4 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain Starting with Halloween

We all look forward to the holidays. They’re an excuse to celebrate and break from the norm. While all this celebrating is great and fun and joyful, it can also be hard to superimpose the pleasures of the season onto your clean living efforts, and, for so many, this often means trying to avoid holiday weight gain. Truth be told, your body would probably forgive you if you overdid it on the chocolate for a few days around Halloween, as long as you went right back to your healthy diet afterward. The trouble is that Thanksgiving has to get tucked into November, and then, of course, Christmas and Hanukkah take over December, and then New Year’s somehow slides right into Valentine’s Day to end the season. Do the math: a few days of overindulging at each holiday and we’re talking at least 15 days of celebrating that lands on your love handles, and your body can’t just shake the weight gain off so easily. Eeeek.  So how are you gonna handle this? Before you can plan to conquer the holidays without weight gain, identify who you are around the holidays. Are you the girl who has an easy time eating well during the meal, but can’t help but go crazy when the desserts come out? Are you the guy who starves himself all day so you can have everything when dinner rolls around? Are you the kid you were 30 years ago who has a personalized quart of eggnog in the fridge? If you can figure out where it is most difficult for you to eat well, you can make a plan to be successful. Follow that plan, and not only do you get the reward of not gaining weight, but you get an amazing sense of accomplishment and control that you can feel great about while still thoroughly enjoying the holidays. Top 4 Tips to Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain 1. Have a partner Tell someone who you know has your back, that you’re working on your weight, and what you plan to do to get through a tough holiday meal. “I’m going to keep a glass of water in my hand and not eat anything fried.” Say your version of that to your friend, and you’re more likely to do it. 2. Don’t deprive yourself Not eating all day so you can eat more later, or skipping your favorite apple pie altogether, will lead to feelings of deprivation. That sounds pretty awful and can trigger you to overdo it later. Before your event or meal, fill up on fiber-rich vegetables and a little healthy fat or protein. Think healthy foods like crudites and hummus, a salad with a couple spoonfuls of avocado, or a cup of veggie chili. You’ll eat less when you get to the main event, have more time to socialize, and have the amazing ability to slow down and savor your slice of pie. 3. To booze or not to booze Make sure you’re well-hydrated with good old-fashioned water and you are not thirsty when you hit the party. Delaying the alcohol and deciding to drink less will help you make better food decisions, save you some empty calories, and keep you from feeling so lousy that you don’t make it to the gym in the morning. Booze can also interrupt your shut-eye and you need those zzzz’s to keep your immune system strong and defend yourself against fatigue-related eating. You’ll be more apt to grab a healthy breakfast the next morning rather than a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. 4. Out of sight, out of your mouth When you are at a party, position yourself as far away from the food as possible. If you’re next to the cheese tray, you’re more likely to eat some than if it was across the room. If you have leftovers from your dinner party, buy to-go containers and send Uncle Joe’s famous stuffing home with the friend who complimented it. This will ensure you don’t make it a midnight snack. Savor the celebratory moment then look forward to eating your special holiday meal again next year (not a few hours later)! There you go. Put this plan in place in your Nutritious Life. You can even arm yourself with a little mantra to keep your plan in the front of your brain from Halloween until Valentine’s Day, so it helps you get through smoothly. Affirmations like, “I am looking forward to my pie tomorrow,” or “Green means go,” (meaning eat the green beans, peppers, and cucumber slices) will keep you focused and positive. Here’s to a happy healthy, weight-stable YOU this holiday season. Give Yourself the Gift of Wellness There’s nothing more empowering than fully understanding how food affects your health and well-being. That’s why we created our Emotional Eating and Brain Food courses, which dive deep into how to live your best nutritious life while looking and feeling amazing.  If you want to take things even further and make your passion for wellness your job or side hustle, join our Become a Nutrition Coach community and be a change-maker for people all over the world. However you choose to join us, you’ll be surrounded by the support and encouragement you need to create healthy habits that can change your life. Give yourself the gift of wellness—we can’t wait to welcome you into the tribe.

