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How to Lose the Five (or More) Pounds from the Holidays

January 2, 2019   21 Comments

How do you lose the five pounds from the holidays? Here we are - it is January second and it is time to get on it.

How to Lose Five Pounds

I must say that I don’t use the scale to monitor my weight. My jeans (not my sweatpants) can tell the tale of the holidays as the button is getting harder to close. I’m not sure if I gained five pounds or fifty pounds - but I know that if I don’t act soon - I’m gonna need some new jeans.

What happened?

It is simple. It started with Thanksgiving over a month ago. I was hit with an onslaught of cookies, chocolates, pies, and red wine. Could I have weathered this tornado with my mouth closed? Yes, but what is the fun in that?

Here is a short list of my unusual transgressions for the holiday season which included a trip to Montreal - a foodie destination.

  • Pumpkin pie and Christmas cookies for breakfast
  • Poutine (gravy covered fries with cheese curds) TWICE
  • 4 types of cheese, followed by two kinds of pate served with baguette for dinner
  • Three cups of thick, dark hot chocolate in ONE DAY

Okay, the list goes on but I am not feeling bad. At a certain point the holiday feasting got crazy and I just laughed because I know what comes next.

There isn’t only one type of moderation. You can spend your day measuring your treats or you can spend your month measuring your treats. January becomes a month of moderation to balance the excess of December.

How do you do it?

  1. Give yourself the amount of time that you feasted to lose the inches or pounds that you put on. Rome was not built in a day and neither was your waist line.
  2. Got left over cookies, chocolates, or cake? Toss it in the freezer! It will keep until you are ready to enjoy it.
  3. Look at this as an opportunity rather than purgatory for your health. New year new you! The new you will eat more vegetables and feel the benefits.

Now that you have your priorities in order and are feeling good about your choices - it isn’t that hard to take off the extra five pounds (or more). You simply stop eating the treats that got you in trouble and start eating healthy choices.

This is what I am going to do for the month. My focus will be on added sugar.

I will be repeating my no sugar challenge for the month of January.

This means:

  1. No added sugar
  2. No white rice or white bread
  3. Only whole grains
  4. No beer only 4 ounces of red wine per day

What will I be eating? Bowls of Low Carb Chicken Vegetable Soup and Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Soup.

You can’t go wrong with soup! Perfect for winter, comforting, and you can make gallons of it so you won’t be tempted to eat anything else.

How are you going to lose the five pounds (or more) from the holidays?

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 21 )

I am just discussing this very thing with my friend. thank you for the suggestions the reminder that I can take as long to lose this as I did to gain it and for the soup ideas. I am with you for the no sugar added!!

Just what I needed to read this am. Love soup and will make a batch right away!

Im in!!!

Thanks for another good article. I'm with you on the no added sugar idea. In fact, I recently came across an interesting book called "Zero Sugar Diet" (it's not really a diet--more of a lifestyle change). Basically, it comes down to not eating foods with added sugar unless there is more fiber than sugar in the item. (So, something like 85% dark chocolate would be okay after the first two weeks as the fiber in that outweighs the sugar). I've been doing this through the holidays (with the exception of Christmas Eve/Day and New Years Eve/Day) and have found it easy to follow. I feel so much better that I think I'll keep with it even past January. Best wishes to you for a happy, healthy New Year!

Cutting out the beer makes a huge difference in the waistline. I have never had a problem with that area until I started having beer after work. I cut that out on work nights (nearly all nights) and added an occasional spiked seltzer and it made a big difference.

Happy New Year!
Thank you for the great advice.
Really needed it this morning.

Thanksgiving, December holidays, New Year’s celebrations and Valentines Day! It’s deadly! We enjoy ourselves, then we don’t! Now we have to eat a bit less, exercise a little more and eat a healthy snack when hungry. Thank you Snack Girl for much needed help!

Thanks for todays article, need the motivation. I am all for trying the no sugar eating. Just want to begin a healthy lifestyle in 2019.

Happy new year to all I did gained about 6 pounds over the holiday season. Which to me is not that bad I am still down 30 pounds I did a few meal prep‘s love the mason jar salads. I am going to concentrate on healthy behaviors not so much the number. I would rather feel good and look good in my clothes then to be A certain number. My “resolution “ for this year is to Make better choices whenever I can and be prepared by having a healthy snack on me in case I’m stuck somewhere and I’m hungry.

Love Hungry Girl

I too gained weight from eating sweets. The holidays are rough for me as my birthday sometimes falls on Thanksgiving. But as you kind of stated, it took a while to pile it on so its gonna take a while to take it off. Im hoping that by my anniversary in June i will be at least 12 lbs lighter. Thanks for the advice. God bless.

Haha! How did you know what we were all thinking? Great advice. Got split peas, leeks, and carrots on the counter this morning. Salad greens washed. Veggies roasted. Quinoa ready. I exercise a lot already, but like to add an extra 1-mile walk to mornings or eves when I've gained weight. It's easy, keeps me out of the kitchen, and gives me a mental boost.

Hey, Lisa,

I am going to Montreal at the end of the month (much cheaper than going south...lol). What are some good places to eat and sights to see? I have never been there.

Made a big batch of turkey soup from a turkey that I roasted a couple of days ago. Definitely off sugar in any form. I with you and above all else, let's remember to love ourselves into health!!!

“Lifestyle change”= diet

@Beth

I would go ice skating (so many great rinks), go to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and eat in a neighborhood French Canadian bistro. Also, I would visit Jean Talon or Atwater Market - the food is amazing!!!

You can't miss with Montreal - enjoy!

I just love what Deborah said "let's remember to love ourselves into health". Thank so much. I too stop the sugar. started to cook up my healthy veggies, now I will add the soup thank you. ok, I have heard so much about the "KETO DIET" ANY COMMENTS? ALSO VERY LOW CARBS? SNACK GIRL & ALL OF YOU THANKS FOR YOUR IMPUT. HAVE A BLESSED & SAFE NEW YEAR! anneippi

& SAFE NEW YEAR. anneippi l

Thanks, Lisa!

You should minimize whole grain... it also has carbs that turns into sugar. Don't blame the butter for what the bread did..

Great post! Totally doable and not beating myself up😊

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