I’m somewhat proud of myself this year following the holidays. I gained a little less than my normal 5 pounds while visiting the in-laws for a week and a half. This time I gained a little over 3 pounds.

I was hoping to keep the holiday weight gain to zero this year but it proved to be wishful thinking. Am I worried about shedding the excess weight? No, but it will make my Arnold Pump and Run training a little tougher than it should have been. Two months to go until race day and I’m in better running and bench pressing shape than I’ve ever been. I’ll save the details for my Arnold Pump and Run training blog.

If you put on more weight over the holidays than you intended, here are some small changes to battle the bulge. Drastic changes to your diet usually only result in short term results.

1. Replace your Coke/soft drink habit with water. My sixth grade science teacher, Mr. Lehman, told us that one years ago. There are 155 calories in a 12 ounce can of coke. Some of us down a half dozen Cokes without batting an eye. That’s 900+ calories you can avoid right there.

2. Cut back on the alcohol while you are at it. A 12 ounce can of beer weighs in at just under a can of Coke with 150 calories. A 6 ounce glass of wine has 120 calories. Hard alcohol ups the ante even more.

3. Like cream and sugar with your coffee? Why not go black? I used to be a fan of cream and sugar in the daily dose of java. Over time, I began to appreciate the real coffee flavor you can only get from going black. Still can’t bear the thought? Forego just the sugar or change from half and half to something less fatty.

4. Instead of eating your biggest meal at dinner, do it at breakfast or lunch. Many people can’t stomach a big breakfast. Some of us don’t eat breakfast at all unless you count a few cups of coffee. Skip breakfast and you will usually be ravenous around dinnertime. Eat a big dinner before bedtime and watch the pounds add up. Want to lose weight? Here’s the trick – eat a small dinner. To get away with a small dinner, you will have to eat a decent breakfast and lunch. Get your metabolism going with a good sized breakfast and lunch. You’ll have all day to work it off. You can’t sleep off a big dinner.

5. Make smart choices when eating out. Don’t devour a loaf of bread while waiting on your meal. Always get salad dressing on the side. Substitute fruit for fries. Take a good look at the lighter fare on the menu. Choose water instead of unlimited soft drink refills. Skip dessert. And you don’t have to finish everything on your plate.

6. And finally, my best tip – keep a food log. What do all diets have in common – some sort of food intake chart. Want to lose weight? Write down what you’ve been eating. You can’t make changes unless you know where the problems are.

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