Post-Holiday Weight Loss: No Magic Road, Just Discipline

There’s no magic road back to slimness and fitness following the holidays, only discipline applied over a period of days or weeks depending on how badly you strayed over the holidays, says one nutrition and health expert.

Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science offers a few rules of thumb for people pondering the added 5 or 6 pounds on the morning scales.

First, honesty is the first step on the road to recovery. Simply put, resolve to get those extra pounds off as quickly as possible. Don’t wait until next month or the spring, because the longer you carry around these extra pounds, the harder they will be to lose later.

“During the holidays, you’re eating and going to parties, but that’s over and you have your life back,” Keith says. “So your first order of business should be getting into a new routine and shedding that extra weight.”

Second, identify those everyday foods that are most likely to hamper your efforts to lose weight.

“You put on the weight over the holidays because you consumed too many calories, so to lose that weight, you’re going to have to cut back on your caloric intake,” Keith says.

Possible approaches include cutting out high-calorie items, such as fried foods, and replacing low-fat milk with skim milk. Also, instead of high-calorie drinks, opt for water or unsweetened or lightly sweetened tea.

Also, use low-fat condiments, such as low-fat mayonnaise, relishes and salad dressings. While often ignored, condiments can be major sources of added calories.

Whatever you choose, bear in mind that calories are the biggest consideration, Keith says.

“All of this comes down to calories,” he says. “You really have to count calories. It’s not a half-way measure — you have to pay attention to the calories you’re consuming in the course of the day or you won’t lose weight.”

While caloric needs will vary from person to person, Keith says women striving to lose weight should restrict their daily caloric intake to around 1,500 calories, while men should consume no more than 2,000 calories.

Third, work out a realistic fitness regimen — what Keith describes as the other half of the weight-loss equation.

“If you had such a regimen before the holidays but lapsed, hit it again with new vigor,” Keith says. “And if you don’t have a daily exercise routine, get one.”

It could be as basic as starting an hour-a-day walking program or resuming the gym membership.

For example, an hour-long walking program could help you burn as much as 250 or 300 calories, depending on your metabolism, Keith says.

While a five-pound weight gain may seem depressing immediately following the holidays, Keith says it really is no cause for alarm, providing you resolve to get rid of it right away.

With moderate dieting and exercise, men may have this extra weight off in a few weeks, while women man face a slightly longer period. But the good news is that with a moderate amount of resolve, it can be done relatively quickly and painlessly, Keith says.

“There’s really no magic to this, just discipline,” Keith says. “You’ve got to get back to watching your calories and burning more of them in the course of the day.”

Posted by Jim Langcuster at January 8, 2008 03:09 PM