Ah yes, the holidays. Ever feel like the time between Halloween and New Year's is just one big eatfest? Ugh. It seems like this time of year many people ignore everything they know about healthy eating and just tell themselves that they'll just have "a little' of that and "a taste" of that. Then January comes and along with it an extra 5 - 10lb. weight gain.
Don't be one of those people! You CAN get through the holiday season without gaining weight. Even if you slack off on your workouts a bit as long as you maintain healthy eating habits you can avoid the dreaded holiday bulge. Here's how:
• ALWAYS eat something before going to a holiday party. The plates of appetizers and dessert trays will be far less appealing if you eat a healthy meal at home beforehand. Even if you just have a protein bar in the car on the way there, that's better than going to the party hungry.
• Watch the alcohol intake. You can pack on serious calories with alcohol. And it's not just obvious things like eggnog. Beer, wine and mixed drinks are all loaded with calories. If you really want to have a drink then consider it a cheat and have just ONE light beer or wine spritzer. This means no more alcoholic beverages for the rest of the week.
• When attending something like a holiday meal with family and friends, offer to make something to bring and make it a clean eating item. I think people actually appreciate having a healthy alternative to all the junk that's usually served at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most people won't even realize it's clean eating!
• Avoid "emotional eating"! It's stressful this time of year with all the shopping, worrying about expenses, visiting relatives, finding the perfect gift, traveling, etc. Many times when we're stressed we overeat and don't even realize it. Find some time to just relax with a cup of tea or call a friend who always makes you laugh.
• Keep up the exercise. I know it's tough this time of year to fit in exercise with all the gazillion things there are to do. Even if you just have time to walk a few times a week, that's better than nothing.
• Weigh yourself daily. Some people advise against this but I've found it's the best way to keep myself in check. It's too easy to go into denial mode and just ignore the scale. And wouldn't you rather know if you're starting to gain weight now when you might have a pound or two to lose or wait until January, step on the scale and realize you've packed on 10 lbs?
0 comments:
Post a Comment