Tips To Avoid The Holiday Bulge
Article from Health Giants Newsletter:
http://health-giants.blogspot.com
Do you find it almost impossible to stay conscious and
contentious about weight and nutrition during the holidays? Of
course you do. More than half of all Americans are overweight.
All American's are in this together.
You can take heart from a new government study which shows most
Americans gain about a pound over the holiday. You're not alone.
The study shows that during the holiday period, for the people
in the study, two main things influenced the holiday weight
gain: level of hunger and level of activity. Those who reported
being less active or more hungry had the greatest weight gain.
If you can stay focused on dealing with just those two things,
you'll probably win.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of weight gain,"
according to Dr. Samuel Klein. He is Director of the Center for
Human Nutrition as Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
"Preventing the increase in weight is a lot easier and better
than actually gaining weight and then trying to get it off
again."
The answer is simple. Eat less and exercise more.
The good news is that most of the people overestimate how much
they had gained. Fewer than 10% gain 5 pounds or over.
The bad news is that although the one pound gained seems like a
small amount, that weight WAS NOT LOST during the rest of the
year and those single pounds accumulate over the years and add
up to obesity.
Here are some helpful hints and tips put together by skinny
people to help you avoid the tiny little weight watching issues
you face during this joyous season [along with the thoughts
going through weight watcher Wanda's head as she listened to the
skinny people happily chirping out their advice. NOTE: Wanda
isn't her real name.]
1).You SHOULD stay active.
2). Don't let yourself get hungry. Don't arrive at the party
starving. Be sure you eat your normal, healthy meals, especially
breakfast. A protein rich breakfast "resets" the body and starts
it off not hungry. Don't starve yourself, thinking you can "save
up" calories. Fill up before the big holiday feasts with healthy
vegetable snacks.
3) How can you keep the pounds off at calorie rich parties? Stay
away from the food! Literally ... stay on the other side of the
room from the buffet table or appetizers tray.
4). Wear clothes which are slightly tight and your favorites.
You'll think twice about the third helping if you can't let your
belt out a notch. Always remember there's about 8 pounds between
dress sizes.
5). Portion size is the real secret. Keep salad portions large
and all other portions extra small. When it comes to sweets,
think quality, not availability. Just because the candy corn is
there doesn't mean you have to eat it. Don't be afraid to cut
off "just a bite" of a high calorie treat. Put the rest back on
the serving tray. If you're the hostess, pre-cut high calorie
items into tiny portions to help your friends. Just a bite may
be plenty to satisfy you.
6). You don't need to be stressed. Take Time for You. Get a
massage or a nice facial. Sit down and slip your shoes off.
7). Keep up your food diary ... every day of the holiday ... it
will help you pinpoint your special weaknesses. Just one 150
calorie chocolate chip cookie each day will add up to an extra
pound in only 3 weeks.
8). Only eat things you really want and care about. So what if
your neighbor brought okra au gratin everyone's raving about?
Use that space on your plate for a homemade roll, hot from the
oven. Put real butter on it. Life is choices. Treat yourself to
what you want and LEAVE THE REST IN THE SERVING DISH.
9). Drink water instead of alcohol which has empty calories and
lowers will power. Avoid sugary sodas which throw your
metabolism into pendulum swings.
10). Don't eat while you cook. Those little "tastes" can turn
into 1000 calories before you've blinked.
Well, that's all 10 pieces of holiday advice.
Article from Health Giants Newsletter:
http://health-giants.blogspot.com