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Start Your Weight Loss Journey Now and Celebrate the Holiday Season More

A Guide to Making Healthier Choices While Balancing Health and Festivity

The holiday season invites us into a realm of warmth and jubilation. We smell cinnamon-spiced apple pies and sumptuous roasts. We hear the air hum with joy and festivity. We see twinkling lights, and our closest friends and family fill with laughter and love. And we also anticipate the New Year, a promise of fresh beginnings.

For many of us, that new beginning means it’s time to shed a few pounds. But as the holidays approach, that resolution seems like a distant mirage. Did you know that the average person tends to gain one to two pounds from mid-November to mid-January, according to Physiology & Behavior?

That got us thinking to ourselves:

We’re here to debunk the myth that the holidays hinder your fitness aspirations. Let’s explore how starting now can be the unexpected game-changer you’ve been looking for! And who knows, you might be the friend in the friend group who actually loses weight this holiday season.

The Problem with Postponing Your Weight Loss Journey

Imagine this scenario: You plan to start losing weight after the holidays. You think of these festivities as your “last indulgence” before the diet begins. So you savor every bite as if it were your last. But this tradition has unforeseen repercussions that tend to leave you feeling worse off.

Overeating and Bingeing

The “last indulgence” mindset often leads to overconsumption, causing discomfort and weight gain. Studies show that binge eating increases the risks of obesity, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Feeling Guilty and Depressed

Do you feel guilty after indulging in holiday treats? Post-binge remorse affects your mental well-being, making you feel like a failure and a loss of control. Research reveals that post-binge guilt can lower your motivation for weight loss and raise your risk of weight regain.

Losing Motivation and Confidence

The aftermath of indulgence can be a hurdle to starting your weight loss journey. But setbacks are part of the journey. Experts emphasize the importance of self-compassion in maintaining motivation for weight loss.

The Solution: Start Your Weight Loss Journey Now

So, how can you enjoy the holidays without sacrificing your health goals? Starting your weight loss journey now doesn’t mean saying goodbye to your favorite holiday treats. At Formation, we offer coaching, nutrition plans, medications, and procedures depending on your needs and goals all year round. Below are some ways you can strike a balance between your health and the holidays.

Strategies for Your Lifestyle Change

Eat a Balanced Diet in This Order

A balanced diet includes whole foods (unprocessed or minimally processed), lean proteins, and suitable carbohydrates. These foods benefit your overall health and keep you satisfied longer. Eat your protein first. Second, eat the vegetables that grow above ground for their fiber and micronutrients. If you are still hungry, continue with a healthy fat or another serving of protein.

Enjoy Favorite Foods in Moderation

You don’t have to deprive yourself of your favorite holiday treats. Enjoying them in moderation can help your long-term journey. By eating in the order prescribed above, when it comes to dessert time, you will be satisfied with a smaller portion of a sweet treat. Remember, your body does not feel full from high-sugar foods, so that’s why “there’s always room for dessert!”

Plan and Be Mindful

Preparation is key! You can avoid overeating during holiday parties by planning. For example, you can eat a healthy snack before you go, bring a nutritious dish to share, or use a smaller plate. Research from the Cornell Food & Brand Lab suggests shrinking your plate or bowl size reduces consumption habits.

Drink Wisely and Stay Hydrated

Water is essential for overall health. It helps your metabolism, detoxification, and digestion. It also keeps you hydrated and prevents overeating. The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking eight glasses of water per day. You should also limit your alcohol intake, as it can cause dehydration and weight gain.

Get on a Nutrition Program

We want to emphasize that eating right is not about sacrifice. It is about creating a life that holistically is joyful, leading to long-term solid health past the holiday season.

A personalized nutrition program can offer you just that. By working 1-on-1 with a nutritionist, plans that consider your work, family commitments, and preferences are considered to fashion a long-term, durable plan.

Plus, one of the fun things for our nutritionists is helping you find substitutes for your cravings that are equally satisfying! These programs provide customized meal plans, nutritional counseling, and support to overcome emotional eating.

Exercise Regularly and Manage Stress

Regular Exercise

Exercise is not about burning calories. You can never exercise off a poor diet. Resistance training maintains your muscle volume, which is the generator of your metabolism. With muscle loss, you need fewer calories and need to eat even less. It also improves mental health, mood, energy, sleep, and immunity. It also reduces your risk of chronic diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise each week.

Stress and Anxiety Management

Stress can affect your weight loss goals by increasing your appetite, cravings, and emotional eating. When we are stressed, we are in a fight-or-flight state, which makes our body conserve all our calories as fat. When we relax, we rest and digest, maintaining and restoring our metabolism. Stress can also harm your physical and mental health. We advise dedicating time each day to step away from the harsh demands of life to practice relaxation techniques like:

Minimizing phone use and screen time
Going on nature walks
Taking a bath
Stretching before bed
Practicing yoga and deep breathing
Gratitude journaling
Meditation

Consider Medications or Procedures

Sometimes, diet and exercise alone are not enough for weight loss. You may need additional support from medications or procedures. Let’s explore these options:

Prescriptions

Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound have skyrocketed recently. Each medication can boost weight loss, but you should consult your healthcare provider before taking them.

These self-injections target specific receptors and help you feel less hungry and more full. They also make you crave less sugary foods. Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) targets a GLP-1 receptor. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) targets GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Tirzepatide might make you lose even more weight than the other two medications by targeting two receptors instead of one.

Procedures

Imagine having a small, soft balloon in your stomach. It’s not there to make you float but to make you feel full. That’s what a gastric balloon is. It’s a tiny, safe silicone ball that goes into your stomach through your mouth. It takes up some space in your stomach, so you eat less food and lose weight.

A gastric balloon is a great way to lose weight if you have a lower BMI and don’t want to go under the knife before the holidays. It’s different from a gastric sleeve, a surgery that closes off part of your stomach, lowering the amount of food you can eat before feeling full. A gastric sleeve is more suitable for people with more severe weight issues and need more drastic changes.

Why Start Now?

Starting your weight loss journey now has many advantages:

More Time to Achieve Goals

The sooner you start, the more time you have to reach your goals. Long-term planning leads to better outcomes, according to studies.

More Fun and Satisfaction

Enjoying the holidays without guilt leads to more happiness and satisfaction.

This approach aims to help you balance your holiday enjoyment with your health goals. It also paves the way for a more balanced lifestyle that lasts beyond the season.

The Takeaway

What if we could rewrite the holiday weight gain narrative? What if we could start our weight loss journey now, celebrate the holidays more, and change our lives forever?

That’s what Formation wants to help do for you. Our team keeps the fun, boosts it, and enables you to enjoy the holiday harmoniously with your health.

So, let’s toast to the season’s joys, savor every moment, and nurture our well-being — mind, body, and spirit. Let’s create a tapestry where health and happiness are allies, not adversaries.

Cheers to a fulfilling, joyous, and healthy holiday season ahead!