Your 15 Top Tips for Avoiding Weight Gain in 2010

A while back I asked you guys, "What Are YOUR Tips for Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain?" You came up with some pretty great ideas, so I thought it would be good to share them here incase anyone missed out.

If you're trying to lose weight, these tips can be applied right now as the new year commences, and also throughout the year, when you come up against challenging situations.

Here's YOUR guide to avoiding weight gain in 2010...

1. Savor what you eat
"Savoring has been the single most amazing weight survival tactic I've found... take a small quantity of everything that looks yummy and savor every mouthful. I make sure I get the maximum flavour from every mouthful and I eat at the speed of a snail just allowing myself to be in a no-rushed space."

2. Allow small treats
Whether it's chocolate or a special coffee, allow yourself a small treat, and don't "feel guilty for one second."

3. Ignore peer pressure
"In my family my brothers carry the feeling of being completely bloated afterwards like a badge of honor. Don't feel obligated to fit in and join the 'stuffing party.'"

4. Exercise hard core
"Holiday time to me means extreme intense workouts, sometimes doing two spin classes in a row and a run on my lunch break. Then I don't feel guilty about the eggnog or baileys in my coffee. Those shortbread cookies I ate at the office become the fuel for my insane spin classes."

5. Get back on track ASAP
"If I overdo, I just get right back to it the next day and if necessary I make up the exercise. I just don't let the eating go on endlessly and mindlessly. I am mindful of what I am doing."

"When I do eat at a party, it's really important that I keep the "party eating" to just one serving of one meal and then it's immediately back to my program. I've fallen off track enough times to realize that my trigger is giving into temptation more than once. Once I can get back on track, but more than that I go into "I've already blown it so I might as well keep eating junk" mode."

6. Don't waste calories
If you want to enjoy a treat, make sure it is something you really want vs. eating something just because it's there.

"I eat a few goodies that I love (my homemade toffee, a few select pieces of fudge) and eat mostly my regular diet otherwise - lots of fruits, veggies, etc... When I started becoming more health-conscious, I became more selective in what I chose to eat. I found that I really did not miss all those high-fat, but not-so-great tasting stuff that everyone else was eating. Plus, I didn't gain weight from the holidays while everyone else did."

"I'll have anything I want, but nothing I don`t want, e.g. "yes" to all the good stuff, and "no" to the crap (which I often used to eat just for the sake of it."

7. Don't overindulge
"How about this for advice: don't pig out. It's always worked for me."

8. Keep exercising
"I always keep up on my workouts during this season...I usually go for an extra long run on Christmas Eve morning, and I wake up early on Christmas and squeeze a quick run in before unwrapping gifts with my family."

This is a great tip for throughout the year--try to keep up a regular workout routine no matter what.

9. Control your portions
"Eat what you want but in smaller portions, so psychologically you're still satisfied. Nothing is worse than missing out on cheesecake. A tiny slice is better than nothing."

10. Workout together
"Move everyday and get your family involved (Twister, Snowball fight, Wii etc.). Instead of trying to cut/maintaining your calorie intake, let it increase slightly, but then also let your workouts increase slightly."

11. Just say "no!"
"Last case scenario... learn to say no. You won't offend people, they'll get over it, and things will be back to normal."

12. Find your focus
"I bought a really cute New Year's party dress. Its great motivation to maintain my eating habits (or at least up my exercise if I choose to indulge.) I want to look hot on New Year's Eve!"

You might want to focus on an upcoming holiday, wedding or other special occasion, but just remember to factor your long-term health into the equation too!

13. Take a day off
"My survival plan is to stay on my healthy eating plan the rest of December, and take Christmas eve and Christmas day off to eat what I want. I'ts just 2 days, simple math."

Taking a day off now and again throughout the year is absolutely fine, but only if you're the type of person who can get back on track immediately after.

14. Get the balance right
"I always eat whatever I wanted, but being a picky person when it comes to food, I like to pick and choose, and if I want to indulge in a piece of cake or more cocktails, I just work out extra hard the next day. It's about balancing food, drinks and exercise."

15. Believe you can do it
Set a few weight loss goals right now, and then believe in yourself. A study by Miller and Marlatt found that 63% of people do actually stick to their New Year resolutions for at least two months, which is a good starting point.

The keys to making a successful resolution are a person's confidence that he or she can make the behaviour change, and the commitment to making that change," says Miller. In addition, the study indicates that "resolutions are a process, not a one-time effort that offer people a chance to create new habits.

Thanks for all your great advice guys!

Do you have any other tips to add to the above advice? Share your thoughts with us...

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