As we move into the holiday season, one of the most common questions I get from my clients is how to avoid weight gain over the holidays! One of the easiest things I tell my clients they can do is to PLAN! Plan your meals & calories – even though it is easy to snack while making holiday meals, make sure you are full when shopping at the grocery store or preparing food. This will cut down on snacking you might not even be aware you are doing!
Winter weight gain is a special concern for some of my diabetic clients, and while avoiding winter weight gain can be a challenge for anyone, we can apply the same principles to their meal plans. It’s not surprising that some of the most effective strategies include careful meal planning and deliberate scheduling of time for robust exercise. While most diabetics tend to avoid eating complex carbohydrates out of fear of blood sugar spikes, keeping a controlled amount of favorable (high fiber, whole grain) carbs in the meal plans is absolutely critical for successful long term weight and blood sugar management. But, as with most things – not planning is planning to fail!