Five Ways to Keep the Holiday Pounds Away
With the Holiday season fast approaching, you may have concerns
about keeping those extra pounds at bay. It seems that even
though the holidays themselves are only a few actual days, food
is in abundance from Thanksgiving through New Year's, and
temptation can be overwhelming. The following tips can help you
survive the season with minimal damage.
Keep the focus on family and friends All too often, the emphasis
is on the food rather than spending time with those we love. If
you try to keep the focus on family and friends, this can help
you shift mental gears and see the food as secondary. Yes, many
people have food traditions that make the holidays special, but
this is usually only a dish or two. However, when you think
about it, is it really the food that makes the holiday, or the
memories that the food invokes? Go ahead and make you favorite
holiday dishes, but keep portions a reasonable size and focus on
the time together. Also, try to avoid the feeling that you have
to stuff yourself on your favorite holiday meals because you
won't have the opportunity for another year. This type of "all
or nothing" thinking can make you act in ways you might not
otherwise.
Eat Only Until You're Full
We've all heard this one before, but it bears repeating because
it is so easy to overeat during the holidays. This includes not
only the actual days, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Year's, but also in between. This is a season of leftovers, and
tasty ones at that, which can make overeating easy. Because the
holidays involve a lot of parties, conversation, and occasional
drinking, it can be very easy to get distracted by the mood and
"forget" that you're on your third cream puff. Make a conscious
effort to monitor your level of fullness and stop when you start
feeling full. This can be easier said than done, but the extra
effort can be worth it. Are the few moments of gratification
worth the many hours afterward feeling miserable? In the moment,
yes, which is why it takes a conscious effort to monitor intake.
Choose Your Parties Wisely
While it's tempting to accept every invitation, consider the
long-term effects. Do you really need to attend every party that
comes your way? Not necessarily. Yes, parties are great fun, but
they are also an area where temptation is great and willpower is
low. As your holiday invitations come rolling in, consider the
ones that are important. The office party, for example, may be
one that you need to attend to stay in good graces with the
boss; the party hosted by a co-worker that you barely know can
probably be skipped. It can be hard enough avoiding all the
goodies that people bring to the office and well-meaning friends
give for gifts; adding extra social gatherings only makes it
harder to say no or to limit your intake.
Focus on Your Long Term Goals
When you think about it, the holiday season is relatively short,
even though it feels like it's a few months straight of nothing
but eating. However, if you break it down, there's a manageable
lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and even between
Christmas and New Years. As you navigate the actual holiday days
and your chosen parties, keep your long-term goals at the
forefront of your mind. Yes, the holiday treats are tasty and
tempting. Think of the little ways you can enjoy the holidays
and still keep the bigger picture in mind. As you reach for that
second helping, ask yourself if the short-term satisfaction is
worth the long-term costs.
Keep your confidence up!
During the holiday season, with so much going on, it's very easy
to throw your good eating habits and diet plans out the window
for two months. Sweets and baked goods are constantly available,
and it may just seem like too much to try to keep to your eating
plans. However, throwing in the towel simply sets you up for
failure. If you believe that it's pointless to try to eat well,
then you probably will see those extra pounds creep on. Remind
yourself that, with a little bit of planning, it is possible to
make it through the season with minimal damage, but you do need
a bit of confidence in yourself.