The holiday season is renowned for being the packing-on-the-pounds season. The following tips will help you to maintain or even loose weight during the season.
Chocolates in boxes are everywhere…
Don’t have them on your desk or in your house. Don’t put them in your freezer as that will not slow you down; they can be eaten frozen and we all know it. Give them away or if you have great self-control, limit yourself to 1 a day at most for up to 5 days per season. When you have your one chocolate, you need to eat it after you eat a salad and do savor it. Remember, food should not be a reward. Being healthy is it’s own reward. Also, depravation rarely works long term, so a few chocolates are O.K!
The Buf-fat table
Walk around the buffet table at least once to size up the selections. Are there fresh veggies and fruit? Watch all the cheese platters, breads, crackers, and high calorie choices. Your plate should be at least half vegetables with very little dips, as they are usually high fat (and the ‘wrong’ kind of fat,) and high in sodium. Don’t forget to select a protein source whether that is a piece of chicken or fish or a bean dish.
Calories and Sugar in a Glass
That would be alcohol. 4 ounces of champagne or wine is about 100 calories. Many people have wine goblets, not glasses and it’s very easy to drink much more than 4 ounces, easily contributing to holiday weight gain. Drink plenty of water, sip wine only with meals and limit your consumption. Remember in the nutrition world ‘support your liver is the mantra’ and your liver really doesn’t like alcohol.
Sophia Loren and the elastic waist theory
I believe it was Sophia Loren who said she never wears anything with an elastic waist, as it’s too easy to eat too much and gradually gain weight until you put on your clothes that have waistbands and find that you can’t zip them. I have found this to be a good tip. Standing up really straight helps me to eat less, silly as that may sound.
The summary is to eat more vegetables, limit your alcohol and desserts, up your water intake and of course, continue regular exercise.
Why this photo, you ask? Being outside helps me keep myself in check. Whether it’s walking in the neighborhood, hiking in the woods or running on the beach, exercising in nature keeps me healthy and I feel healthy I eat better.
