Weight Gain Prevention Strategies for Christmas

Posted on December 5, 2021

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Santa certainly is as a merry thick-through-the-middle fellow. How he navigates chimneys with a sack slung over one shoulder is one for the ages.

Though we all appreciate free stuff, is he really doing us any favours leaving processed food under the Christmas tree?

Not gaining weight over the holiday season is hard enough without some merry fellow breaking into your home and leaving the ultimate dietary temptations.

So what’s the best approach to not blowing out over the Christmas period, when there will be no shortage of calories and alcohol on offer?

What does the Science Say?

Research published in the Journal of Obesity indicates that in adults, weight gain between late November and mid January was 0.4 to 0.9kg.

This may not sound like too much, though it is certainly significant as odds are it's not muscle. 

If this fat mass is not lost over the coming year, before the next Christmas what happens over a 10 year period? This is where 0.9kg weight gain can turn into 5kg or more.

It's worth noting that the weight gain would unlikely be 9kg over ten years, as the metabolism will adjust as fat mass is gained.

The British Medical Journal published interesting research in 2018 on behavioral interventions to prevent weight gain over the Christmas Holiday period.

The interventions used were regular self-weighing, weight management advise and information on the energy density of popular foods and drinks as well as how much activity it would take to burn off the excess calories.

There was also a minimal intervention group that was simply given a healthy eating leaflet.

Of course, the results were successful with the intervention group losing 0.13 kilograms over the festive season, while the leaflet group gained 0.39kg.

Though we probably could have guessed that, right?

After all, the weight gained throughout the festive season doesn’t just appear without our consent.

Typically, we consume these calories through relaxed eating patterns, perhaps as a results of holidaying, indulging in more takeaway food and eating more meals cooked by others.

Certainly, the further we are removed from our regular routines, where familiar foods are consumed, the more likely it is that we are going to run into some weight gain issues.

The question is, do we need to be a glutton in order to have fun?

And how do we get through Christmas without being a party-pooper?

Do we have to sit in misery with a dry turkey leg and a side of steamed green vegetables while the rest of the family scarf down fatty meat and baked potatoes floating in gravy, followed by pudding and custard?

The Two-Day Rule

It’s quite simple. Eat whatever you want on Christmas day and Boxing Day, not for the entire holiday period.

Though it needs to be within reason regarding portion size.

Some of the strictest bodybuilders who count every calorie still allow themselves one “cheat meal” per week.

So why not two “cheat days” per year?

This doesn’t mean you have to see how many kilograms of food the human body can tolerate within a 24 hour period.

But it does mean you can relax, have fun and not stress over every treat that finds it’s way onto your plate, no matter how decadent.

As you’re enjoying every bite of these festive delicacies, remember that these calories will be put to good use in the gym soon enough.

Test Your Strength

If there is one major advantage that a couple of high calorie days can provide, it’s elevated energy stores, more motivation to train and enhanced exercise recovery.

This means, if you’re into weight lifting, you can probably schedule in a couple of heavy training days.

Ultimately, this means more muscle gain and improved progress.

This is a positive way you can tap into the Christmas and Boxing Day gluttony without shaming yourself into oblivion.

Whether you’re into powerlifting, bodybuilding, CrossFit or are a semi-regular gym enthusiast, make the most of your calorie loading and enjoy some hyper-performance.

Leaning-Up Quick Smart

If you let the calories and alcohol blow out a more than intended over the Christmas period, fear not. There are always approaches to speed up the process of fat loss.

You’re probably well aware of the essentiality of energy restriction approach to weight loss, which involves consuming less energy than you expend on a daily basis.

However, if you have insulin resistance or pre-diabetes, you may also like to restrict your carbohydrate intake.

This should be enough to trigger some serious fat-loss, while insulin levels fall and cellular insulin sensitivity increases.

To really speed up the metabolism and get weight loss moving in the right direction, you may wish to consider some natural supplementation, such as quality standardized Green Tea, Capsaicin extract, Acetyl L-Carnitine, Grains of Paradise, Green Coffee Extract, Ashwagandha, Synephrine and of course Caffeine.

Check out the Sporty’s Health rang of thermogenics below and locate a product to get you through some leaning up in the new year!

Is Keeping Lean Really that Important?

Maintaining a healthy bodyfat level is important to overall health and chronic disease prevention. 

It's more than just looking trim and not having to upsize your wardrobe, which be expensive.

Fat mass is not a metabolically inert tissue that just sits there and stores triglycerides or energy.

Adipose tissue, or bodyfat, releases pro-inflammatory chemicals, called cytokines.

Moreover, there is a correlation between abdominal-visceral fat mass and all-cause mortality.

With these reasons alone, keeping the fat mass off and leaning up can be a great health goal to work towards over time.

And certainly something that can looked at over the Christmas break.

Attributions: Header image background courtesy of s.salvador at Freepik.