The holiday season is upon us and food is everywhere around. From dinners with family and friends to festive holiday parties, at this time of year, the food is around every corner. However, it is perfectly fine to eat on occasion without gaining weight.
The trick is to eat mindfully what you like and enjoy while avoiding overindulging and gaining extra fat in the process. In order to avoid getting extra weight this holiday season while you enjoy your favorite foods, try some of the strategies which are successfully used in nutrition practice.
1. Use a strategy
Next time you go to the dinner or the party table make sure that your choices are healthier, your portions smaller, especially of high-calorie treats. The following strategies work for you. However, if one of them is not good for you, try a different strategy or use a combination of several strategies.
2. Drink water
Before you eat, make sure that you drink a glass of water. Water will take some space and it’s absolutely calorie-free.
3. Eat vegetables and fruits
Start your meal with fruits and veggies. Since a lot of us don’t eat enough vegetables, this is an excellent opportunity to eat healthier. By the time you get to the chocolate or cheesecake, you might find that you don’t have enough space to overindulge in high-calorie foods.
4. Avoid dressings and dips
It is important to skip dressings and dips, especially the ones which are creamy. The second option is to go with lower calorie version, if it is available, of course.
5. Eat slowly
Before you go back for dessert or seconds, wait 20 minutes and when you eat, eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for the digestive system to send a message to the brain, that you are full. If you wait for 20 minutes, you might find that you actually don’t want dessert or seconds after all.
6. Have smaller portions
Try to eat the smaller amounts of different foods instead of eating two or more servings of some other food.
7. Limit your alcohol intake
There are a lot of significant health risks to excess drinking. Nobody likes empty calories, and instead of alcohol, you can drink juice, sparkling water or other beverages. However, if you want to have more than one alcoholic drink then you should make a point where you drink a full glass of water between drinks. This will keep you full, slow you down, and help you to stay hydrated.
8. Exercise regularly
Stick to your exercise routine or start one during the holiday season. If you feel inspired, add some additional minutes to your training. You should make a list of all the great reasons you don’t want to get several pounds over the holidays or why you want to lose several pounds after the holiday season is over.
Read the list on a daily base and always remind yourself what are you trying to achieve. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t resist at one party. Tomorrow is a new day and another opportunity to do better about making healthy choices.