7 Simple strategies to combat that sudden weight gain over the holidays.
Happy new year folks! Probably by now, you’re ready to have a big ol’ bowl of salad after the Christmas diet. Mostly because you know you’d feel better after eating some fresh food, but maybe also because you feel like you’re a little fluffier than you were in November and you want to lean out a little.
Whatever your reason, it’s fine to feel like you now what to have a good clear out of those party foods from your house and start introducing some fresher foods.
Whatever your motivations are for wanting to eat a little better, I’m gonna come out and say this as a gentle reminder that if you have gained a little bit of weight, it’s very likely mostly water weight, possibly a little fat, but nothing to worry about.
If you went back to your regular way of eating, most likely all that weight gain will just taper off. So what are some things you can do to get things back into control? Below I’ve listed out a few simple strategies you can do now to help you eat better, feel more energised and jumpstart those healthier eating patterns that will set you up for long term success.
Here are some simply strategies you can try:
#1 Don’t damage control
What I mean by this is, don’t be tempted to under-eat for the first week of January after overeating in December. Research has shown that restrictive dieting actually results in overeating. You don’t need to enter a sub 1,200 calorie diet just to counter that cheese binge over Christmas.
Small changes over a long period will likely yield better results than suddenly giving up everything and going hungry for 3 days, only to give up by the first Wednesday of the year. Don’t be that guy.
If you want to continue eating your favourite foods, there is no reason why you can’t have them in moderation in your everyday diet. Learning to notice your body’s internal signals like when it feels hungry and when it feels full is a great place to start. It sounds much easier than it is, so this will take some time to figure out, but these are helpful habits to practice.
#2 Increase your vegetable intake
Every single meal should have some sort of vegetables on your plate. You want to be filling up at least half of your plate with vegetables. This will help you to achieve two things:
Increasing your vegetables are a great way to get in varied nutrients, so you’ll feel loads better and it’ll show in your training the next time you go out on that run
It will help keep you full, so when the munchies kick in again, filling your plate up with vegetables first will help you to feel more satiated rather than reaching for something else that could be more energy dense
As the saying goes Eat the rainbow, the more varied your diet is, the better chances you’ll have of getting in those micronutrients.
#3 Eat lean protein
Protein really is as important as it’s touted to be. It is essentially the group of molecules that do everything in your body, from helping to send messages between cells to activating fat oxidation to regulating your metabolism and appetite and helping you build muscle.
While asking an athlete to increase their protein intake sounds like an obvious habit to take up, you’d be surprise just how many people under eat protein. Often times, I coach athletes that tell me they eat enough protein, but when I look at their diet, their protein is coming to them in the form of peanut butter and lentils.
Yes, there is protein in those sources, but when possible, choose protein sources that are predominantly protein macros like chicken, greek yoghurt, fish or tofu.
Protein also releases appetite suppressing hormones, so the more you eat, the fuller you feel. So increasing your protein and vegetable intake alone could be two very effective strategies to help you combat those late afternoon munchies.
#4 Increase your NEAT
Don’t discredit walking as a form of exercise. Walking everywhere increases your overall daily energy expenditure. Exercise is great, but your total daily energy expenditure is equally as important. Your non exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is what ultimately is going to determine how much energy you put out in each 24 hour period.
Not only is walking great for your mental health, but it’s actually helping you to keep the weight off. And while we are on the subject of NEAT, anythnig that gets your body moving is also key.
House work like hand washing the dishes as opposed to loading up the dishwasher and doing the laundry or any activity where you are on your feet and moving all day all count as your total energy energy expenditure so keep moving.
Your movements don’t always have to be about sweating or lifting so heavy you see stars. All movements count, don’t discount the little ones.
#5 Add some structure to your day
This is a strategy I use with my 1:1 clients. Having structure to your day will help you to stay consistent. Even if your days are busy and your work schedule runs on shifts, planning out how you’ll spend your week so that you can better prepare what to eat or when to cook will be a great time saving strategy so that you don’t have to make last minute decisions, which often leads to more processed foods.
Create a time diary so that you can spot gaps in your day. Can you use any of those gaps to write out a meal plan? Could you run to the store before or after work and fill that list up with whole foods?
#6 Consider learning about your macro split
While following a macro plan isn’t usually necessary for an average person, when it comes to being an athlete (especially a masters athlete), hitting those numbers really do matter.
Eating the right amount of macros for your level of activity is essential for recovery, performance, and body composition.
Not enough carbs but overtraining could put a strain on your body, too much fats and therefore an increase in overall energy intake could lead to weight gain.
The athletes I have put on macro plans often are suprised by how easily the weight comes off without feeling hungry. Knowing how to fit your macros can help you to increase food portions whilst dropping calories. As a result you’re also adding in more nutrients and eating less energy dense processed foods.
To get an idea of what your macro split should be, read this blog I wrote here that highlights some macro ratios for different sports.
#7 Consider nutrient timing
Nutrient timing is everything when it comes to being a masters athlete. Maybe you feel like you aren’t recovering as well as you used to, or struggling to keep the weight off, knowing when to eat relative to your training schedule will be a game changer to how your body drops fat.
Our bodies go through cycles, which means that sometimes we have certain hormones released and specific times. These hormones can also be released in response to our activities.
For example, after a training session, our bodies are insulin sensitive, meaning that if we ate fast releasing carbs, it will be likely be used up by the body and not hang around and thus turn into fats.
Simply put, your body ‘tolerates’ carbs better when you’re active than when you’re inactive. In fact, you are going to benefit from increasing carbs right after training than you are on a non training day.
So there you have it! Simply strategies you can implement right away that will help you to regain control of your body in the new year.
Do you do any of these things? Comment below!
