Get a jump on shedding that holiday weight

We are in the eating season. First comes the feast of Thanksgiving, where folks consume masses of potatoes liberally mashed with the pure fat of butter and slices of sugary pumpkin pie covered with calorie-rich whipped cream. It is followed by the candy carbs of Halloween. Then come the chocolates of Christmas, the treat-filled parties and another fattening feast to mark the holiday itself.

But according to the well respected New England Journal of Medicine, a thorough study shows most people don’t actually gain the five to 10 pounds claimed in minor media headlines throughout the holiday season. The NEJM conclusion is that “The average holiday weight gain is less than commonly asserted. Since this gain is not reversed during the spring or summer months, the net 0.48-kg weight gain in the fall and winter probably contributes to the increase in body weight that frequently occurs during adulthood.”

In other words, by not losing that one pound of pure fat that you’ve stored over a three-month period each year, you will have gained 20 pounds over 20 years. This storage is not just ‘weight.’ It’s fat. Pure fat, which makes your belly stick out, your thighs heavy, and your butt big.

Worse, fat is lightweight stuff, nowhere near as heavy as muscle or even bone. So gaining 10 pounds of muscle may barely show, but 10 pounds of fat takes up a lot of room. It may make you need clothing two sizes larger than the size you wear now.

It’s easy to lose muscle, but hard to lose stored fat. The solution: start training now to shrink your stomach.

Here are a few tips to shrink your stomach as well as your waistline. First, drink a glass of room temperature water before every meal. Putting that water in your stomach will help make you feel full, long before you consume your normal-sized meal portion.

Second, tighten your belt or waistband button; don’t loosen it. The slight pressure at your waist will help you control your appetite. Third, and most important, start taking smaller portions. Help yourself to mashed potatoes, but don’t heap the serving spoon as high as you normally do.

With smaller portions, your stomach will start shrinking quickly. You’ll feel less like grabbing a snack, because you will feel full. But don’t deny yourself, because that will only make a food craving worse. If you usually devour two pieces of pizza or two pieces of cake when such foods are being served, take the two helpings. But make them smaller helpings. Don’t allow your eyes to order your stomach around. Eat slowly. Savour the taste of the food in your mouth.

Within days, your stomach will actually start shrinking, and your appetite will begin shrinking as well. But if you succumb to food cravings and find your clothing a bit tighter once the new year comes around, be conscious of that pound of fat and use the above tips to lose it.