As we approach the holidays, many of us find ourselves in the company of excessive amounts of less than healthy food. Studies show that many people put on up to ten pounds of extra weight during the holiday season. That amounts to an excess of up to thirty five thousand calories. In this article we’ll take a look at some various tips and principles that can help to ensure you keep any unwanted extra weight off during the holiday season.
As you enter into the holiday season, remember that some of the best weight loss solutions that focus on keeping weight off tend to zero in on calories. There is a lot of talk about fat and carbohydrates, and much of that talk is important and appropriate.
However, an excess of calories is what contributes primarily to weight gain. A person could lose weight eating nothing but potato chips, provided that the amount of energy being taken in was less then what his or her energy demands were. Of course this would be extremely unhealthy and take a toll on the body in other ways. The potato chip example is simply a means of demonstrating that it is a lack of calories, or a “caloric deficit” as it is often called, that brings about weight loss. If a person takes in less calories than the body requires, he or she will lose weight. If a person takes in exactly the amount of calories the body requires, he or she will maintain weight.
Being aware that calories are what really drives a person to gain or lose weight, one can be better equipped to make sound dietary decisions. Many of the sweets and candies that are prevalent during the holiday season can amount to hundreds or even thousands of calories very quickly. One pound of fat is equal to thirty five hundred calories. Because of this, a person can put on a few pounds of fat rather easily when caloric dense foods sit around the house day in and day out around the holidays, tempting those who are around them.
One of the most important principle’s that can be followed when it comes to maintaining or attempting to lose weight is to simply monitor portion sizes. By watching the amount of food you eat, you are inadvertently watching the amount of calories you eat. By watching the amount of calories you eat, a person is less likely to create an excess of calories that the body will not burn and store as fat. Often, people who are attempting to monitor caloric intake will opt to eat vegetables early on in a meal. Green vegetables tend to have a lower caloric density than other foods. As such, people who engage this approach help their stomach to feel full early on with healthy, green vegetables, rather than sugary, caloric dense foods that often make a person want to eat even more.
There is a lot of information out there today that focuses on weight loss. The overriding principle to keep in mind is that taking in more calories than your body burns is going to result in weight gain. By being mindful of food portions, and thereby the amount of calories being taken in, a person can help ensure that they are not taking in excess energy that must be stored as fat.