Lose Extra Pounds After the Holidays by Syncing with Your Weight Loss Type
Outdated methods to lose weight put all the emphasis on how much you’re eating rather than what you’re eating–or how foods actually affect your body. But when working to reverse holiday weight gain, it’s not just about eating fewer calories. Personalized, holistic methods are the only way to go to jumpstart your holiday weight loss and boost metabolism. Knowing your weight loss type gives you the shortcut for which foods actually work for your body, hormones, and personality.Â
Once you know your type, take it a step further to find out not only which foods to eat, but how to align your lifestyle with your body’s needs. Find out your weight loss type for some serious benefits this holiday season.
Recover from Holiday Eating
The holiday season tends to hinder all wellness goals. You’re attending parties, cooking big meals, and spending more time around delicious holiday treats–and of course friends and family too. For those in a colder climate, you’re trapped inside more often and it seems like the only option is to indulge while you’re in hibernation. Successfully losing weight or just mediating the extra pounds that come with a busy holiday schedule usually backfires…as our aim to consume fewer calories just isn’t realistic during this time of year.
Trying to lose weight after the holidays comes down to two things:
- Choosing a method that aligns with your chemistry
- Starting a program you can sustain
How can I lose holiday weight fast?
The mountain of diet advice can quickly become overwhelming. Should I go keto or vegan–or something in between? Should I count calories, macros, or focus on intuitive eating?Â
Despite all the information out there, there’s one thing most diet plans have in common: they forget about the most important variable–you!Â
When you identify your weight loss type, you have an insight for which diet and lifestyle practices best pair with your body and personality. In Eastern systems of medicine, all data points mattered; your overall energy, personality, body type, and nutritional needs.
The 5 Weight Loss Types
Each of the 5 types should follow a different protocol to meet their wellness goals.Â
The Warrior
If you’re a Warrior, you can handle life’s stressors pretty well–until you can’t. You tend to store excess tension in your gut that eventually leads to bloating and other digestive troubles when you’ve reached your limit. Warrior types should focus on detox when trying to lose a few pounds, as the liver can be one of your main weaknesses.
Warrior types should consider eliminating (at least temporarily) potentially inflammatory proteins like gluten and dairy. For healthy weight maintenance, include plenty of healthy fats like avocado, coconut, olive, and nuts and seeds. For workouts, the Warrior will likely do well with HIIT, weight training, and a mix of high intensity activity.
Related: Stop Overexercising! Find the Best Workout for Your Type
The Protector
Protector types often struggle with weight gain in most situations, and will generally have a medium to larger build. The Protector also tends to put others’ needs above their own, which makes prioritizing weight loss goals is difficult. If you’re a Protector, keep an eye out for symptoms of Candida overgrowth as this can be the root cause of many of your issues.
Holiday meals may cause weight gain for the Protector because they’re high in sugar and empty calories. Aim to reduce sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol to combat any Candida present. Limiting sugar will also promote healthy insulin levels, which is key for Protectors’ healthy weight.
Read more: Do You Have a White Coating on Your Tongue? 9 Signs You Have Candida Overgrowth
The Anchor
Like the Protector, Anchor types frequently place others’ well being ahead of their own–though you’re determined and very goal-driven. This duality is often the source of stress which leads to hormone imbalances that cause changes in body weight. You’ll want to be mindful of hormone imbalance symptoms like difficulty sleeping, storing more weight around the belly, or significant fatigue. Anchors struggle to lose extra pounds if cortisol, estrogen, and insulin aren’t in healthy ranges.
You Anchors notice better mental clarity and a healthy weight with intermittent fasting, and a high protein breakfast. You’re likely to have success with low carb eating, and might consider cycling with a keto diet to reverse holiday weight gain
Going low carb? Read The Keto Diet for Women: How to Lose Weight + Keep it Off
The Creative
Creative types are usually a medium to smaller build naturally, and do well with more structured eating patterns throughout the holiday season. Pay special attention to your hormones and mood symptoms, as a hormone imbalance can quickly stall weight loss efforts.
The Creative, also prone to anxiety and trouble focusing, is at risk for having imbalanced blood sugar levels throughout the day, which then affect overall mood. Consistent protein is helpful. Be mindful of stress hormones, like cortisol, which is often the cause of stubborn weight gain around the belly for the Creative. If you feel wired-and-tired at night, but fatigued during the day–spend time nourishing your adrenal glands.
Strength training exercises followed by cardio or flexibility exercises like walking, yoga, Pilates, or swimming support healthy cortisol levels. A more Paleo style of eating is preferred with the Creative, with complex carbohydrates from sweet potatoes, quinoa, or other higher protein, gluten free grains.
