From holiday parties at the office to invites from friends and of course, celebrating with the family; it can feel almost impossible to try and maintain or lose weight in December. Think about it. How many times are we faced with unhealthy eating situations during the holiday season? The festive sugar cookies in the break room at work – we eat it. The latkes the kids brought home from the Hanukkah party at school – we eat it. Aunt Susie’s famous holiday roast – we eat it. The spread of ham, potatoes, pies, and cakes on Christmas Day – we eat all that too. Not to mention the alcohol.
The way I see it, the holidays become a “blackout period” for those of us on diets. What most people don’t realize is how long that blackout period is (four weeks) and how detrimental it can be to their weight loss success. With these 5 simple tips, you’ll have the holidays uncovered and be able to make it into the New Year without gaining weight. Add these to your holiday to-do list and you’ll be rocking out, not rolling onto the dance floor this New Year’s Eve.
- An Empty Stomach Equals Overeating. Eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch the day of your holiday party to avoid overeating once you’ve arrived at the event. Skipping meals to save calories for later can actually make you gain weight. It’s the same logic behind not going into a grocery store hungry. The more deprived or hungry your body feels, the more likely you are to overindulge when food (especially super tempting, holiday food) is right in front of you.
- Don’t just eat it, SEE IT! The holiday season is like a blizzard that surrounds us with unhealthy choices. Don’t let yourself get caught in the storm. Portion control during the holidays is essential when watching your waistline, so take a little extra time to watch what you’re putting onto your plate and into your mouth.
- The Empty Calorie Cocktail. Avoid the Candy Cane Martinis this year! One ounce of 80-proof alcohol is about 90 calories. Add your choice of juice, mixers, or soda to that and your slurping down the calorie equivalent of a Big Mac. If you do choose to have alcohol, do it in moderation. Choose red wine (filled with anti-oxidants) over beer or seltzer with lemon rather than soda or juice.
- Don’t Cook to Please the Crowd. Limit the high fat items on your menu. High fat food items include cream based soups, anything fried, processed meats and baked goods. This year swap chicken broth for cream, bake or broil rather than fry, use veggies, chicken or fish instead of beef, substitute butter with olive oil and satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth with a variety of fruits and some light Cool Whip.
- Exercise More Before the Holidays. Exercise prepares the body to burn more calories. It is important to increase metabolic rate, improve circulation, and boost your mood for the upcoming holiday season. Uncover a new healthy you by adding a little more physical activity to your day – walk to work, take a few laps around the mall while your shopping for gifts, do some extra housework to get ready for your holiday visitors, or increase your cardio by 5 minutes when your at the gym.
If all else fails and you end up eating enough to feed Santa and his Elves, get back on track with healthy eating and exercise right away. Don’t let overeating discourage you from getting right back on track! There is no point in slacking just because it’s the holidays. Eating healthy during this time of year is more challenging, but not impossible. Just remember to use the 5 healthy tips for holiday eating!