Doctor’s Advice: Eight Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

This blog is brought to you by our friends at Kaiser Permanente

After so much time apart, a lot of friends, families and colleagues are planning to gather this year to celebrate Thanksgiving, religious holidays and the new year. The centerpiece of so many gatherings is food, making this a challenging time of year to avoid unhealthy weight gain.

In addition to the heaping portions of food we're presented with, many of us struggle this time of year to fit exercise into our busy schedules. And many of us get stressed out by the logistics and commitments associated with holiday season, prompting us to stress eat. It's all a recipe for weight gain.

Fortunately, with some planning you can manage the holiday season without packing on too many extra pounds. Here are some tips to navigate the holiday season:

1. Be mindful of what you are eating, and learn to recognize a portion size. Common Thanksgiving meals include turkey, sweet potatoes, yams, gravy and stuffing. That's before you even get to desserts such as pecan or pumpkin pies. And depending on your religious traditions, your plate may be full of carb-laden or fatty foods during Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa. Then there's New Year's Eve, when many people drink calorie-rich alcohol or overdo it on appetizers while staying up until midnight.
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With so much tempting food, it's important to be cognizant of the amount of fat, sugar and calories in what you eat and drink. Check nutrition labels when you can. Be mindful of the size of a serving. A portion of your favorite food may be much smaller than you'd expect.

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