How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
The Christmas holiday meal is indeed the most beautiful time of the year. It’s when family and friends gather to spend time together after a busy year.
Every holiday gathering also means food, food, and way more food! With many parties to attend featuring delicious food and sweet treats, it’s very easy for anyone to fail their diet plans. Moreover, most of the time, people use the holidays as an excuse to eat as much as they can while limiting physical activity, thinking it will be easy to get rid of the additional pounds once the winter holiday season is over. However, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health, most Americans never lose the weight they will gain during the holidays. And without putting enough effort to lose it, the pounds will add up year after year, making holiday weight gain a significant factor in adult obesity.
What a bummer! Does it mean that you should skip the parties to stay fit and healthy during the holiday season? Well, not really. The good news is that you can avoid holiday weight gain without missing out on the fun of the holidays.
Below are the best tips from a registered dietitian to help you stay in shape during and after the holiday season. Check them out before the new party starts!
9 Tips on How to Avoid Holiday Weights Gain
Eat a healthy snack before heading out to a party.
Discipline and planning ahead is your best armor against temptation. When you arrive at a party hungry, you will likely end up eating more food than you should. This is why among the top tips to prevent weight gain during the party season is to never arrive at a party when you are starving. Be sure to eat a healthy snack before heading out. It will help you fight the urge to overeat and will allow you to focus more on the true essence of the party, which is spending time with friends and family rather than on the choices of food on the table.
On occasions when you are unable to eat before going to a party, drink a glass of water before you eat meals. It will fill your stomach up and prevent you from eating too much.
Limit alcohol intake.
A party is never complete without creative cocktails and alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, those delicious, colorful drink choices contain a lot of unnecessary calories. Wheat beers and lagers, for example, have around 165 calories per bottle, while a bottle of white wine is on the lower side with 120 calories and 0 carbohydrates. During each party you attend, be sure to drink wisely as it’s pretty easy to consume your average dinner calorie allotment in three or more drinks. Most importantly, if you drink a lot, you won’t have much control over how much you should eat.
Use a small plate and chew your food slowly.
When the food is served buffet-style, it’s very easy to stack your food. We often experience something akin to our eyes literally being larger than our stomachs!
Outsmart the buffet by using the smallest plate available. A smaller plate makes portions look bigger, thus will make you eat less. Pick the simplest, health conscious foods like fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables first. Shrimp cocktails are a great choice too. Sauces and dips are menu items you should watch out for though. While veggies are good, eating them with high-calorie ranch is not the best of choices. It’s better to dip in a low-fat yogurt and even then, moderation is key to losing weight.
You should also remember to chew your food slowly as it will fill you up with less food. Munch at a leisurely pace by putting your fork down between every bite at meals. It will help put you in control of the amount of food you will eat.
Be picky when it comes to sweets.
Sweet treats can be very tempting. Who does not love fresh cookies??? This is why you must limit your indulgences to small portions and pick only the most appealing to you. Too much added sugar does a lot of harm to the body over time. Our rule of thumb in our house is when it comes to sweets and calories, it has to be chocolate. We will not keep any other desserts in the fridge. It’s our favorite around here, so we avoid less appealing sweets for these rare indulgences.
If you’re the type of person who can stop at one bite, then go and try every sweet you’d like. However, the truth is that most people can’t do that. So if you know that you would struggle to stop at one bite, take a small portion of a single dessert to satisfy your cravings rather than filling your plate with several treats you plan to try.
Bring your own (healthy) dish and treats.
By bringing your dish, you’re sure to have a healthy option to munch during the party. A hearty chickpea, an avocado salad, and a black bean stew are great options that you and the rest of the gang can enjoy. Serve yourself more than half of your dish and leave a little room to enjoy the rest of the food on the party host’s menu.
Walk it off.
Walk off your weight by taking 10,000 steps each day. A light stroll after a holiday meal aids with digestion and helps with blood sugar control. Invite friends and family to do so as it can also be another bonding you will surely enjoy.
One serving is enough. Two, maybe too much.
It’s so easy to go back to the table for a second serving when the food is so tasty. However, before you head on to the table again, wait for about 20 minutes as it’s the time needed by our brain to register that you’ve had enough food. This way, you’re better able to avoid eating too much for one meal.
Remember the “5 a Day” rule.
The five-a-day weight loss rule applies whether it’s the holidays or not. But during the holiday season, eating five fruits and vegetables a day would help you avoid eating not so healthy foods served during parties. When your stomach is full of nutritious snacks, you’ll have little room and appetite for unhealthy options. Throw some mixed nuts into the mix for even more fiber and protein. It will help you feel like you do not need as much of your Aunt’s delicious mashed potatoes!
Socialize.
Remember that the holiday season isn’t just about the food. Instead, it should be a time well spent with your family and friends. Fight the urge to overeat by focusing on great conversations and catching up with the people who mean the most to you.
The winter holiday season may be the time where the best menus are served. But keeping in control of your diet despite the temptations will keep you healthy, happy, and fit!
