Don’t Worry About Christmas Weight Gain — Focus On The Other 364 Days Of The Year

As I write this article, there are 16 days until Christmas 2019, which means I should really start doing my Christmas shopping instead of leaving it to the last minute like I did last year, and the year before that, and the year before that…

I tend to leave my shopping so last-minute that online purchases will not arrive in time for Christmas, so I am punished by having to go to the mall with everyone else who did the same thing.

But Christmas shopping is clearly not my area of expertise, so I digress.

I was skimming the news online this morning while drinking my breakfast smoothie and I noticed the return of the annual ‘how to lose weight this Christmas’ articles jammed in between the updates.

All I want to do is say one thing: do not try to lose weight this Christmas — you have all of next year to do that — enjoy the festive season instead of trying to lose weight.

If you have fun and maintain your weight during the festive season, that is a great result.

If you enjoy yourself and gain a couple of kilograms, that is OK, just be willing to put in the work next year to lose it.

It is true that most people tend to gain weight during the various holidays throughout the year, be it Christmas, Easter or their annual trip away.

They might gain a 1–2kg during each break, which on its own is not a concern. If they are disciplined with their training and nutrition after the break, they will get back to their normal weight quickly.

Where it can become problematic is without the adjustment afterwards. Instead of gaining 1–2kg and losing it a few times each year, they gain the weight at each break without losing it, so each year their weight is creeping up.

The best way to avoid this is to not gain weight in the first place. Keep exercising during the festive season and eat well outside of the celebratory meals.

If you do gain weight, make sure you get back into your exercise and tighten up your diet in the new year. Avoid trying to overhaul everything, as this rarely works and you are likely to end up back at square one.

My clients will not need to read this article, because we have been discussing this idea for the last few weeks while setting up their strategies for the next month. I am not sure they even read these articles anymore — they hear from me enough already.

Our main priority is to keep moving during the festive season and we have adjusted the training programs to allow this.

Whether that meant shorter training sessions, less frequency, or increased variety while they have more time, we have tried to make alterations that will keep their programs adhered to during the break.

When it comes to diet, nothing will really change. They will eat mostly similar outside any celebratory meals and enjoy the big meals when they come.

There are some who attend a lot of Christmas parties and we have specific strategies in place.

If they will be drinking, they eat less food during the day and save room in their energy budget for the party.

If they do not plan on drinking, they aim to be disciplined in their food selection during the event.

This might sound counter-intuitive and you might think it makes more sense to be disciplined with food intake when drinking because the alcohol will already bring in extra calories.

I agree that this makes sense, but the issue is that people after a few drinks, most people are going to become a bit inhibited and likely to have a bit more food than they should. It is easier to be disciplined when in control, which is why we plan it this way.

You should enjoy the festive season without worrying about trying to lose weight. If you do gain a few kilograms, get into a solid routine at the start of the year and look to maintain it long-term.

Do not waste your time reading the tips and tricks for weight loss this Christmas — go and get your shopping done instead!