Many people assume surviving the holiday season unscathed by weight gain is not even possible, so they completely put their smart-eating habits on hold. Bad idea! Instead, stay on course by following these tips:
Avoid an All or Nothing Approach
Embrace the 80/20 mentality. Eat well 80 percent of the time, and indulge about 20 percent of the time. When it comes to holiday dinners, load up your plate with the healthier choices (like salad, lean protein, and veggies), and leave only a little room for the more decadent foods.
Embrace the 80/20 mentality. Eat well 80 percent of the time, and indulge about 20 percent of the time. When it comes to holiday dinners, load up your plate with the healthier choices (like salad, lean protein, and veggies), and leave only a little room for the more decadent foods.
You can still enjoy a slice of grandma's famous pie, just don't have it morning, noon, and night!
Be Realistic
Between the office parties and family feasts, the holidays can be a tough time for weight loss. Dropping five or 10 pounds in December is an unrealistic goal for most people. Your best approach may be to focus on maintenance. This way, you won't get frustrated and completely throw in the towel on healthy eating if the number on the scale isn't budging.
Between the office parties and family feasts, the holidays can be a tough time for weight loss. Dropping five or 10 pounds in December is an unrealistic goal for most people. Your best approach may be to focus on maintenance. This way, you won't get frustrated and completely throw in the towel on healthy eating if the number on the scale isn't budging.
Holiday Shopping
When you head off for a marathon session of gift shopping, make sure you bring some smart emergency snacks. Otherwise, you could find yourself super hungry and caving into mall smoothies (often shockingly high in calories), giant soft pretzels, or other bad choices.
When you head off for a marathon session of gift shopping, make sure you bring some smart emergency snacks. Otherwise, you could find yourself super hungry and caving into mall smoothies (often shockingly high in calories), giant soft pretzels, or other bad choices.
Stay Active
Take advantage of seasonal activities. Go sledding, ice skating, skiing, or snow tubing. Live in a warmer climate? Go for a hike! No matter where you live, there are plenty of indoor activities that burn calories like throwing on a fitness DVD or dancing around your living room.
Take advantage of seasonal activities. Go sledding, ice skating, skiing, or snow tubing. Live in a warmer climate? Go for a hike! No matter where you live, there are plenty of indoor activities that burn calories like throwing on a fitness DVD or dancing around your living room.
Just don’t be a couch potato all season long.
Hydrate
Drink LOTS of water. Otherwise, you might mistake thirst for hunger and consume a needless number of calories. Dehydration can also cause you to get cranky, leading to poor food decisions. None of this is good when you're dealing with holiday-season stresses and temptations.
Drink LOTS of water. Otherwise, you might mistake thirst for hunger and consume a needless number of calories. Dehydration can also cause you to get cranky, leading to poor food decisions. None of this is good when you're dealing with holiday-season stresses and temptations.
Carry around a refillable water bottle so you always have water on hand. Wanna change things up? Try hot water with lemon - it keeps me feeling full.
Don't Skip Meals
Bypassing breakfast or lunch leading up to a big feast is a common mistake. You might think it's a good idea to "save your calories for a big meal," but you're basically setting yourself up for failure. Skipping meals will just leave you feeling famished by the time dinner hits the table. And it's much harder to make smart choices when hunger gets the best of you. So eat a satisfying breakfast and a light lunch.
Bypassing breakfast or lunch leading up to a big feast is a common mistake. You might think it's a good idea to "save your calories for a big meal," but you're basically setting yourself up for failure. Skipping meals will just leave you feeling famished by the time dinner hits the table. And it's much harder to make smart choices when hunger gets the best of you. So eat a satisfying breakfast and a light lunch.
Swap Strategically
Bring a guilt-free dish to any holiday table so you'll have something diet friendly to indulge in. It's easier than it sounds. Your calorie-counting companions will thank you and other guests won't even know that your dish is guilt-free.
Bring a guilt-free dish to any holiday table so you'll have something diet friendly to indulge in. It's easier than it sounds. Your calorie-counting companions will thank you and other guests won't even know that your dish is guilt-free.
Cocktails
There are two reasons to take it easy with the alcohol during the holiday season. First of all, the drinks themselves often pack tons of empty calories. A single cup of your average eggnog has over 400 calories and 20 grams of fat.
There are two reasons to take it easy with the alcohol during the holiday season. First of all, the drinks themselves often pack tons of empty calories. A single cup of your average eggnog has over 400 calories and 20 grams of fat.
The second reason to limit cocktails - getting buzzed only makes you more likely to give into the temptation of double fudge brownies, creamy casseroles, and more. Resisting the urge to go nuts and indulge is hard enough.
Leftovers
If you’re hosting, send the calorie-dense foods home with anyone who will take them. Stock up on cheap disposable containers so you can give leftovers away without worrying about whether you’ll get your dishes back. You can also freeze any item you have too much of so you don’t feel like you have to consume it all before it goes bad. If you’re a guest, politely decline to bring home the heavier foods.
If you’re hosting, send the calorie-dense foods home with anyone who will take them. Stock up on cheap disposable containers so you can give leftovers away without worrying about whether you’ll get your dishes back. You can also freeze any item you have too much of so you don’t feel like you have to consume it all before it goes bad. If you’re a guest, politely decline to bring home the heavier foods.
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