Keeping Off Holiday Pounds | Video

Michelle San Miguel | 11/23/2012

Thanksgiving unofficially kicks off a season known for feasting.

"It`s a day. You know I think a lot of people make the mistake of holiday season of it`s a full season of Thanksgiving all the way up to New Year`s and that`s really where they put on a lot of the weight," said Gold`s Gym Fitness Director David Widdison.

Gold`s Gym in Bismarck was busier than usual Friday morning with lots of people looking to shed some of those Thanksgiving calories.

"I had my pumpkin pie yesterday. It was good but you know I used the low-fat condensed milk and pumpkins good for you and didn`t eat as much of the crust," said Nell McPhillips, who was exercising.

If you think the answer to keeping off the pounds is to simply avoid those sugary treats, think again.

"The more we deprive ourselves then we feel frustrated and then if we really enjoy it then we feel guilty and so the goal is really not to feel deprived but not to feel guilty," said Registered Licensed Dietitian Nicole Enzminger.

Enzminger says it`s not so much about what you eat but how you eat it.

"If you`re gonna have cookies and pie," Enzminger said. "You don`t want to just eat it real quick. You want to sit down and enjoy it and if you eat slowly you probably will have a smaller portion."

If you don`t already exercise, Widdison says it`s a good time to start, even it`s just a brisk twenty minute walk per day. Instead of doing it alone, invite a friend.

"Anytime you have that motivation of somebody else be it a personal trainer, group exercise instructor, a good friend, your wife. It`s definitely good because you don`t want to let that person down."

If you`re trying to lose weight and having a hard time, Widdison advises you to change up your workout routine and your intensity.

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