. What you have to do is start eating smaller meals. If you are eating 3 big size meals eat 6 smaller meals. Now design portion size of vegetables, fruits, and protein (meat). You can eat an apple with brown bread peanut butter in breakfast, for snacks you can have nuts, for lunch, you can have a salad of fresh vegetables with chicken, you can have fresh juice, for dinner you can have a tuna sandwich.
When you eat smaller meals it can digest easily and you will be fuller for a long time. Don’t add too much oil. Use olive oil.
- High protein diet:
If you want to get back into the shape you have to increase your protein intake in meals and reduce carbs. What does a high protein diet mean? Eat things that carry a large amount of protein will make you fuller and you will eat less. There are many things which are a great source of protein such as eggs, milk, fish, chicken, prawns, lentils, etc.
If you are a pure vegetarian and cannot eat meat don’t worry you can eat lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, almonds, etc.
Conclusion:
Losing weight is a process. You have to take steps one by one to measure your success. It will require hard work and sticking to the plan. For losing weight you have to take steps such as portion control, exercise, avoiding junk food, eating healthy food, etc.
If you do these things you will ultimately reach your target goal and get back into shape. It also depends on your lifestyle.
