25 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

With Christmas cookies, massive Thanksgiving dinners, & treats everywhere, use these simple & realistic tips to avoid holiday weight gain.

It’s easier than ever to overeat during the holiday season.

There are Christmas cookies, chocolates, and other decadent treats on every street corner, in every mall and grocery store, and now can even be delivered to your door within an hour at the click of a button.

When tempting food is everywhere, it can be especially difficult to resist the temptation of overindulging in sugar-filled sweets during the holiday season.

But you are not powerless in all of this! I’ve lost 100 pounds and kept it off for over a decade, which means I’ve lost weight and maintained my weight over many Christmas seasons!

You don’t have to wait until January to get back on track with your weight loss goals.

Follow the simple steps in this ultimate guide to avoid holiday weight gain and you can enjoy everything that the holidays have to offer (yes, including some Christmas cookies!) without losing sight of your weight loss goals.

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25 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

1. Set realistic goals

As a Christian weight loss coach, women often come to me with goals like:

• I want to lose 10 pounds by Christmas.
• I’m going to eat healthier this holiday season.
• I’m not going to touch any sugar during the holidays.

The intent of all of these goals is great!

But make sure you have SMART goals in mind as you’re thinking through them, making them:

• specific (try “I’m going to eat 5 servings of fruits & vegetables a day this holiday season” instead of “eat healthier”)
• measurable (think – can you check this off a list?)
• achievable (if you eat sugar daily right now, is it realistic for you to give it up overnight?)
• revelant (make sure it’s important to you!)
• time-bound

Let me be clear that weight loss during the holidays is not impossible, but because of all the extra temptations during this season, along with traveling, stress, and so many other factors, it may be more realistic for you to make a specific plan for you to maintain your weight during the holidays.

2. Think ahead

Thinking ahead and going into those extra temptations with a plan can be a game-changer in weight loss.

Think about how easy it is to shift into autopilot during the holidays.

You’re busier than normal, you have extra parties and gatherings with foods you may not typically eat at home, and there are extra treats to celebrate something new every day (chocolate advent calendars, gingerbread decorating, cookies at a piano recital, etc).

If you eat all the food offered to you over the next few months, you may be in trouble! But that doesn’t have to be the case.

First, plan your healthy normal.

What are the things that help you lose (or maintain your weight) weight best? Pour your energy into the things you know work well for you.

My healthy normal includes:

• meal prepping a healthy breakfast for the week on Sundays.
• meal planning & grocery shopping on the same days every week.
• keeping lots of fresh fruit and frozen vegetables in the house.
• going on a walk most mornings.
• keeping cookies, candy, and other treat foods put away in my cabinets out of sight (not keeping them on our table or countertops).

Second, think about the times you typically overeat the most.

Maybe you know you usually eat way too much candy from the bowl at the receptionist’s desk at work during December or you know you eat way too many cookies at the Christmas party at church.

When you know your trouble spots, you can think ahead about a plan to tackle them.

At Faithful Finish Lines, we teach something called The 3 Ps to use in response to your food cravings – pause, pray, plan.

The 3rd P is especially unique because it’s not about getting rid of all candy or cookies from your diet. It’s simply about having a plan to help you eat them and enjoy them without overeating them.

Going into those situations with intentionality can help so much!

Third, brainstorm some fun healthy holiday recipes you’ll look forward to eating.

Try one of these 25 healthy Instant Pot recipes for Thanksgiving, 12 Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes, this gingerbread bakes oatmeal, or these quinoa stuffed jack-o-lanterns.

There are so many fun, festive ways to cook healthy food to celebrate the holidays!

3. Go into the big meals/parties with a plan

Just like I recommended planning your healthy normal and going into your most tempting situations with a plan, I highly recommend making a general plan for yourself going into the biggest holiday meals like Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day (and maybe even Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve or Day, depending on how you and your family typically celebrate!).

I think it’s absolutely possible to have a guilt-free Thanksgiving (and Christmas) dinner by doing things like:

• savoring your favorite foods
• skipping the foods you eat just because they are there
• adding healthier options

4. Hold boundaries with food-pushers

This is a big one during the holiday season.

There are so many well-meaning family members out there who want to show you how much they love you by feeding you as much of your favorite foods as they possibly can.

Remember, you are the only person in charge of what goes in your mouth.

You are allowed to say no, even if someone really (really) wants you to eat.

There are gentle ways to respond to food pushers while still holding your own boundaries with food and this is a great time to practice them!

5. Be intentional about eating candy & treats

You’ll notice, I didn’t say to avoid eating candy and treats here.

That’s because, on my own 100-pound weight loss journey, avoiding all treats was not a helpful plan for me (and it isn’t helpful for many of the women I work with, either).

Every time I gave up treats altogether (whether that was for 1 day or 30 days), I felt so deprived that it would set me up for a major session of overeating.

Instead, try some other tactics to avoid eating all the candy like:

• planning specific times when you will eat candy.
• only buying a serving size at a time.
• keeping extra candy in hard-to-reach places.

