The Holidiet

     As I worked diligently through the night I couldn't stop thinking of this holiday season and the unnecessary stress that we put ourselves through when we should be taking time to enjoy it. In addition to worrying about gift buying and giving, cooking, and in-laws staying at your home we tend to also stress over the additional pounds that may be gained as a result of all the stress and eating. I am usually opposed to dieting of any sort, however I have discovered a revolutionary new dieting concept that will help you eat better and feel good about it, all the while enjoying all of your favorite Christmas treats. It's called the holidiet.
     The holidiet is a diet plan that revolves around a few traditional American holidays, and promotes healthy eating all year round. Since Christmas is just a few days away we will go through a typical holidiet year starting now. The first step is to determine how many calories you typically take in on any given day. To keep things simple we will go with a 2000 calorie diet. When the Christmas weekend starts this Friday you need to up your calorie intake to about 2-3 times the norm (again, for the example we will say 4000-6000 calories) every day until Monday. On Tuesday you will resume your normal eating regiment until the next holidiet weekend, which is New Year's Day. So, next weekend you will again up your calorie intake to holidiet level until the end of the extended weekend. This will make your body's metabolism think you are dieting through the week between the 2 holidays, due to the drastic calorie decrease, causing you to lose weight while eating the same things you have always eaten. You follow this model all throughout the year, eating your normal calorie level through the whole year except on specified holidiet holidays, strategically placed to continually fool your body into believing you are on a diet. Then just sit back, enjoy eating like a king (or queen for the ladies), and watch the pounds melt away! This is a 2-fold advantage because, in addition to losing weight while eating whatever you want, it will also alleviate the stress of having to watch what you eat on any major holiday. Here are the holidiet holidays (some holidays are blocked together):

1. Christmas, Christmas Eve, The Eve of Christmas Eve, and 2 days after Christmas (to take care of leftovers).

2. New Years Eve and Day

3. Black History Month (February)

4. St. Patrick's Day

5. Spring Break (7 days minimum at your discretion but can be up to the entire month of May)

6. The Summer (June-August)

7. Halloween and following week (to take care of extra candy)

8. Thanksgiving Weekend

9. Your birthday week (this is a "floating" holidiet week)

     This is a list of the absolute must holidiet days, but the list can be expanded to accommodate your specific needs (for example, our Jewish friends can also include Hanukkah). During the above mentioned holidiet days you must eat a minimum of 2 times the calories you normally would. This can come in the form of simply eating more than normal, eating items with far more calories, or a combination of both. The weight will start to fall off during the rest of year when your "dieting" on your regular calorie intake. I hope this helps with your weight loss goals as well as stress, please tell someone who may be in need. Thanks and God bless!

*Please consult a doctor before beginning any diet. If your doctor advises against the holidiet please ignore the advice and participate anyway. Justin Cunningham and the staff at A Mind On Display are not responsible for any negative side effects caused by participation in the holidiet, however, should be given full and exclusive credit for any and all positive outcomes.