A recent New England Journal of Medicine article showed the actual average weight gain is about 1–2 pounds. Not what you expected? I would guess most people believe they gain closer to 10 pounds over the holidays. If you base weight gain and loss solely on the scale and not on how your pants fit, then an impression of a drastic weight gain. Scale weight can fluctuate due to water retention from alcohol, salt, and carbohydrate intake rather than an actual true fat gain. The real story of holiday weight gain is the weight gain that occurs after the seemingly harmless habits begin, the stress some may feel from eating more or indulging, and a lower activity level due to family events and cold weather which force some indoors for most of the winter.

Hack #1: Eating hygiene

Eating hygiene is a practice that should happen at every single meal. Not only do the following principles help reduce overeating, but it also ensures adequate digestion which means no more bloating and belly pain. Begin the meal with a take 5 break. Before eating, take 5 deep, slow breaths in and out. You can call it a prayer or gratitude practice or just an opportunity to bring yourself to the present and to the meal you are about to eat. A take 5 break is a way to reduce stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is critical for proper digestion. In fact, eating while stressed or in a rushed state can dramatically decrease stomach acid production and digestive enzymes, leading to early satiety, a feeling of fullness and pain, and bloating, gas, and burping, 3 things that nobody wants to experience while out with friends or during a family gathering.

Digestion begins in the mouth and is the only part of the digestive process that you have complete control over. The more you chew the food, we are talking until it’s mush, the less the stomach has to work to break down food. Chewing also aids digestion by stimulating digestive enzymes like salivary amylase that begins to work on breaking down food while it’s still in your mouth. Practicing chewing and savoring the food can even make carbohydrates taste sweeter the longer you chew.

Put the fork down! Putting down the fork means you are less likely to keep shoveling in the food without chewing and breathing. Stop thinking about the next bite and focus on what is in your mouth right now. Eating in a hurry is a stressor to the digestive tract all by itself and the simple act of keeping the fork by your plate between bites can decrease the fast pace of most meals and increase our parasympathetic nervous system.

Minimize liquids during meals for proper digestion. Liquids dilute stomach acid, making it less effective. Liquid beverages count as calories too and minimizing anything but water will help you avoid weight gain before, during, and after the holidays. Drinking copious amounts of water before a meal can also help with feelings of fullness and decrease the number of calories consumed. Take at least 20 minutes to eat. That means eliminating distractions and being present with the food on your plate. Eating while distracted can cause 10–15% more calories consumed.

Fast for at least 12 hours. Fasting can be an effective tool to lose weight and avoid weight gain and many people can respond well to it. How long you fast can vary for the individual. Men typically do well with 16 to 18 hours fasts. For women, I think the data is less clear on the right amount of time to fast. Some women may not do well at all with a longer fast. Twelve hours is a great place to start for most people and that allows the digestive system to fully recover from an eating window. We want our digestive systems to have a “rest” so we can activate the migrating motor complex which creates a cleansing wave in the intestines. This wave leads to a bowel movement as well as moves debris and waste from bacteria, toxins, and our own endogenous compounds down into the colon for elimination. You know what they say, good poop, good mood.