It’s just about that time of year! Kids, grandparents, aunts, and uncles… shopping and parties… lots of our favorite foods and no time to exercise! All leading to 5 extra pounds by the time New Years is done and over. And that’s on top of last year’s 5 extra that you are still carrying around. Maybe no big deal except that each gain is inching you closer and closer to pre- or full blown diabetes, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke. Not to mention tooth loss due to dental decay and periodontal disease. So here are 4 tips to help you save your teeth, save your health, and save your pride.

1. Be proactive; make a plan.

Let’s be honest, we are all going to cheat. But that’s OK – IF YOU PLAN AHEAD. As you’ve heard before, “failing to plan is planning to fail”, so here’s what you need to think about. First of all, pick a realistic weight that you want to end the holiday season at. This is probably not a good time to try to lose 30 pounds. For most of us, even if we really do need to lose, just maintaining our current weight would be a great victory! Save the serious weight loss for after the New Year. Next make sure you have an accurate scale so you can weigh yourself, at least twice a week, because “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”. And finally, pick your cheating days as far ahead of time as possible, mark them on your calendar, and commit to it. By that I mean commit to only cheating on those days. If you graze on everything anytime its available, you will fail. Which brings me to tip #2.

2. Get anal about your in-between diet and exercise.

In between those cheating days – Christmas, Thanksgiving, office party, and probably a couple more – you need to religiously stick to your healthy lifestyle – diet & exercise. You know what that is, but here are a couple of reminders.

• Lots of fiber, no refined carbs (sugar, flour – white or brown, corn syrup…), minimal animal products, no processed meats.
• Really make a point of eating foods with the highest nutrient content. I don’t have room to make a list here, but just Google ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) and ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity = antioxidant value). If you’ve never seen those lists before, you may be surprised at what’s included and what’s not.
• Exercise 30 min/day that makes you sweat.
• Drink a cup of water or tea before snacking.

Oh, and quit being so thrifty with the leftovers. What you can’t give away, throw away – better in the garbage than on your waist!

3. Begin TRE

TRE stands for Time Restricted Eating, also called Intermittent Fasting. There are lots of variations out there, and they all have value. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to recommend the one-meal-a-day Warrior Diet. That’s just what it is, eating just one meal on your fasting day. It’s actually easier than it sounds, especially if you load up on liquids and keep busy. Having a couple one meal days the week before and a couple the week after one of your blow-out days will really help get you back in balance in more ways than one.

You all have heard of and probably even tried one of the many keto diet variations out there. While there is a lot of truth in the notion of ketogenesis for weight control, the problem is that nearly all of them are unsustainable long term because they don’t provide enough of those ANDI foods I mentioned above. TRE on the other hand is equally or more effective at promoting ketosis without depriving you of all those essential nutrients and fiber. I actually practice TRE year-round; you might want to consider it too.

4. Chill out and get plenty of rest

Holiday season has a reputation for being busy and stressful. Stress makes our body produce cortisol, and cortisol makes you fat. Lack of sleep does the same thing. So, make sure you manage your time well. Say no when you should. Block out regular time for destressing – reading, walking, hot tubbing, mindfulness, prayer, whatever you know that works for you. And make sure you maintain a good sleep routine –
• Regular bedtime of 7-8 hours, weekends too. And consider ignoring the time change, at least as far as your sleep time is concerned. It can take weeks to recover your circadian rhythm, and that during the holidays! In other words, if your summer bedtime is 10pm, when the time changes change your bedtime to 9 and get up an hour “earlier” too.
• No screens one hour before bed
• Cool dark room
• And if you snore or have sleep apnea, at the very least try one of those nasal strips along with a good natural decongestant. You might even consider taping your mouth closed – seriously, it really can help. Those are all good temporary aids. For more permanent resolutions be sure and contact our Functional Sleep Medicine team – FunSleepMed.com

Don’t wait ‘til New Year’s Eve to start thinking about preserving your health. Start now; your teeth, heart, and belly will thank-you!