How to Drop the Holiday Weight Gain

EASY? dont gain any........lol just do at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio every day.

I used you have great metabolism...about the time I turned forty it slowed WAY down...ugh!

No..... unfortunatley just smelling good food seems to put 5 pounds on me. Some people have slow metabolisms and "just don't gain any weight" is not a solution. You're lucky if that's the lifestyle you can live.

I am sixteen and play soccer, but I don't have a very good metabolism... I gain weight really easily and it's super hard for me to lose... even when I am only eating 1500 cal/day and exercising. ugh! it's frustrating being me.

How I feel, if you've had healthy eating habits all year, you should have little to fear over the Holiday Season. Sure, you might gain 5 lbs, but if you have healthy habits to begin with... losing those won't take long. You might not gain anything, or you might lose a few with all the crazy running around! My husband is down a few pounds and I'm down 7 since Thanksgiving. We're used to small meals and healthy snacks throughout the day, so we can barely eat a whole plate of food on the Holidays (seconds are something can't physically do anymore). Enjoy the HoliDAY, get back into the good habits on the other 6 days of the week.

If you've been bad - enjoy the rest of the season, but make a solid and reasonable plan to improve your habits. Why add stress to an already stressful time of year because of something you've been doing for months or years?

"if you really want to lose this weight and keep it off, you can't expect to lose the weight over night"

So true! My husband and I used to be active, then we got lazy and gained 50+ lbs. We lost it a few years ago (rather quickly), but it slowly came back over the last couple years. This time, it has taken us a few months (10 to go, maybe I'll shoot for 15?), but working out and eating healthy are finally things we feel like we're missing if we skip a day. This is the first Christmas I can remember feeling 'too full' for seconds of anything, craving plain fruits and veggies as a late night snack, and feeling the need to get up and move after that 'big' meal. I'm also deeply regretting having a (Diet) soda, as I'm STILL awake!

Amen @ Leah. After 40 one's metabolism seems to slow to a crawl. Add to that having had a couple of kids and I have the metabolism of a speed bump! All the more important now to keep up on the cardio and make getting to the gym a high priority.
I have ZERO discipline regarding food - so for me working out is paramount. It's how I've made it to 45 years of age and still in single digit clothing sizes. Totally worth the work to be able to say "yes" to a (slim) slice of cheesecake!! mmmmm.

RE: 'slow metabolism' - this is a fallacy.

Work takes energy. X amount of work takes Y amount of energy. Although there are minor differences in peoples base metabolic rate, this has very little effect on one's fitness.

Bottom line like the article says, take in less calories, burn off more calories. Do that consistently and you will burn body fat for energy to make up the shortage. Most people I see simply don't exercise hard enough, long enough or consistently enough.

If you can hold a conversation with someone while you are working out, your intensity is way too low. Also, you don't need a gym membership. Try running the stairs at a local parking garage. It works.

When I was like 20, I'd skip 1 meal and lose 5lbs, now, @ 24, if I skip a meal I gain 10lbs. (jk) but geeze, I gain weight so easily and it's so hard to lose. I'm an emotional eater though.

Rebekah, 12/25/5:47, you are still growing and 1500 a day if you are doing any physical activity at all is going to lead to lots of health problems for you. Getting cranky and feeling tired is just the beginning.

key is stayed away fast food and carbohydrates it help me to keep my blood sugar under control

Notice that all of the pictures reference only women?? Why does women think that the world revolves around them and that they are the only ones who have certain issues or want to lose weight or get cancer etc.?? Today's female has become nothing but egotistical, annoying, whinny media hores.

No, your "metabolism" isn't to blame, that's the lazy person's way of saying "I don't move as much." I've got the solution. Its called "not pigging out like you did when you were much more active."

No, cardio isn't the best way to lose weight, eating 500 calories under maintenance is.

Use your head when eating and you WILL lose 1lb/ week, provided you calculate the calories and stay consistent.

I can go along with everything in the article except "...replace sugar with natural sugars like honey or agave nectar." Yes, we should reduce sugar consumption, but switching granulated sugar for other forms of sugar is misleading and unhelpful. Sugar is sugar, whether it's from sugar cane, a hive or an agave cactus. If you need to reduce sugar consumption, take the same approach used when reducing sodium is a problem - add flavor and sweetness with cinnamon or nutmeg, grated ginger or mint, sliced apple or toasted almond.

Well- dear friends- here's a thought-- try having sex twice a day! It burns calories, speeds up the metabolism, cuts your desire for food ,makes the whole body function better, doesn't cost you the price of a gym membership,you don't have to leave the house to do it, you don't need special clothing for it, and best of all - your husband won't notice or mind that 10 extra pounds.
There is only one side effect-- it's addictive!! hehehe

I believe there is a finite amount of weight in the universe. Have you ever noticed that when you gain weight one of your friends has lost weight? Anyways, this is message is for those of us in our 40's pre menopause or men, our bodies do not need many calories (1200 to 1500) to be happy and productive. An exercise I would like everyone to do is analyze their weight ups and downs over the past twenty years. I'm sure you have a few....then try and remember what triggered the weight loss....and the weight gain. ( my most recent weight loss was triggered by my husband eluding to the fact that I did not have a bikini body.) Most recent gain was after I achieved the bikini body. What do you think I learned from that? Let me know~
You will learn from this exercise and then move forward with healthy knowledge about yourself!

I agree - if you've been reasonable all year long, then a few extras around the holidays aren't going to hurt. It's no fun munching from the veggies while everyone else is snarfling down at the chocolate fountain! Enjoy the season! Enjoy the DAY, and get back to it after wards. I admit, I've slacked off with the weather being cold, and have gained about 3 lbs since T-day. But I am OK with that. I have a plan to get back into it, right after the 1st of the year.

If you want a workout that will make you sweat and give you results fast................P90X is the way to go. Wife has been doing it and she's lost 2 inches off her hips in less than a month and 4 inches off her waist. The Ab Ripper X for your abs is intense but only like 15-20 minutes a day. There's a diet plan that is real easy to follow and doesn't deprive you too..................

She didn't think it would work but she's dropped 14 pounds in a month on it, and doing it healthy with P90X.

I agree walking is easy to do and fabulous for weight loss and as an overall toner. I walk daily for exercise wearing body toning insoles that help you tone muscles and help you to burn more calories while you walk They are called Smartsole( http://www.smartsole.com ) I like that I am getting a work out and toning my legs and butt even when just running errands. They are similar to the EasyTone Sneaker by Reebok , but they cost under $30 and you can wear in any flat shoe or sneaker.

I read about them in Prevention mag in an article on exercise shoes They listed the code jm10 to get 10% off.

I was in this boat year after year until I ran into the awsesome herbal products from It Works! I lost 7 inches off my waist with the herbal body detoxifying wrap!!! Check out my testimony (kristin dronchi) and the other great testimonies here: http://www.lookyoungerandlivelonger.com/ I would love to chat with you if you are intereted in learning more after you read this! Also check out www.ultimateinchloss.com

If you want a workout that will make you sweat and give you results fast................P90X is the way to go. Wife has been doing it and she's lost 2 inches off her hips in less than a month and 4 inches off her waist. The Ab Ripper X for your abs is intense but only like 15-20 minutes a day. There's a diet plan that is real easy to follow and doesn't deprive you too..................

She didn't think it would work but she's dropped 14 pounds in a month on it, and doing it healthy with P90X.