Christmas season has been and gone and the new year is now in full swing. However, Christmas weight gain, the unwelcome yearly visitor has overstayed and is likely to stay forever unless we take action to remedy the situation.

You may have drunk until you passed out. Or perhaps overindulged on those mince pies and chocolates. Or maybe you are still at it as we speak, “clearing” everything before you start eating healthy. If this is you, you are not alone.

Most of us find it difficult to adhere to and be consistent with healthy eating and exercise habits during the festive season. This is more so this year given the restrictions we had last year due to Covid-19.

For me, Christmas weight gain has been a yearly annoyance. Not enough to change clothes size, but enough to leave me feeling bloated, lethargic, and like I am in the wrong body. However, year after year I am getting better at handling it.

The good news is that, whatever you have done or however much weight you may have put on does not need to determine your tomorrow. Today is the day you must decide to make a new beginning. Make healthy habits and stick with them.

1. New year, new beginning. Start now and start it right!

We all start with good intentions but not all of us act on those intentions. Everyone is talking about getting fit and getting rid of the Christmas weight gain. But for one reason or another, things take a different turn, or we do not see the results we expected.

New year resolutions soon fizzle out by March. Come 2nd of January and the gym is packed to capacity but less so within weeks. New diets pop up from everywhere and promise to solve all your weight issues without you having to do anything. However, nothing ever comes to pass.

Here we are again, same place we were last year and the years before that. What to do next?

The first step is to know how much Christmas weight gain you have, so that you do not start from the dark. So, step onto those scales. This simple act may not be easy for some because gravitophobia can take over (Yes, it is a thing. Fear of stepping onto the scales!).

Most of us dread the scales after a period of overeating because we know the numbers go flying in the opposite direction to where we want them to go.

Fear not, for the rapid Christmas weight gain is unlikely to be all fat unless you have been binge eating and drinking mindlessly from November.

It is more than likely that part of it is water weight due to the types and amount of food and drink we overindulge in during this period.  Most of it will come off just as quickly.

I have weighed myself soon after new year every year for a few years. Each year, the weight I gain over the festive season has become less than the previous year. This is because I am learning smarter ways of overindulging while staying in control.

That said, I am not fighting to avoid Christmas weight gain. I would be miserable if I didn’t loosen up. I am aiming to be sensible so that come January I have not gained a stone. Which can easily happen if you completely let go.

The worst you can do is wait until you have cleared all the food. Because all you will be doing is lengthening the distance between where you are right now and achieving your goal.

There could be so much junk food in the cupboards that it may take up to March to clear it all! By then Easter will be around the corner.

I find it helpful to set a junk food deadline and stick with it. This year was from Christmas eve to new year’s day. A plan or a strategy of some sort is always a good thing. Even though you may end up straying from it a little bit. The idea is not to go too far.

This year, on the 2nd of January, I got rid of all the tempting high calorie foods with little nutritional value. I took them to work to share with work colleagues instead of eating the whole lot. I call this my Christmas season “exit strategy”. The strategy changes every year depending on what I have in plan. Create one that works for you.

So, clear those cupboards, get on the scales and start acting.

2. Make changes. Let them be part of your life.

Resolutions without plans are meaningless. I am sure most of us have set resolutions in the past. We tend to be very serious and focussed initially. However, by March if not earlier, we start losing steam and everything starts slowing down and eventually fizzles out.

Instead, set goals, make sustainable plans as to how to achieve those goals and follow the process that gets you there. This process consists of achieving mini-goals, which eventually add up to want you want.

This includes adopting and sticking to healthy eating habits and following through with exercise plans. Remember, adherence and consistency are key.

It is important to always remember that weight loss journey is about change of behaviours. This is where the focus should be, not the outcome.

When you focus on change of behaviours you are focussing on the process. It is consistently practicing this that will give you the outcome you want.

There are no short cuts. Therefore, resolutions without change of behaviours and sticking with them will not help you, neither will diet hopping.

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3. Ditch excessive punishing exercises.

Overexercising with the hope of trying to shed off the Christmas weight gain will not give you better results. Daily excessive, intense, long, and gruelling workouts are unnecessary. Overtraining can land you in trouble such as injuries, lack of progress and burnout.

Your body needs time to recover. All you are doing is constantly breaking down muscle with no time to rebuild them. Every exercise does not have to be full on. There is no need to knock yourself out.

If you have watched the programme “The biggest Loser” where people exercise until they puke and/or pass out, you may have an idea of what I mean. Their goal is to lose a lot of weight in 12 weeks no matter what. That is not the path I recommend for a healthy sustainable weight loss.

Instead, go back to your plan if you were on one before the festive season. Or, create a plan that you follow and stick with. This way you can measure progress and see where you need to make changes. You need structure, you need discipline, and you need consistency.

You can always add on more stuff as you get stronger. This enables you to challenge your body without breaking it.

Without a plan you run the risk of doing random exercises or copying others. This will not give you the results you want.

4. You still need food!

Extreme, restrictive, and unsustainable diets are one of the reasons why we end up heading towards a blind end and bouncing back where we started. These diets are not only unsustainable but can leave you with health problems. Click here for some of them.

This brings unnecessary misery, frustration and a feeling of deprivation which can only end one way. Binge eating, feeling guilty and trying again. This is an unhealthy diet cycle you must avoid.

A moderate, healthy, and sustainable calorie deficit is what you need. Always remember that adherence and consistency are key.

Be patient and kind to yourself. Falling off here and there is all part of it. The problem is when you fall and stay down there. Pick yourself up and go.

That is why it is important not to be aggressive with changes you make. Give yourself time to adjust and get used to new behaviours as they will be permanent and become part of your life. If you are good 80% of the time you will see progress.

Let’s put it together.

You have made your new year resolution or set your goal. It is time to make a diet and exercise plan.  A plan gives you direction and the ability to monitor progress, what works, what does not work and changes that you must do. Commit to change and adopt healthy eating and exercise plan.

Wishing you the best. Stay in lane by avoiding these diet mistakes!