Thanksgiving brings a hearty feast and weeks of leftovers, ushering in the rest of the holiday cooking season with goodies & mindless eating. To stay the same dress size, Fresh Dining - a SoCal gourmet-diet delivery company - serves up these strategies for fending off the holiday "gift" you wish wouldn't keep on giving.
1. Save calories beforehand. If you're planning on feasting, eat less over the days leading into the celebration. That way you have some extra room for dessert.
2. No mindless snacking! Snacking on auto-pilot will leave you full, tired and uninterested in exercise. Be conscious of what's going into your mouth by paying attention to what you eat, and setting limits.
3. Curtail your alcoholic tendancies. Try having a dry holiday season, but if you must imbibe, limit it to a drink or two. Stick to light beer or clear alcohol mixed with diet beverage mixers. (image: healthnews-stat.com)
4.Eggnog is another word for no-no! Erase eggnog from your holiday vocabulary and erase those extra pounds you'll be trying to burn off in the New Year.
5. Yes it's boring, but practice portion-control. Holiday season is a marathon, not a sprint. With so much delicious food around, it's fine to indulge, however, eat sensibly-sized portions - which means no seconds and thirds.
6. Don't be force-fed. Even though Aunt Melba loves to guilt you into eating her endless array of desserts each year, there's nothing wrong with telling her this year that you'll only have a couple tastes because you're watching your weight.
7. Snack on fruit. Period. Holiday cookies are delicious...in moderation. To preserve your waistline, munch on an apple or some grapes.
8. Make friends with veggies & protein. Usually there is a variety of dishes available. Eat smart and stick with healthier options.
9. Cook up some healthy fare. Set an example this year and provide healthy foods for your guests. Use less butter & sugar (or try sugar substitutes) and set an example by serving healthy dishes. They will be thankful for it when the feasting season is over and they're still the same size. (image: eatingwell.com)
10. Get off your butt. Sneak in a work out or two; even a couple brisk walks daily will help burn calories. Remember: overeating breeds laziness, so the healthier you eat, the more energy you'll have to work out.
- Lesley Scott
(top image: hebgrocery.com)
RELATED STORIES:
eat like a hot chick lose weight with hypnosis the food critic diet lose weight from the inside out
...& don't miss:
an endocrinologist shares anti-weight gain strategies; juice-fast to skinniness
