Ok, so now that the holidays are over, most of us feel like we need to lose a few extra pounds before we can get back on track with our health goals. On average, many of us gain between 3-5 lbs over the holiday season, which means we have taken a step backwards even before we start the new year.

So how do we reset and shed the ‘holiday gain’ while working toward our healthy weight goal? Simple:

Reduce the bloat

The biggest culprit to sudden or stubborn weight gain is often water retention. Also known as bloating, it’s the body’s way of reacting to foods that you may be intolerant to or foods that have been poorly digested. If you find that your weight can fluctuate 3-5lbs overnight, you most definitely have an issue with the digestion tract. The quickest way to reduce this is simply avoid (or limit) the 2 worst offenders: gluten and dairy products. If you’re strict with this, complete avoidance can help you drop (and keep off) a few pounds within a day or two and more as time goes on.

Move

Yes, we all know that exercise is good for us. However, the small amounts of activity that we accumulate (while not at the gym) can add up over the long-term. Basically, the more you move, the better (take the stairs, park at the back of the lot, get up from your desk every hour). The 10,000 daily step rule is for weight maintenance, not weight loss, so grab a pedometer or smart watch and track your numbers for week to get a general idea how active you actually are.

Fill up

On fiber, that is. Not only will it help keep you regular (a bonus for detoxing the body) but will keep you fuller, longer. This means no hangry episodes when your blood sugar drops or binge eating when you get home after a long day at the office. Even if you do make poorer diet choices(we all have bad days), consuming a healthy 35g of fiber (help get to this total with this & this) daily will help to minimize any damage to your waistline.

Make these tips a regular habit, reach your healthy weight goals faster, & keep it off.

Photo Credit: Milo McDowell