Tips to avoid weight gain during the holidays
Traditionally, the holiday season is a time for fun, celebration and indulgence. Holiday parties are also notorious for weight loss. The average American gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year.
This is because you do not want to think about fitness and diet during these festive periods. You can, however, participate in the contents of your heart without getting an ounce. And you don't have to worry about eliminating or avoiding festivities. Here are ten tips to help you stay on top during these trial periods.
Make a plan. Sit down and watch your vacation schedule. Because it's different from the rest of the year, you have to be flexible. Stay active. Try to keep exercise in your daily schedule. Don't download exercise plans just because you don't have time for a full workout. Make it smaller or split it.
Focus on maintaining weight instead of losing weight. Maintaining weight is more realistic than trying to lose weight during these difficult times. Do not prepare for failure and disappointment by setting unrealistic goals
Don't make New Year's resolutions to lose weight through diet. Thinking about the diet after the holidays sets the stage for binging food during these periods. The reasoning behind this is that you will completely avoid certain foods in the future - you may as well eat as many as you can now. In addition, the calorie-restricted diet only works in the short term.
Many people make the mistake of skipping breakfast and lunch so they can go out later in the evening. This type of strategy is what makes you put on weight. Finish filling yourself with holiday foods high in fat, sugar and starch. What you should do is the other way around. You don't miss a meal. Eat healthy all day and drink plenty of water. That way, when you get to the party, you won't feel hungry and eat less rich foods.
Choose high-protein foods over high-sugar foods. Protein-rich foods keep you longer than foods that contain refined simple carbohydrates.
Eat lots of high-fiber foods before you reach the dessert table. Raw vegetables are high in fiber, low in calories and will charge you, leaving less room for sweets that are turned directly into fat.
With all the food available at parties, it is easy to overeat. To avoid this, fill the plate with the foods you like and eat only what is on the plate. Eat your food slowly and well.
Drink alcohol in moderation. A drink contains 200-300 calories. Set a limit of no more than three drinks. Instead, drink plenty of water at night.
Learn to say no. There's always someone pressuring you to try some of the homemade cake - even if you may not want it. Just say no. You have to have a limit. If you use excuses like "not now, I'm too full", people will try to push their food on you. Instead, you should say things like, "No, thank you, I don't eat desserts," and you don't apologize.
Keep everything in perspective. In a day of indulgence, you will not make and do not violate your food consumption plan. And you won't gain weight because of it. It takes a few continuous days of overeating to produce weight gain. So, if you overdo it at a holiday dinner one day, forget about it. Simply return to normal eating habits the next day, without feelings of guilt, anger or despair.