Nov 6, 2010 Jennifer Long
Weight Loss is Possible During the Holidays - Free Digital Photos
The Christmas season brings the promise of office parties, family get-togethers, and dinners out at busy restaurants. With food being the focus at many of these events, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy diet and weight loss regimen during the holiday season. It is no surprise, then, that a 2000 study published in the New English Journal of Medicine found that the average American adult packs on a pound during the holidays, and maintains that weight gain long-term.
Adults may tend to gain weight during the holiday season, but that fact should not discourage dieters from attempting to lose weight while still enjoying Christmas festivities. In fact, the following tips can aid in weight loss and prevent the weeks leading up to Christmas from being a dietary disaster.
Adding Interval Training to Increase Weight Loss
The holiday season may lead to an increase in food consumption, but adding interval training can serve to counteract the effects of additional calories. A 2009 study published in the journal of Research in Sports Medicine found that those who engaged in interval training lost significantly more body fat, particularly in the midsection, than those in a control group. Because members in each group maintained a similar diet, researchers concluded that the substantial amount of fat loss in the interval training group likely resulted from the increased fat oxidation correlated with high intensity exercise.
To reap the benefits of interval training, dieters should alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods. An interval workout, for example, may involve running for three minutes at a difficult pace, then recovering with two minutes of jogging. Typically, these intervals would be repeated until five or six 5-minute sessions have been completed.
Resistance Training and Weight Loss
To keep their metabolisms elevated during the process of weight loss, dieters should also add resistance training to their routines, as muscle burns more calories than fat. According to Brad King, a researcher for the Canadian Journal of Health & Nutrition, muscle is the most metabolically-active component of the body, and losing just a pound of it can compromise the body’s capacity to burn fat.
To ensure continual fat loss, King recommends 45-minute sessions of weight lifting, during which an emphasis is placed on technique. Such lengthy sessions may require substantial effort, but they may be necessary if dieters wish to see results during the holiday season.
Planning to Ensure Weight Loss
A little planning can go a long way when attempting to lose weight during the holiday season. If you know you’re going to attend a party over the weekend, be mindful of what you eat during the week, and make healthier, diet-friendly choices so you have room to indulge when the host tempts you with cookies and other fattening fare.
The same philosophy can be useful the day of a party. If you know you will be indulging in the evening, try to consume lower-calorie, healthier foods during the day. Once you’ve arrived at the party, Dr. Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, and the other half with the foods in which you wish to indulge (as cited in “Maintain don’t gain,” 2009).
Planning ahead to account for excess calories at parties is worth the effort, as it may be the difference between losing weight and gaining weight during the Christmas season. Combined with proper exercise habits, it may allow dieters to continue to make process, even when they are constantly tempted with calorie-laden treats.
References
King, B.J. (2003). Healthy weight loss. Lift weight to lose weight! Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition, 252, 30.
Maintain don’t gain over the holidays: Foundation tackles holiday weight management in food & health survey web cast. (2009). Food Insight.
Wallman, K., Plant, L.A., Rakimov, B., & Maiorana, A.J. (2009). The effects of two modes of exercise on aerobic fitness and fat mass in an overweight population. Research in Sports Medicine, 17(3), 156-170.
Yanovski, J., Yanovski, S., Sovik, K., Nguyen, T., O’Neil, P., & Sebring, N. (2000). A prospective study of holiday weight gain. New England Journal of Medicine, 342(12),
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