I Ate Whatever I Wanted During the Holidays Without Gaining Weight. Here's How.

It's been a yearly ritual for me.

I'm basically guaranteed to gain 5-10 pounds (2-4 kg) between Thanksgiving and Christmas break. I've come to expect it. Then, it will take several months in the new year to lose the weight. Basically, I'm good to go by the time summer hits, and then everything repeats when the end of the year comes.

But this year I did something different. And it didn't involve depriving myself of deserts. Nope. I partook. I even ate seconds at most meals. And for the first time in my life, I didn't gain any weight. In fact, I lost a slight amount.

So what did I do?

It's called Intermittent Fasting. It's where you just eat within an 8 or 10-hour window.

It first got on my radar a few years ago. I was hanging out with an internationally popular speaker who is in his upper 50's. And I couldn't help but notice that he was in great shape for any age. In better shape than I, and I'm in my 30's. So I asked him what he's doing.

He shared that he noticed he had been gaining weight over the years with aging, but that he basically started skipping the last meal of the day. He'll try to eat a later breakfast around 8:30 am or 9:00 am. He'll then aim to eat a later lunch around 2 pm or so. That's it. He said as soon as he implemented this regimen the weight started to come off quickly, and he's been able to stay in great shape all these years, all without much exercise.

This was about two years ago, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to the concept.

It then came on my radar this past year when I saw this video:

Terry Crews, the guys from the Old Spice commercials, shares how he uses this to stay in shape.

So let's review the concept.

You eat within an 8-10 hour window. It's not about which meal you skip, it's about allowing the body to fast for 14-16 hours. Here's what it generally looks like for me.

I'll have breakfast around 7:30 am. And I'll make sure to eat till I get full. I might have some Avocado toast on Ezekiel bread with some fruit. By the way, if you've never tried Ezekiel bread, you need to check it out. Super hearty. Super healthy. Keeps you really full.

My next meal depends on my schedule. If I'm able, I'll have a later lunch around 1:30 or 2 pm. If I eat a later lunch, then I'm often good for the rest of the day. But, again, the deal is to eat well. Eat hearty meals.

If I need to take an earlier lunch around 12:30 pm, I'll top off with some fruit around 4 pm or so and call it a day.

That's it. This is what I, for the most part, followed during the holidays. But I wasn't militant about it. If everyone was gathering for an evening meal, I'd jump in as well. But if things were less formal, I'd do without the evening meal; all without feeling deprived. I felt full.

When I got home from the holidays, I weighed myself and smiled as I realized that, for the first time in my life, I didn't gain any weight. And you can do it as well.

In the next post, I'll get into greater detail about the system I've been using, and share my goals and progress.

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So what about you? Do you ever struggle with gaining weight during the holidays? How have you dealt with it? Share in the comments below.