Frightened of Getting Off Track? 6 Tricks to Celebrate a Healthy Halloween

Holidays are meant to be a time of joy and celebration, right? But, for many of us, figuring out how to enjoy the Halloween season—without eating all the candy that seems to be everywhere—can be a bit tricky. Of course, we want you to have a healthy Halloween, but not at the expense of denying yourself the ability to enjoy some delicious treats and celebrate the holiday. Most healthy eating advocates shine a negative light on Halloween for all its sugar-laden treats and offer healthier alternatives. But let’s be honest, who really wants pretzels, or carrot sticks in their Halloween stash? While eating too much sugar is something we never espouse at NL, we do say it’s OK to allow for some “conscious indulgences” on occasion. Remember, your daily habits are what’s most important, not the one-time-a-year indulgence. There may even be something, dare we say, “healthy” about indulging on Halloween. Just be sure to pair it with some common-sense guidelines. 6 Tricks to Celebrate a Healthy Halloween 1. Go ahead, indulge a little. The very first—and possibly the most important—thing to remember on Halloween (and any day, really) is: It’s all candy. No matter what the label says, it’s full of sugar. Sorry to break it to you, but there is no magical Halloween candy that provides a good source of nutrition. So, if you’re going to have some candy, you might as well eat the real deal version of the one you enjoy the most. Of course, if you enjoy the dye-free, hydrogenated oil-free version, that’s even better. (YumEarth, anyone?) Just remember, they’re all indulgences; they’re all candy. But when you indulge in what you really want, it’ll taste better. It might even keep you from eating more candy than you promised yourself you would, because you satisfied that craving from the get-go. “Eat from an empowered mindset,” says Nutritious Life Founder Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN. “Tell yourself, ‘I can have this one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup after my quinoa salmon salad,’ versus trying to avoid, avoid, avoid, which leads to overindulgence.” 2. Set yourself up for success. Eating one piece of candy here or there or breaking from your clean eating routine on occasion doesn’t have to throw you completely off track. Making a habit of keeping a candy bowl at your desk or on your kitchen counter, however, might not help you avoid the temptation to munch on mini-Hershey bars throughout the day. You know yourself best; if you need to establish some ground rules or keep the candy out of reach, do whatever it takes. 3. Keep up with your healthy habits. Just because you know you’re going to eat something that isn’t particularly nutritious on or around Halloween, that definitely doesn’t mean you should give up on all your other efforts to eat a healthy, balanced diet and move your body. If you keep yourself on track with nutritious eating, exercise and all the pillars of a nutritious life, the impact of eating some Halloween candy will be minimal. Continue drinking lots of water. Keep eating your vegetables. Love more and stress less. Make sure you don’t just throw your hands up in the air and give up because of one day. You’ll be healthier and happier for it. RELATED: If You Want to Lose Weight and Be Healthier and Happier, Nutrition Is Just the Beginning 4. Let go of the guilt. You shouldn’t feel bad for enjoying the taste of sugar or punish yourself for eating something you enjoy. If you can, keep your emotions out of it altogether. Eat the treat because it tastes good, and/or because it’s a holiday tradition, and leave it at that. Leave the guilt at the door and focus on enjoying the decadent food you’ve consciously decided to eat. That’s a much more emotionally healthy way to approach eating in general. 5. Savor each bite. While you’re enjoying your favorite Halloween candy—without regrets—remember to savor each and every bite. You’ll enjoy it a lot more if you’re not scarfing down a Snicker’s bar while no one’s looking. Sit down. Stop what you’re doing. Take deliberate bites so you can actually taste what you’re eating. There’s no need to rush. In fact, you’re more likely to know when you’ve had enough if you slow down while you’re eating.  6. Commit to living a more nutritious life. If you’re really worried about your eating habits, in general, and not just on Halloween, maybe it’s time to recommit to creating some healthier eating habits. And, if you do happen to overdo it a little with the Halloween candy and treats, the best possible thing you can do afterward is to commit to getting back on track. Don’t beat yourself up for where you are now—set some healthy goals and milestones, and focus on those, instead. So, go ahead, eat the candy, just maybe not all of it in one sitting. And, if you’re looking for some recommendations from a nutrition expert, check out these 3 Nutritionist Approved Halloween Treats. (Images: Shutterstock)