Holidays Leave You a Little Heavier? 5 To-Dos to Lose the Extra Weight

Parties, feasts and treats of all kinds: The holiday season is full of indulgences that are nearly impossible to resist. And when the celebrations are over and the decorations are all put away, many of us carry a little extra holiday weight into the new year. A study published by the National Institutes of Health found that people who are already overweight add an average of five more pounds each year during the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The longer you keep those excess pounds, the harder the holiday weight can be to shed. That’s why today is the best time to take steps to lose the extra weight.

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Start the year off right with these five proven and effective strategies to lose the holiday weight:

1. Clear out leftovers.

When the party ends, you often have a house full of unfinished cakes, pies, cookies, candy and other goodies—which all contributed to your holiday weight gain. You don’t want them to go to waste, but if you finish them you’ll be loading up on calories you also do not want. Gather the treats up—all of them—and take them to your workplace or share them with a local community group. You’ll be glad to see them gobbled up and you’ll spare yourself the temptation of eating them yourself.

2. Stand up more.

Here’s a little simple math that adds up to a big difference. The average person burns 100 calories per hour while sitting and 140 calories per hour while standing. Set a reminder on your phone to tell you to be on your feet for at least two hours every day. You will burn an extra 560 calories by the end of the week, which is about enough to help you drop one pound.

3. Sip tea.

A steaming cup of tea does more than warm you up on chilly days. According to a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, tea help stimulates weight loss with two unique compounds. Catechins boost your metabolism and help your body break down fats. Polyphenols reduce the gut bacteria that is typically associated with obesity and increase the kind of bacteria that creates lean body mass. These compounds are found in both green and black teas. Better yet, tea has zero calories if you add nothing more than lemon juice, so you can enjoy it all day long.

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4. Write it down.

The simple act of noting each day what you eat and drink and your physical activity increases your chances for success when you’re trying to drop extra pounds. There is a “significant association between self-monitoring and weight loss,” according to research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Mindless eating is one of the most common causes of weight gain. Recording your food intake and activity helps raise your awareness about making healthy choices and shows you when your choices may be hindering your effort to lose.

5. Sign up for Nutrisystem

People who participate in weight loss programs have much more success than those who try to diet on their own. Even better, the Nutrisystem program is more than a diet, it’s a plan for life. You’ll learn the keys to healthy eating and how to make the changes that help you drop excess pounds and keep the weight off. Nutrisystem offers you lots of delicious meals and snacks to choose from, so you eat delicious foods as you lose the weight. We even offer personalized programs that are tailored to YOU!

You also get invaluable support from the FREE NuMi app, which makes it easy to track your daily diet and activity. Nutrisystem Weight Loss Coaches are available for your support every step of the way, answering your questions and helping you get through any challenge. Best of all, Nutrisystem ensures you lose weight the healthy, sustainable way—no crash dieting and no giving up the kinds of foods you love. You eat up to six times a day, so you’re not feeling famished all day.

Sign up now and begin your path to healthier, happier you. Get started with Nutrisystem today!