Here's How To Shed Some Weight Before Christmas

Make a menu based on foods that will help you lose weight. Losing weight requires you to eat fewer calories than your body burns, but the source of those calories makes a big difference. If you eat 1500 calories a day of fast food, your weight loss (and health!) will not be the same as if you eat 1500 calories of vegetables, chicken, Greek yogurt, eggs and olive oil.

So develop a menu plan and a list of meals that’s based primarily on vegetables, lean protein, eggs, dairy, and olive oil and small amounts of whole grain carbohydrates and fruit.

• Develop a healthy mindset for dealing with the holidays. Yes, it’s a challenge to stick with a healthy eating plan and lose weight before Christmas. But part of the problem is how we think about the holiday season. Do you see it as a six-week eating event that starts on Thanksgiving Day and continues through New Year’s Eve? (That’s how a lot of people think about it!)

Or do you see it as a time of the year that includes some holiday meals and special events, but also lots of regular days that don’t need to include special foods and lots of treats? If you tend to think of it as the former, work on changing your mindset.

Remember that just because the holidays are coming, you and I don’t need to eat pumpkin pie on the Monday after Thanksgiving or fudge on the second Wednesday in December! Most of the days in November and December are regular work, home or school days, and you can plan to eat a clean, healthy diet that will help you lose weight on those days.

• Make a plan for dealing with the holiday foods and events. Clearly though, some days in November and December are not regular days. They’re special days that involve special meals, parties, high-calorie foods and more – all of which can spell disaster for anyone who’s working hard to lose weight. So think about those events ahead of time, and make a plan for how you’re going to approach them.

Maybe Thanksgiving is one of your favorite meals of the year, and you adore all of the foods that will be served at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Then your plan might be to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without worrying about your diet. Or maybe your sister’s dessert buffet is a highlight of the season for your family. Then you may decide to enjoy your favorite desserts that day and get back on your eating plan the next day.

But the food at some holiday events may not be worth the calories. For example, maybe your husband’s office party features run-of-mill food that isn’t really anything special. In that case you might decide to stick with healthier options and not waste calories on mass-produced pumpkin pie or cheesecake. Or if your church’s holiday potluck features the same old potluck fare, you may decide to stick with the baked chicken and salad and avoid Mrs. Smith’s cream-soup casserole!

And if someone leaves a package of store-bought Christmas cookies in the break room at work, you may decide that they simply aren’t good enough to entice you to get off track with your healthy eating and weight loss efforts. The key is to think it through ahead of time, make a plan, and follow the plan – rather than letting things happen that get you off track.

• Get up and move. A healthy, reduced calorie diet is the key to weight loss, but exercise plays a role too. It burns calories, tones and strengthens muscles, and improves mood. And although exercise can increase your appetite, I believe that moderate exercise can actually help regulate appetite. (I can’t prove that with research, it’s just something I’ve observed in my own efforts to lose weight. When I’m exercising regularly, it seems like my cravings for sweets and other foods that I don’t really want to eat are reduced.)

So make a plan and make time in your schedule to get up and move 5 or 6 days a week. Do some aerobic exercise (like brisk walking or dancing) and some strength exercise (like lifting weights or using exercise bands) every week. (And if finding the time in your busy schedule seems impossible,