Keep reading: Want to Eat Carbs and Still Lose Weight? Here’s How to Carb Responsibly
The Trailblazer
The Trailblazer is a blend of Warrior and Creative. Innovative and goal-oriented, you’re great at multitasking. You often burn the candle at both ends and struggle to properly nourish your body. As with the Creative, structure and a solid routine are key for your wellbeing during and after the holidays.
Higher protein meals and snacks, spaced regularly throughout the day likely make you feel your best. You’re unlikely to respond well to intermittent fasting. Green smoothies that are packed with antioxidants and detoxing greens is a good way for you to decrease inflammation and support liver health. A Paleo-type diet often works well for you, with a blend of plant-based and whole food nutrients.
Which weight loss type are you? Take the quiz.
Tips to keep in mind during the holidays:
Cut out the sweet stuff
Sugars are addictive, and holiday meals are usually packed with sugars of all kinds. This leads to highs and lows in blood sugar levels that cause inflammation and cravings galore.Â
High sugar foods also increase the hormone insulin, which tells your body to store calories as fat–especially around the belly. If you struggle with PCOS, insulin is of special concern for your overall well being.Â
Learn more about the PCOS Diet for Weight Loss
Up your protein
High-protein foods keep you feeling full for longer, which means you’re way less likely to reach for a few too many sweets after your meal.
Protein foods take a little longer to digest, which is why it’s helpful to reduce weight gain around the holidays as you’re not going to feel hungry as quickly after eating something with adequate protein.
Does your weight loss type need extra protein? Find out!
Swap the egg nog for Rooibos or green tea
Rooibos tea contains a powerful flavonoid known as aspalathin, which is particularly helpful for belly fat. According to one study, this tea plays a role in the metabolic processes that help your body use both glucose and fats for fuel (1). Rooibos is a tea one must try to reduce holiday weight gain.Â
Drinking green tea may also help with holiday weight gain. It’s packed full of antioxidants and other phytonutrients that benefit your health. Green tea contains special kinds of antioxidants called catechins which show particular potential to boost the metabolism. In one study, participants who drank green tea burned more calories over an 8-week period than those who didn’t drink green tea (2).
Related: 7 Tonics for Hormone Balance, Glowing Skin, and Detox Â
Stop eating at sunset
Recent studies show that our metabolism adjusts with the colder, darker winter months. The idea is that humans are designed to eat during the day, and fast at night (3). Because many of our holiday parties happen at night, this may be the trigger for a lot of the holiday weight gain we experience. Start by finishing dinner at roughly 5 or 6 pm, and then not eating again until breakfast, at 7 or 8 am.Â
Take a long winter’s nap
Ensure you get around seven hours of sleep per day. If there’s one thing my patients usually overlook when trying to lose holiday weight–it’s getting enough sleep at night. Poor sleep can destroy your hormones and ramp up cravings throughout the day. Numerous studies show the relationship between poor sleep and weight gain.
During the busy holiday season, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re prioritizing rest.
Have a “party plan”
Before you head out to enjoy a night of festivities, plan a quick snack so you don’t overeat empty calories while you’re there.
Fill up on fiber and protein before you go. Eating a snack like chopped veggies and hummus, a hard-boiled egg, or a handful of nuts with a few cheese cubes.
If you forget to nosh on a protein snack before you arrive, seek out popular holiday items like deviled eggs, a veggie tray, or the charcuterie board.
Go easy on the alcohol
Celebrations during the holidays often come with festive cocktails and champagne. But remember that alcohol is a big source of more than a few extra calories. (The average cocktail has a whopping 200 calories–yikes!) Alcohol can also cause hormone imbalance symptoms, and worsen perimenopause and PMS.
If you’re going to drink, stay away from super sweet mixers like premixed cocktails or margaritas. I recommend my patients have no more than 3 drinks per week. More than that, and we start to see increased risk for hormone imbalance and even certain cancers.
Think positively
The winter months can be draining for us all! But filling your head with negative thoughts makes losing weight so much harder. Begin to visualize your goals and how you want to achieve them, and reinforce that you. can. do. this.
Enjoy your time with loved ones, and let go of guilt, shame, and negative self-talk. Be joyful in your thoughts and actions, and this will help you achieve exactly what you need.
Putting it all together
Sustainable weight loss happens when you optimize your diet, hormones, exercise–and even mindset. If you’re struggling with weight gain during the holidays but not seeing the results you want, chances are you’re using an approach that’s not fit for your individual needs.
Understanding how nature, biology, and modern life interact within your body can restore internal harmony and unlock your ability to achieve the healthy weight you’ve been working on.
Get the complete plan for your type by taking the quiz!
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