Tuesday, November 19, 2013

How to come out of the Holiday Season ahead.

I have been getting a lot of questions from patients about how to beat the holidays and not gain weight. Thanksgiving is next week, with the rest of the holidays of holiday season vastly approaching. So, what can you do to maintain, and possibly even lose weight over the holidays?

Here are 4 simple strategies to avoid the holiday weight gain, and actually come out ahead...

1) Earn your carbs/sweets/desserts/sugar/anything that spikes blood sugar...

What does that mean? Earn your carbs? That means if you are going to eat dessert, you have to earn them. For every 1 serving of dessert you eat, you must workout, hard (to a sweat), for 30 minutes. There is a receptor called the GLUT 4 receptor. This receptor becomes up-regulated with exercise. The important thing about this receptor is it helps the cells use glucose without the help of insulin. So when you work out you can eat sugar for a certain period of time without a high insulin response. Body builders know this as carb loading or carb cycling.

EARN YOUR CARBS!!!

2) Eat breakfast. More specifically eat protein and fat for breakfast.

Researchers have shown eating breakfast decreases over eating at the end of the day. Skipping breakfast in order to have "room" for Thanksgiving dinner will only lead to over eating. You don't get tired from the turkey. You get tired because you over ate. To remedy this situation, eat breakfast on Thanksgiving and all holiday dinner days.

Eating breakfast is only the first part of the equation. Research out of Australia found that the type of breakfast you ate plays a huge role in eating throughout the day. Eating a high glycemic index breakfast, like corn flakes (or any cereal for that matter), will lead to over eating, specifically carbohydrates. The group that ate a high protein breakfast ate less, and avoided processed carbs.

So the trick to not over eat is breakfast. Not just eating breakfast, but making sure it is a high protein breakfast. The other, even more important (in my opinion) reason to eat a high protein breakfast is for brain function. The brain needs amino acids to drive proper neurotransmitter function. Amino acids are in protein. Therefore, a high protein breakfast is good for brain function. It increases drive, focus and mood.

3) Eat protein first.

When sitting down for a big holiday meal go for the protein first. Protein is satiating, meaning it will fill you up. High glycemic index foods like potatoes or bread will increase blood sugar fast and cause you to eat more. Think, what do restaurants serve you first? There is a reason for that...

4) Limit alcohol consumption.

Spanish red wine tends to be the best choice of alcohol for the antioxidant benefits, but if you are going to drink, keep it reasonable. Over drinking leads to bad decision making. Not just in eating either... This is pretty explanatory. Hang overs, low testosterone, bad sleep, dehydration, blood sugar spikes, detox problems, high risk of cancer, etc. are all consequences of heavy drinking. Set limits and keep them.

These are 4 simple strategies to enjoy the holidays and keep your waist line the same size. Stick to these 4 strategies and you will come out ahead.

Stay safe and healthy this holiday season...

-Dr W