3 Unconventional Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Published on by Chris Lopez

I’m a realist.

I know about all your family commitments over the holidays.

I know about what goes on at the staff holiday party every year.

I know that if you don’t indulge in your mother-in-law’s holiday fruitcake, you’ll probably end up in her dog house for a good part of 2009 (Even though you could build a new house if you used a thousand of those things as bricks).

So, as this season starts to pick-up full swing, I’m NOT going to tell you to what you should and shouldn’t eat or what you should and shouldn’t do. I’ll be the realist that I am and work within your confines and current situation as a busy dad.

So here are 3 Unconventional Ways that you can avoid unwanted holiday weight gain over the next few weeks…

1. Drink vodka (instead of the other crap). It’s inevitable. We will be at functions and events that will warrant us taking the edge off (for me, it’ll be the in-law’s house on Christmas Eve). But instead of grabbing the first bottle of Heineken you see or the fruity fluorescent concoction that the CEO’s assistant is serving, go for pure. Vodka, which is probably the purest form of drinking alcohol available, contains 80% less calories than the spiked egg nog that’s been sitting on the counter for the past 3 hours. If you’re not good with going straight-up, add some soda water or Perrier to it and a twist of lime. Not only will you NOT consume all those unwanted calories and sugar, but you’ll look sophisticated as well.

2. Eat FAT and stay full. I’m big on eating QUALITY food and I fully believe that we can conquer our battles with weight loss if we all just change our diets to eating fresh and unprocessed food instead of the crap that they have on the shelves of supermarkets and the stuff that comes out of drive-thrus. That said, it’s time to go back to eating MAN FOOD. For too many years we’ve been lead to believe that eating “low-fat” will make us healthier. The result? Obesity, over the past 20 years, has gone from being virtually unknown, to an epidemic. Somebody’s gotten something wrong. I’m tired of every commercial pushing rice cakes on us or some butter substitute that has the same chemical make-up as a household cleaning product. Eat your steak, eat your chicken with the skin on it, have some nuts and drink full fat milk. As long as these foods are GOOD QUALITY (organic, grass-fed, non-processed, naturally raised, etc.) then who cares? It will make you feel full. It will stave off hunger. It will give your body all the natural raw materials it needs to be a fully functioning and vital MAN. And you won’t be eating all the little finger foods that waitresses will carrying around while you watch your boss cover Springsteen after drinking too many of those fruity fluorescent things. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that something that was made and packaged in a factory is better for you than something that Mother Nature herself created and made part of the food chain.

3. STOP Stressing about it. Guys, let’s be REAL about this. You WILL eat. You WILL drink. You WILL indulge. After all, ’tis the season. The important thing is that we don’t overdo it and let things all go. The holidays are a time for you to enjoy with your family and loved ones, NOT to stress about how many calories you’re consuming or whether or not you should cut out early on the tree decorating so you can get a workout in. Have fun. Be merry. Show your kids that you care and be around for them while they’re not in school for the holidays. Those are the things that they’ll remember… not the presents you get them.

In a few weeks when it’s all over, get back on that horse! Start watching what you eat. Be more regimented with your workouts. Get in the mindset that 2009 will be the year that you get in the best shape of your life!

Article image by: Daniel Wildman, SXC

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