Can you believe Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner? Soon it will be time to enjoy holiday goodies…attend parties… juggle hectic schedules…and eat on the run. And for many people, that means potential weight gain is also just around the corner!

For years it has been believed most people gain between five and 10 pounds during the holiday season. But according to a more recent study done by researchers with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that is not the case. Only 10 percent of the 195 study participants gained five pounds or more during the holiday season.

Most people, however, only gain approximately one pound per year, and they gain it during this six-week period.

That doesn’t sound nearly as alarming, does it? But in reality—it is!

Here’s why: Most people who gain this weight tend to never lose it. Perhaps it’s because they don’t even realize they’ve gained an extra pound. Or if they do know it, they may think, Why should I be concerned about one pound?

Well they should be concerned because over the years the weight slowly but surely accumulates. Researchers have determined this pound-a-year factor likely contributes to the substantial weight gain noted among adults.

That yearly added pound can become compounded as a person gets older and becomes less active physically. As you can see, adding even one pound a year can be a recipe for significant weight gain served up with a heaping plate of potential health problems associated with being overweight.

So what’s the solution?

NIH researchers discovered only two things influenced weight gain during this study. “Levels of hunger and levels of activity.”  

Knowing the answer is half the battle! Proverbs 27:12 gives us some sound advice to follow. I really enjoy the way it’s stated in The Message Translation. It says: “A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.”

The dictionary defines a prudent person as someone who “uses good judgment to consider the consequences and to act accordingly.” That kind of person sees the trouble (weight gain) ahead and ducks (takes precautionary steps) so he or she will not get clobbered by an extra 15 or 20 pounds of fat down the road!

We are armed with the information that in order to keep our weight down, we need to control our hunger and make sure we get enough exercise. Being prudent people, we are going to get a plan in place to do just that.

Make Up Your Mind

The first step in developing a plan to avoid gaining weight is to make a concrete decision that you will do whatever it takes to not accumulate an extra pound during the holiday season. Remember we are talking only about maintaining your present weight. It isn’t a good idea to begin a weight-loss program during this time of year. Save that resolution for after the holidays.

Now I do realize making the right nutritional choices on a day-to-day basis can be challenging for many people. I also realize it can be even harder during the holidays when it seems everything is calorie rich and tempting. The greatest challenge for many overeaters is simply to stop eating once they begin. This is especially true when Auntie Mae is compelling them to eat more of her famous pecan pie!

So if you have a problem with overeating, even maintaining your present weight may seem insurmountable…but I want you to know it isn’t! The Bible tells us: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

To escape means, “to get away, to avoid a threatening evil.” God can give you a way of escape when you come up against any temptation—and that includes overeating!

So when temptation stares you in the face at Thanksgiving dinner, know that it can be outsmarted.

I will share five proven strategies over the next few weeks that will help you avoid gaining weight during the holiday season.