Getting Your Diet Back on Track After Thanksgiving

It’s that time. That infamous “intermittent” time between one big holiday and another – both of which are known for gluttony and tons of food being available everywhere you turn.  Many people find it really hard to get back on track not just right after Thankgiving, but even right after Halloween, and then all the way to the new year.

The winter months are when most of us tend to pack on many of the pounds that we fluctuate with throughout the year.  Many cite the reason as the holidays, which are pretty much everywhere you look.  The smells of the holidays, the constant temptation to bake and cook comfort foods, and the gifts we get, the endless holiday parties and gatherings, the gift baskets we partake in at work.

All of this ends up really adding up. Then…we find we can’t stop after the actual holiday itself is over. We find that we really biologically GOT USED to all the extra fat, salt and sugar in our diets. We go on a sort of withdrawal after we’ve let it all hang out for a few weeks, days or even months.

It is almost like withdrawing from a drug because our body can often violently protest in the form of cravings and hunger that seem out of control when we first take these fattening foods away.  Foods full of trans fats, salt and sugar have been proven time and time again to actually have addictive effects on the human body.

One of the ways I find it easiest to help me through the first few crucial days (or heck, even hours) of a withdrawal period is to take a non stimulant appetite suppressant patch. I like to use hoodia or green tea (the kind that’s not hyper-caffeinated) to help me get through the serious hunger pains and the ridiculous carb and fat and sweet cravings.

Also, doing something productive, such as cleaning out the closets, working on a project you’ve been meaning to get to, or moving around the layout of a room (or painting a room) can take your mind off of food and put it on something with a positive, productive outcome.

Exercising lightly is important as well. You may not want to partake in an all out sweat fest on the first day or two back on the wagon as it can trigger serious hunger, but at least make sure you are getting light exercise to help curb your hunger and cravings.