Not enough sleep
When you don't get enough sleep
Drinking soda
This will add a ton of calories
Consuming products with artificial sweeteners
choosing low calorie, low sugar and low fat products
Consuming too much sugar
The sugar cycle
Not being active
When you eat a lot, don't drink water
There are a few things that people who always seem to gain weight during the
holidays have in common. If you avoid these five things, you will find that you
will have more energy, lose weight, and feel great!
Here they are;
1. Not enough sleep! When you don't get enough sleep, especially during the
busy holiday season, this can make you turn to sugar to get that energy boost
you need. When you begin to use this as an aid, a sugar cycle begins. Blood
sugar levels go up quickly when sugar is consumed and they can drop just as
quickly, which is called a sugar "crash". When the crash is felt, you get tired
with no energy and then we often grab more sugary foods to boost our energy
again. When you are well rested, you will have more energy and be less likely
to look for that quick energy fix.
2. Drinking soda! This will add a ton of calories (150 per glass) and sugar to
your diet this time of the year. As a matter of fact if you drink one soda per
day for the 35 days between Thanksgiving and the New Year, that is close to 2
pounds. Each soda adds the equivalent of about 10 packets of sugar! Drink water
instead! Water will help the cells in your body work at their peak and when that
happens, you will feel healthier and more energized. When you drink water you
are not as hungry either so you will not overeat. Drink eight to ten 8 ounce
glasses of filtered water each day.
3. Consuming products with artificial sweeteners! You may think you are being
healthy by choosing low calorie, low sugar and low fat products to eat but they
are usually filled with artificial sweeteners, which actually can make you gain
weight. When you consume these sweeteners, your brain actually thinks it is
getting hundreds of times more sugar when you take in an artificial sweetener
(they are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar!). When this happens, enzymes are
released that prepare your cells to intake sugar. When this does not happen, and
your cells don't get the real sugar, your body begins to crave more sugar and
carbohydrates! Many people end up eating more food because of this! Artificial
sugars are also very toxic to your body with many health issues and symptoms
that you will want to avoid. See my article on artificial sweeteners by clicking
on to the author's name.
4. Consuming too much sugar! The sugar cycle (eating sugar, getting energy from
sugar, feeling the sugar "crash" and then consuming more sugar to stay
energized) is not good for you! You will gain weight, overeat, and feel lousy
when you are on this treadmill! When you are overweight you have a higher risk
for diabetes too, so how do you get off of the sugar cycle? Three Tips: One is
to eat protein when you are eating a carbohydrate (the protein balances out the
carb and you digest it slower so you don't have a sugar crash), the second thing
to do is to eat a bowl of fruit when you have a sugar craving (it will satisfy
the craving but is so much healthier!), eat a more balanced diet so that your
body is getting the nutrients it needs (when you get all your nutrients,
cravings go away and so does the need for sugar!)
5. Not being active! When you eat a lot, don't drink water, drink a lot of soda
and eat foods with sugar, you really don't feel like getting active. But if you
change begin to drink more water, avoid sugar and replace it with fruit, and eat
a more balance diet, you should also get off the couch and start walking! If you
walk a little bit more each day and build up to a brisk 30 minute walk, you will
work off the calories, get more oxygen into your body and you will start to
build muscle and lose fat! When your body composition changes to muscle from
fat, you will feel and look fantastic.
Just by making a few changes in what you eat and by keeping more active, you
will not gain weight and you will greatly improve your health.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