I don’t agree with “healthifying” everything (sometimes healthy versions of treats aren’t nearly as satisfying and we end up overeating more than if we’d just had the real version), but some healthy things are worth a try!

Try some of these healthy stocking stuffer snack options.

6. Plan ahead for your traveling

Traveling is another thing that can throw a wrench in your weight loss plans. It can really add an extra challenge when you’re eating out all the time, staying with family where you aren’t in control of the menu, or just unsure of when and where you will be eating.

Realistically, your probably won’t be able to plan everything, but having a general plan for making healthy choices easier for yourself while you are traveling can sure help!

• take some healthy road trip snacks with you (these are great for plane rides, too).
• staying in a hotel with a mini fridge? Bring back your dinner leftovers so you don’t feel as pressured to overeat.
• staying with your sister? Offer to help meal plan (and cook) and make sure to add some lighter dishes in there (more vegetables, always!).

7. Keep moving your body

The holidays create this vicious cycle of overeating, feeling bloated and uncomfortable, then wanting to just crash on the couch.

Rinse and repeat.

The more one small changes you make to your holiday eating, the more you will feel like moving your body more.

You don’t have to do formal exercise classes or sessions (though you sure can!) to keep moving.

Family walks are one of my favorite ways to spend time with out-of-town relatives. The kids love it, the sunshine makes everyone happier, and it’s a great time to have a good conversation to catch up with someone you don’t see very often.

Is your family into video games? Have a Dance Dance Revolution party or a Wii Fit challenge.

Oh, and, as someone who lived in Colorado for many years and took many 10-degree outside walks, I understand the challenges of cold weather! Of course, keep yourself and your family safe, but also know there are tips for exercising in the winter to make it more manageable.

8. Don’t Skip Meals

It should make sense to skip breakfast and lunch if you know you’re going to have a huge dinner later, but don’t do it! Starving yourself will drive you to eat even more and make unhealthy choices.

It’s so much better to start your day with a healthy breakfast (these Spinach Scrambled Eggs are one of my favorites for a fast, healthy breakfast!).

9. Bring A Healthy Dish

Chances are, you’ll be heading to Christmas parties, potlucks, cookie exchanges, and more.

You can’t control what everybody else brings, but you can make sure your contribution is healthy!

A fruit or veggie tray is always a great choice, but I really enjoy bringing this Healthier Jalapeno Popper Dip with baby carrots and whole-wheat crackers to gatherings.

10. Healthify Some Recipes

When it’s cold outside, it’s tempting to go straight for the comfort foods – casseroles, creamy soups, mac & cheese, and other heavy choices.

Definitely, enjoy some of those foods, but try to come up with ways to make them just a little bit healthier!

This Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is creamy and comforting with the added nutrients of butternut squash!

Check out these 5 ways to healthify your meals to figure out how to make your family favorites just a little bit healthier.

11. Fill Up On Veggies First

Vegetables tend to be an afterthought in meals, which really is a shame!

They are nutrient powerhouses that will keep you healthier doing cold season, help you lose weight, and give you more energy to keep up with the holiday busyness.

Eat them first to fill up on the nutritious stuff before diving into the rest of your meal. It keeps you from overeating other foods and they don’t have to be boring!

Check out these 10 ways to eat more vegetables. My favorite way to eat them is roasted!

12. Use Healthy Swaps In Your Holiday Baking

There are definitely some treats that shouldn’t be tampered with (I happen to love these Chewy Molasses Cookies), but there are so many little tweaks you can make to some of your baked goods.

Try substituting:

• unsweetened applesauce for some of the oil in your sweet breads
• white whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour
• honey or maple syrup for some of the sugar

13. Be Generous With Your Treats

I LOVE Christmas baking and I like to have a variety of treats during the season. It would be easy to keep them all for myself because they are so tasty, but I sure don’t need it all!

Mix generosity with weight loss and, after saving some for yourself, give the rest of the batch away to friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, or church workers.

It’s a great way to keep your weight in check and bless someone else!

14. Plan In Fun Exercise With Others

Exercise doesn’t have to look like a 1-hour gym session.

Start a new tradition this year! Have a family football game, go on a group walk, play tag with the little ones in your life.

Instead of having a coffee date with a friend, meet at a park and go for a walk.

Make exercise fun and connect with others while you move!

15. Prioritize & Eat What You Love

I’ve lost 100 pounds, but I don’t believe in forbidden foods. I LOVE food and treats are no exception.

But I don’t waste calories on mediocre food just because it’s there anymore.

Think about the parties you’ve been to where you’ve eaten chips or snack mix just because it was in front of you.

Think of the overbaked cookies or dry baked goods that you’ve eaten and wished you could take the calories back.

You know the things you look forward to most, so keep those things special. Look forward to them and savor them, but don’t eat junk food just because it’s there.

