How To Get Rid Of The Extra Weight (Fat Gains) After A Holiday OR Weeks Of Unhealthy Eating

Holidays are a period of excess. We eat too much, drink too much, snooze too much and spend way too much time lazing around.  It is therefore unsurprising that most people pack on the pounds, with the excuse of being on a holiday or on a vacation, and to get rid of the extra weight (fat gained) will be the first resolution!

Although on paper it makes perfect sense to pace yourself during holidays and vacations, whilst sticking to your strict Strength Training and HIIT sessions 5 times a week, realistically, not everyone has the willpower to say no.  So I guess the key question here is, how do you get rid of the extra weight (fats) after holidays?  More importantly, how do you keep it off, healthily?

The first step is to get rid of the guilt.  We all do it after the hype of a holiday disappear, we are left unable to squeeze into our skinny jeans, and immediately we begin the self-loathing journey, berating ourselves at every opportunity.  But this is counterproductive, as the more you criticise yourself, the more stress you put on your body, which in turn, means putting on MORE weight. 

 

Be kind to yourself. Yes, you may have overdone it over the holidays or while you were on vacation, but so did 99% of the population.  So, instead of focusing on what you cannot change, focus on what you CAN do to get yourself back on track.

It takes approximately 14 days for a new habit or behaviour to set in and about a month to see a difference. With that in mind, I have listed 10 tips below that will ensure you get rid of extra weight after the holidays, healthily:

10 Ways To Get Rid Of The Extra Weight Healthily:

  1. Join A Gym: 

    I am stating the obvious here, but honestly, the first step to getting rid of extra weight (Fats) is for you to sign up to a gym. This commitment alone will work wonders for your self-esteem and it increases accountability.

  2. Start An Effective Strength Training And HIIT Program: 

    Start a program where your training days are split into upper body resistance, lower body resistance, and high-intensity cardio. The metabolism-boosting benefits from strength training and the endurance fitness from the cardio mean that you will get rid of the extra weight effectively and as an added bonus, you will remain in the “fat burning” zone hours after your workouts! 

    Do make sure that you have one full rest day and another “low-intensity activity” day a week.  Your “low-intensity activity” can be anything from a walk, to an easy to moderately difficult hike, a swim, or a bike ride for example.

  3. Get Rid Of Junk Processed Foods: 

    Let’s face it, if it sits in your fridge, you will eat it.  So if you are serious about shifting stubborn pounds, clear your cupboards of any temptation, and that includes ALL junk and processed foods.

  4. Go Dry: 

    Spend weeks of alcohol-free.  It is the perfect way to detox your body and give your liver a break by cutting back on alcohol for a while.

  5. Hydrate Yourself: 

    This is such an important part of your routine to get rid of the extra weight (fats)!  Drinking water rids your body of toxins, it increases your metabolism as well as improves your physical and mental performance.  Aim for at least 2 litres a day.

  6. Increase Your Protein Intake: 

    Good quality protein intake allows your muscles to recover quickly after training. Maintaining your lean muscle mass is vital in order to lose body fat and get rid of the extra weight.  The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate is.

  7. Include Healthy Fats In Your Diet:

    Include fats such as avocados, oily fish, olives, nuts, 100% nut butters, seeds, and oils.  Healthy fats are essential for bone and joint health.  Our bodies are designed to digest healthy fats and animal proteins so you will not add extra pounds by including these in your diet.

  8. Avoid The White Devils Of Nutrition:

    Avoid white rice, white flour, white pastas, white sugars, as well as anything refined. These are known as simple sugars and wreak havoc with your body.

    Opt rather for slow-releasing complex carbs such as oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and brown rice for a steady-release of energy that will assist in maintaining a healthy level of blood sugar throughout the day.

  9. Add More Vegetables To Your Life:

    Keep your plates colourful with crunchy and delicious vegetables.  Raw vegetables are perfect snacks too, so pack colourful crudités with homemade hummus into your lunchbox for work; delicious and nutritious!

  10. Be Patient:

    Changing your lifestyle means that your body’s weight-regulating mechanisms will begin to change too.  As mentioned in my previous blog, when you start an effective strength training program, your body composition changes. And often the scales may go up although your lean body mass % is dropping rapidly. Training more too will make you hungrier, so it is very important that you stick to a healthy eating regime as being hungrier means it is often difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan.

To get rid of extra weight (fats) after a holiday or a vacation is no easy feat, so it’s better to make sure you set realistic goals for yourself.  Write these down in a journal, and treat each day as another step towards your goal.  Be kind to yourself and be patient.  Shifting stubborn pounds doesn’t happen overnight, but if you commit to the tips above, I guarantee that you will be a healthier, leaner, happier you, all throughout the year.