Holiday weight gain: how to lose it

If you feel exhausted and heavy after the festive season, here are a three easy ways to get back on the healthy track and lose weight…

One of the reasons we find it difficult to shift holiday weight gain is because festive eating throws the body’s “food clock” off balance.

According to a study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), excessive eating and late-night snacking could desynchronise the food clock, a collection of interacting genes and molecules which maintains a metabolic balance.  

In short, unhealthy holiday munching could become your body’s new ‘norm’.

If holiday celebrations have knocked your food clock out of sync, here are three easy ways to get back on track and lose weight…

Trick the eyes and tummy

If your eyes have been bigger than your tummy lately, use this weakness to your advantage by cutting your food into smaller pieces so it appears that you have more on your plate.

According to research from the Arizona State University, this trick could help curb your appetite.

Researchers found participants who ate a bagel that had been cut into bite-sized pieces ate less later on than participants who were presented with a whole bagel.

Walk it off

Take the scenic route and walk off holiday weight gain in just 45 – 60 minutes a day.

According to a study by Duke University, a daily 30-minute walk is enough to ward off weight gain but if you want to lose weight, walk for 45 – 60 minutes a day and you could lose 14 kilograms in a year!

Cut the fat

If you’re not a fan of dieting but would love to lose weight, simply switch high fat foods for lower fat alternatives.

Eating less fat, without dieting, reduces body weight by 1,6kg, BMI by 0,56kg/m² and waist circumference by 0,5cm, according to a report commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Diet and Health.

Research participants lost weight quickly by simply cutting down on fat consumption, and managed to maintain their weight loss for at least seven years. 

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