As we head into the holidays most Americans will gain between 8 and 12lbs between Halloween and New Year’s Day. However, there are ways to avoid this weight gain!
Here are some key tips:
Eat before you drink
and celebrate and before holiday parties. Going into a holiday party on empty and
hungry is a sure-fire way to overeat.
Alcohol intake boosts appetite to begin with and if you start out
without anything in the tank it just gets worse! This does not mean overeating – eat a
sensible meal about 2 hours before you go to the party.
Try to choose higher
protein foods first because protein helps with satiety (feeling satisfied
and not hungry).
Fill up on Fiber Rich
Foods – which also help with satiety and help create a feeling of fullness
when consumed with water. Focus on the
raw veggies and yes you can dip them in some dip that has some fat because
together fiber and fat can really assist in managing hunger along with protein.
Eat some fat –
that’s right eat some fat! Fats also
are key for satiety. That being said a
little goes a long way!
Bring your own food
to a party. Rather than having only
high calorie, high sugar and high fat foods bring something you enjoy that is
also healthy along with you!
Eat slowly and chew
your food thoroughly – seems simple and it is. It is alos VERY effective for limiting food
intake!
Use smaller plates,
bowls and glasses – all of which help to slow down food and beverage intake
and make you more conscious of how much you are consuming!
Try to Minimize Sugar
and Starch Intake – both sugar and starch wind up as glucose (blood sugar)
and high intakes drive insulin which results in rebound hunger. High sugar and starch intake drives
hunger – particularly when drinking alcohol because alcohol acts like a super
sugar and also drives insulin response.
Pause before getting
seconds – as with slower eating and deliberately chewing food this can give
your body time to realize it is no longer really hungry.
If you are doing the
entertaining have extra Tupperware, you are ready to give away so guests can
leave with some of the extra food!
Try not to eat in
front of the T.V. which distracts you from how you feel and results in
mindless eating!
Consider planning a
cheat meal but have a plan for how much you are going to eat! One meal can knock you off course but
most of the holiday weight gain comes from completely giving up on healthy
eating for many meals. Planning one
cheat meal every week and planning on eating a set amount of the foods you may
be craving can work for many people rather than mindlessly eating. If you plan your meal including your
portions of alcohol, sweets, fat and sugar you can limit the damage and still
have a great time!
Drink Water. Often quoted and still true water is the best beverage and avoiding sugar laden drinks in favor of still or sparkling water can make a big difference in minimizing holiday weight gain.
Workout! Working out improves mental outlook and
burns some calories while reducing stress levels! When we are stressed we overeat! Just 10 minutes a day can make a big
difference!
Get Your Sleep. Lack of sleep is terrible for your health
and particularly bad for driving appetite and overeating. Lack of sleep causes hunger and excessive
eating because the normal feedback mechanisms that tell you that you are full
do not work properly when you are tired.
Basically, a tired brain tells you to eat to feel better and it is VERY
hard to resist these urges when tired!
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