With Thanksgiving only a few days away and Christmas right around the corner I figured it would be a good idea to give you some tips on how to avoid holiday weight gain. Not only will you have to deal with diet challenges with traveling you’ve also got the temptation to overeat at holiday meals. The average thanksgiving dinner will contain over 3000 calories and when combined with snacking and other meals through the day it’s not uncommon to consume over 4500 calories. Don’t let unnecessary weight gain put a damper on an otherwise joyous holiday. Just know what you’re getting into beforehand and be prepared with a game plan.

Challenges with traveling for the holidays

 

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If you’re going to travel for the holidays the first obstacle you’re going to have to plan for is eating when on the road. You and I both know that it’s hard to find healthy choices on the interstate and in airports. Be prepared this year and take healthy snacks with you when traveling so you don’t opt for fast food restaurants.

Here’s a nutrition strategy I’d recommend when on the road or going through airports.

When traveling by car pack a cooler with any of the following items

• Deli sandwiches on whole grain bread
• Fresh fruit and raw vegetables
• Baggies of nuts, seeds, or homemade trail mix
• Protein bars
• Meal replacement shakes pre-made in Tupperware containers

When traveling by plane take any of the following items with you in a carry-on bag

• Baggies of nuts, seeds, or homemade trail mix
• Baggies of raw vegetables
• Protein bars
• Fruit 

Without a doubt preparation is the key here to making good choices. Don’t expect to find healthy foods on the road or in the airports. Occasionally you’ll find something good but I’ve learned not to leave this to chance. You’re much better off avoiding fast food, airplane food, and unhealthy snacks altogether. I’d rather skip meals and snack on healthy snacks that I’ve carried with me and be a little hungry then choose fast food and feel lousy.

Avoiding weight gain with holiday meals

The secret here is nothing more than portion control. If you don’t watch your portions it easy to consume 2-3 times your calorie requirements for the day. Instead of completely avoiding dessert for example simply take a careful look at your portions during the meal. Here are my recommendations for making it through holiday meals without adding unwanted pounds.

• Choose small portions of make sure to provide “white space” on your plate
• Eat only until you’re full and no more
• Avoiding snacking prior to the meal
• Drink a tall glass of water prior to eating to curb your appetite
• Avoid alcohol, sweets, and sugars prior to the meal which will only increase your appetite.
• Eat breakfast and don’t skip meals thinking you’ll be better off saving calories for later. This is a big mistake! Skipping meals will only lower your blood sugar making it more likely to overeat later and produce a surge in the fat storing hormone insulin.

After your holiday meal

What do most people do after Thanksgiving dinner? Curl up on the couch to watch a football game or movie and fall asleep. It’s no wonder you’re sleepy when you eat enough carbohydrates to put you in an insulin induced hibernation.

A lot of people blame being sleepy on tryptophan (amino acid found in turkey) that promotes drowsiness. More often than not it’s not tryptophan but insulin from excess carbohydrate that makes you sleepy.

Instead of falling asleep after your holiday meal (which only makes fat storage more likely) go outside and do some sort of physical activity. Go for a walk, throw the football around, just do something to burn a few calories. Not only will you offset weight gain but you’ll feel better as well.

Here’s a startling fact to consider.

 A 160 lb person would have to run at a moderate pace for 4 hours, swim for 5 hours, or walk 30 miles to burn off a 3000 calorie Thanksgiving meal.

That’s a lot of exercise to offset one big binge meal!

I found a really cool link that calculates the exercise you’d have to do to burn off Thanksgiving dinner calories. You can enter in the foods you eat and it calculates everything for you. Check it out by clicking the link below:

Thanksgiving meal calculator

http://walking.about.com/library/cal/blthanksgivingcalories.htm

I hope this post provided you with some insight on how to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and other holiday meals without blowing your diet and packing on unwanted pounds.

Have a game plan, be prepared, and just make a commitment to doing things different this year. You’ll be glad you did.

If I don’t talk to you I hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. With all the turmoil going on around us it’s easy to forget all that we have to be thankful for.

We still live in the greatest country on the planet and should never neglect our freedom and all that it cost to have it. I wish you all the best and many blessings for you and your family.

Shane Doll is a certified Charleston personal trainer, fat loss expert, speaker, and founder of Shaping Concepts Personal Training Studios. You can receive a FREE no-obligations trial of his Charleston personal training programs and experience the Shaping Concepts difference for yourself.

Tags: holiday weight gain

Posted: Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 9:51 am

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