Do you have your holiday shopping done yet? What about meal planning and guest lists for holiday get togethers? And are all your days off booked?
Every year the holiday season seems to get busier and more tiring. And planning for it all is no easy task either.
But it’s what you don’t plan for during the holidays that can shipwreck a lot of the weight loss you’ve worked so hard to achieve all year long.
Few of us realize the negative effect on our weight and health that happens when eating and drinking at family gatherings, office parties and outings with friends. And even less bother to prepare for the holidays in ways that will reduce that effect and help them come out of it with their weight loss intact.
We all want to have funs and enjoy ourselves without the bother of watching what we eat and drink. But we also know how it feels when the holidays are over and, well, the mirror is off limits.
But, if you start now to prepare yourself for the onslaught of the holidays, you can set yourself up to not only enjoy them, but the New Year too.
Here are a few things you can do to minimize the effect of the holidays on your weight loss and maximize your enjoyment of them.
1. Fill Up Before You Party
Arriving at the holiday party when you are famished leads to eating too much food that probably isn’t too good for your weight. Before you head out, try eating some high-fibre vegetables and legumes and make sure to drink a lot of water. Keep some low-sugar granola bars at work for when you head out without going home first.
2. Change Your Priorities
Yes, you love the treats that you only get during the holidays. But don’t go out with visions of what you’re going to eat and drink dancing in your head, go out with visions of actually dancing instead; or of the friends and family you’ll see for the first time in a long time. If what you’re going eat is your primary focus, it will more likely be a primary activity. Look forward to the healthier and more fun things you’ll see and do.
3. Give Booze a Break
There’s nothing wrong with a few cocktails to celebrate the season. But more than that and you’ll start unravelling all your hard work to manage your weight. Alcohol is notoriously high in calories. A bottle of regular beer and a glass of red wine have as many calories (150) as a tall Starbucks sugar-free, non-fat latte. And the calorie count in mixed drinks can be more than double that:
- Long Island Iced Tea, 5 oz. – 292 calories
- Rum & Coke, 12 oz. – 369 calories
- White Russian, 6 oz. – 374 calories
But calories aren’t the only reason to limit your alcohol intake. As the number of drinks you have goes up, your defenses about what you eat go down. You’re way more likely to eat that canapé, or five, after over imbibing.
Trying drinking a glass of water between cocktails. It’ll slash your alcohol consumption, keep you hydrated and will probably make you feel much better in the morning. If the water seems too boring, try sparkling water on ice with some lemon or lime slices.
4. Bring Your Own
After point number three, you know we’re not taking about BYOB here. If you pack some of your own healthy treats, you can use them to fill the gap if you feel like eating more of the fattening treats on offer.
5. Pace Yourself
If you try to limit the foods you eat too much, it could backfire when you finally give in to the temptations all around you. Similarly, if you say you’ll only eat in the first half hour of the gathering, you might be tempted to empty the dessert table in the limited time you have. Instead, try to pace yourself with only a few things every hour. It will limit how much you eat, but give you something to look forward to throughout the night.
The holidays are to be enjoyed. If you manage to keep your weight loss intact, you’ll enjoy them like never before. It always helps to get as much support as you can and the nutrition consultants at your local Herbal One Centre are there for you.