Ho Ho Ho and the Weight is Gone

Losing the holiday weight has never been easier. Here is how to make the most out of the holiday season with a healthy, happy lifestyle.

Maria Puyana

Losing the holiday weight has never been easier. Here is how to make the most out of the holiday season with a healthy, happy lifestyle.

Audrey Simon, Staff Writer

It is that time of year again, the air is thick with the smell of fresh cut pine trees and everyone is in a cheerful mood with Christmas right around the corner. With the holidays comes irresistible sweets that we cannot help but indulge in. Luckily, there are four easy things you can do to lose that pesky holiday weight.

Go on a diet

One great way to lose holiday weight is by going on a diet. First and foremost, ditch sugar and starches completely, then make sure all of your meals include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. Don’t be afraid of eating fat, as trying to do both low-carb and low-fat at the same time is a recipe for failure. It will make you feel miserable and cause you to abandon the plan, which will not help your goal of losing holiday weight.

“We all love holiday food so I think people should watch what they eat and work out to avoid the infamous holiday pot belly,” freshman Emily Menendez said.

Get plenty of sleep

A lack of sleep can actually affect your weight gain. When people get insufficient sleep, it triggers a cortisol spike. This hormone signals one’s body to conserve energy as fuel for the next day, causing the body to focus on holding on to fat. So get some sleep during during the break to keep your cortisol and fat levels down.

Go for a jog

In addition to going on a diet, running can be great way to lose weight. Although it can be tough to leave the comfort of home and the warmth of family around the holidays, exercise is a very important factor to losing weight. When running, do not sprint, as sprinting will cause you to lose carbohydrates, not the lipids (fat) you are trying to lose. When going for a run make sure to jog or even walk because this will eat at your stored fat for energy, resulting in a direct loss of fat.

“I think a great way to lose the holiday weight is to go the gym. If you do not want to leave your family’s side then I think a fun sport like baseball or football  is another great way to exercise,” freshman Sandra Hanuschik said.

Make sure to incorporate weights

In addition to running, weights are also very important to losing weight. Weights replace that obnoxious fat with muscles. Although muscles make it seem like you weigh more, muscles are just denser than fat. This may make you seem heavier on the scale, but in reality is just more condensed body mass with the added bonus of a toned body.

With these helpful tips you can eat all you want this holiday break. After the break is over you will have a foolproof plan to loose all that weight you have gained and be back to your summer body in no time.