By Devanie Coombs
I know we all say, “I’m never going to lose my Thanksgiving weight by Christmas. It will NEVER happen.” I’m here to tell you that it’s possible! Thanksgiving is a time where we as Americans crush our caloric intake and all of our families and sleep for the next week with how much food we ingested. This is completely okay, but the issue is that people believe that they should carry that weight to their Aunt Betty’s Christmas Party. I’m here to give you FIVE ways to drop the turkey weight before Christmas.
DRINK WATER. Being a neuroscience major, I see the value in water not only your body but for your brain. I make it a point EVERY DAY to drink half of my body weight in the number of ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink around 75 ounces of water a day. I know this seems like an ungodly amount of water, but I’ll give you a tip that will knock those ounces out without you even realizing it. For every time you check your phone--whether that be social media, texting your best friend, or mindless scrolling-- drink one ounces. You will have that water down in no time.
GO TO THE GYM. Trust me, this one hurts. I am likely the busiest student on my campus with three tests every week, a schedule of never-ending coffee dates, and a laundry list of clubs that I actively participate in. All of that aside, hit up the gym AT LEAST three times a week. The gym is a scary place where I believe people feel judged because they aren’t as “fit” as everyone else or they aren’t listening to EDM and running on a 9.0 speed. Forget that and rock out to that Mamma Mia soundtrack and run your heart out. I find that when I can’t get to a gym I have to substitute an at home work out, which is COMPLETELY okay. If you need any suggestions on at home workouts, check any of our articles here at Expressions or reach out to me on Instagram at devanie_coombs_2017.
DO YOGA. It may seem like this will not do anything for weight loss, but it does! Yoga relieves your mind and forces your body to use it’s internal energy to balance, stretch, and reach in ways you can only imagine. By far my favorite morning starter is sunrise yoga. You truly slim down with yoga, but most importantly, you are stress-free, happy, and healthy.
TRASH JUNK FOOD. Aside from Christmas coming up fast, finals are approaching even faster. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but junk food is a staple during finals for SO MANY people and I understand why: You are stressed and want that midnight Cookout, Mcdonalds, In-N-Out, etc. STAY AWAY. One of the top reasons people do not lose weight after Thanksgiving is because they eat a copious amount of junk food the first two weeks of December to cope with finals.
REALIZE WHY YOU ARE DOING IT. I can’t stress this point enough. Why are you trying to lose weight anytime? Is it to impress your crush? Your co-workers? Your friends? It should be none of those things. The reason you are losing weight after Thanksgiving is to become a healthier you. If it takes till December 24th, or even longer, that's OKAY as long as you are doing it for YOU and not anyone else.