16. Don’t Drink Your Calories

With eggnog, punch, hot chocolate, apple cider, pumpkin spice lattes, and wine aplenty, be careful that you aren’t drinking all of your calories for the day.

17. Don’t Stuff Yourself

I know how delicious holiday food is and how easy it is to overeat it!

Often, it’s served in massive quantities in a buffet line so that even when it looks like you’re just taking a little taste, it’s really a heaping portion.

Don’t mindlessly eat your way through plate after plate so you are left feeling uncomfortable afterward.

Eat until you’re full and then stop.

18. Say No To Guilt

If you do overeat or overindulge in Christmas cookies, the most common response is to beat yourself up.

I get it. You meant well and you messed up (again).

But beating yourself up about it won’t help you get back on track. In fact, it tends to drive you back to overeating yet again!

So, pay attention. Notice when you overindulge. Then focus your energy on getting back on track.

19. Go To Bed At A Reasonable Hour

With so many holiday events (plays, concerts, parties, special events) going on, it’s hard to stay on your routine.

If nothing else, try to stick to your normal bedtime as often as you can.

You’re going to need to stay well-rested to keep up with your busy schedule AND not getting enough sleep drives you to overeat junk food.

Also, this alarm clock is great for the winter months when it’s still dark in the morning. It gradually wakes you up with light like a sunrise!

Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up ...Shop on Amazon

20. Plan Ahead

Browse Pinterest for healthy dinner recipes. Make a meal plan.

Have a freezer cooking session so you don’t have to think about planning dinner for the month!

Plan walks, runs, and exercise sessions. Lay your workout clothes out the night before.

The more you plan ahead, the less you have to think as you go!

21. Keep Fruit & Veggies Stocked

Don’t let all of the eggnog and Christmas cookies take over your fridge.

Make sure you keep easy-to-grab fruits and vegetables stocked in your fridge. Frozen vegetables are a staple of mine too since they are such an easy last-minute option to make a meal more healthy!

22. Have Healthy Snack Options

“Out of sight, out of mind” is a real thing. If your counters are full of sweets and treats, that’s what you’re going to be reaching for to snack on.

Have healthy snack options around.

• fruit
• vegetables
• hummus
• hard boiled eggs
• Greek yogurt
• energy bites
• protein bars (these are my favorites, but watch the sugar on protein bars, in general!)

Looking for some healthy stocking stuffer snacks? Check out this post for some ideas!

23. Eat Your Meals Slowly

This is the perfect time of year to sit, talk, and enjoy peoples’ company during dinner.

Throw on some Christmas music in the background, light some candles and make it an experience.

Put your fork down between bites, ask a lot of questions, and enjoy listening to the answers.

It helps you enjoy your food more and eat less to feel satisfied!

24. Use A Smaller Plate For Reasonable Portion Sizes

Use a lunch plate at dinnertime.

The same amount of food on both plates looks much different and when the portions appear larger on the lunch-sized plate, we don’t need to eat as much to feel satisfied.

25. Be Intentional With Your Eating

I mentioned this earlier, but don’t just eat food because it’s there.

When you go to a restaurant that serves chips or rolls, take a reasonable portion, put it on your plate, and then don’t reach for more.

At a party, scope out all of the food options first, decide what you want to eat most, and focus on those things, not filling up on all of the stuff you don’t really care about.

26. Make Time To Manage Your Stress

The holidays can be really stressful.

Whether it’s an overly busy schedule or family tension or drama, make the time to do something to manage your stress.

• take a walk
• pray
• draw yourself a bubble bath
• make a playlist of your favorite Christmas songs

27. Make Sure You’re Eating Protein

There are so many delicious foods out there that are heavy on the carbs and light on the protein, which means they don’t keep you full (things like pancakes, donuts, cereal, bread, etc).

Make sure you’re getting enough protein in (especially at breakfast and with your snacks) so that you don’t find yourself reaching for treats when you start feeling hungry again.

28. Track Your Tastes

When you are cooking and baking all of the delicious foods, it’s easy to rack up a day’s worth of calories just by taking little tastes along the way.

Tastes aren’t forbidden, but they do count!

A great way to just be aware of how much you’re tasting is just by tracking it.

Maybe you’re using My Fitness Pal or maybe you want to do something super simple like keeping a post-it note on the fridge and drawing a tally for each taste.

Just tracking it will probably make you eat less!

29. Get Your Friends Involved

As you’re working on being healthy this holiday season, get your friends involved!

Instead of a cookie exchange party, have a meal prep party so you all walk away with healthy dinners for your families.

Call them for walks or learn to make a new healthy dish together.

Get them excited about having a healthy holiday themselves!

30. Give Experience Gifts

Instead of just giving your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and parents material things for gifts, come up with fun experiences you can give instead.

• Buy tickets to go to the zoo with them
• Give them a coupon for housecleaning (with you doing the cleaning!)
• Find a fun local tour to go on
• Plan a special picnic hike or nature walk

It’s a great way to make staying active more fun and get in some more quality time!