How to Hide Holiday Weight Gain This Winter

We all love the holidays for various reasons. Whether it is the food or the time with your family or just the time off from school, the holidays are always a good reason to celebrate. Unfortunately, the holidays can also have a few unwanted consequences, like weight gain. The holiday time is known for its food; it is easy to go a little overboard when you spend a whole day stuffing your face. Do not fear; there are a few simple tricks that can be done to help hide that extra holiday weight.

Your goal is to avert onlookers from looking at your waistline. Make sure to complement the parts of your body that you are most comfortable with. But be careful of wearing anything that is too tight. You might think this is attracting attention to all the right places, but it does not, and could have the opposite effect. If you wear a tight low-cut V-neck shirt, it will not only accent your chest, but it will also pinpoint the area you are trying to cover up.

A good way to keep eyes away from the holiday bulge is to highlight your best body assets in more simplistic ways. Women with great necklines can wear loose, off-the-shoulder shirts then throw on a big, daring necklace. The necklace will help maintain the attention to your upper body rather than the problem area.

Another good idea would be to layer up. Layers will help minimize the area that has packed on a few extra pounds. It is important, however, to be careful with how clothes are layered. If done improperly, it could give the illusion that even more pounds were gained than actually were. The best choice would be a loose, open cardigan over a fitted tee. Try to avoid any belts because they add attention to your midsection and cut the body in two.

“I take very good care of my body, but it’s hard to resist all the goodies at home during Thanksgiving,” junior Meg Halsch said. “When I notice that there is more going on in the belly area, I definitely try to make friends with layered clothing. It not only hides the pounds but it also keeps me warm.”

Stay true to the cliché that “black is slimming.” Dark colored clothing will help tone down the look of extra weight. Chose colors like navy, black, or charcoal gray. If you really do not like such harsh colors, it can be softened by adding colorful accessories that might give the dull colors a bit of life.

“I am very big on accessories.” senior Nicole Nidle said. “I like wearing cute necklaces or bracelets or earrings or whatever with my outfit. Knowing that it will help distract people from noticing any possible weight gain is just another reason to wear my accessories more often.”

Draw attention to your feet. It might sound odd but with the right pair of shoes, you will make yourself appear taller, which will result in a slimmer figure. If you have a great eye-catching pair of boots, this will also draw attention to the elegance of the shoe. Boot-cut or straight leg jean styles are best to extend the length of legs, which creates a thinner result.

Believe it or not, your hair can help cover up the extra body mass. If you add a little more volume to your hair around the crown area, it will help you give an illusion of a narrower face. Simply applying some hairspray to the crown area and tease  hair from the roots up  will help achieve the desired look. If you are not one for big weighted hair then you can also help flatten your cheekbones by having a straight, smooth hairstyle. The sleeker the style, the more slim you will appear.

Gaining weight over the holiday season can be a scary thing. Luckily, there are enough styles and tricks that help deceive the naked eye from seeing what we do not want to show off. Remember, it is all about adding the right attention to the right areas of your body.


vcamargo@ramapo.edu