Holiday Tips

It’s December, and most of us have at least one or two Holiday parties to attend. And yes, we love it–the atmosphere, the music, the lights and of course, the food! Food has become such an integral part of the Holiday season, and I have to admit, I like it. When else do you get to have pumpkin everything, and maybe lobster, and every cookie known to man, and stuffing and eggnog, and … and… and…

But when it comes to the Holiday season, we sometimes have a warped thinking; we begin to act as though this is our one and only chance to ever eat all that good stuff—it becomes a free-for-all.

The national average of actual weight gain during the holidays is actually only one pound, a whole lot less than what people think, but it turns out that that’s one nasty pound that is almost impossible to lose…

So, with that in mind, here are a few of my tips to enjoy the season thoroughly without putting on that one stubborn pound.
1. When going to a party, don’t “save up” your hunger for it. Eat a little before and spoil your appetite so that you can be controlled in what you choose to eat. Go for the stuff you really like, quality over quantity, and enjoy each bite intentionally!
2. Stay away from the lick and taste diet… you know, like licking the ice cream scooper, and tasting the mashed potatoes twenty times to make sure there is enough butter, and the meat. It’s an easy 300 calorie save!
3. Don’t keep beautiful filled candy dishes in sight; if you keep looking at it, you are going to have to eat it eventually!
4. Keep moving as much as you can, but don’t use it as an excuse for over-eating… I know, not fun, but reality. But actually, you can make it fun by involving the whole gang! A great thing to do is to have a workout just before you get ready for your event—you will be full of energy, and the calorie burn will still be going on during the party.
5. Don’t beat yourself up if you mess up. You can start over right away, no need to wait until January 1st.
6. Pick carefully what you are going to indulge in. No need to fill your plate with the stuff you don’t love just because it’s there. But what you choose, enjoy it without guilt!
7. Focus on more than food. It really isn’t all about the food. Time spent together is very rewarding, just because.
8. Unfortunately, alcoholic beverages have a lot of empty calories… be careful with them. Also, when you drink a bit too much, you might stop caring about what you eat… until the next morning!
9. Don’t skip meals just because you overate the day before. Just keep it light.
10. Water, water, water! It will flush a lot of nasty stuff out!
All that being said, enjoy yourself! And have ar
VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!