It is that time of year again: baskets full of candy, stuffed turkeys and tons of good cooking. How can you beat your cravings? Try these few simple tips to make it through the holidays and not lose all your hard work!
1. Before you go over to your family’s house for the huge meal, tell yourself you’re not going to snack and that you’ll control your portions. Positive self-talk is the biggest factor in being prepared to say no. Eating healthy is mostly a mental thing. Convince yourself that eating all this junk food just isn’t worth it!
2. Eat a small snack of protein and carbs before you go over to their house to help curb your hunger and further prevent you from overeating.
3. Get help from friends! Tell your spouse or friends that you need to eat healthy. Get them to steer you clear of all that bad food, so that you don’t have any regret at the end of the day.
4. Get a workout in before you go. This will make you think twice before going for that big bowl of candy, stuffed mirlitons or marshmallow sweet potatoes.
5. Enjoy the company of the people around you. Talk and socialize away from the table. Many people sit over the table and snack while talking. Before you know it, you’ve eaten much more than you meant! We all do it. Keep a drink in your hand, such as a diet soda; it will help prevent you from snacking without purpose.
6. Watch your portions! Holidays are the perfect time of year for overeating. By the time you’re done with that meal, all you can do is roll over and sleep. Then you don’t get a workout in afterwards, because the turkey has you exhausted!
On top of that, all your hard work from the entire week is gone because you ate so much!
7. Minimize alcohol consumption. Many people don’t really think about their drinks. One drink, two drinks … before you know it you’ve consumed a whole meals worth of calories in alcohol. Enjoy that one glass of wine or cocktail and tell yourself that glass is your treat! Then watch what you eat because you already had your treat. Eat some salad and turkey instead. Stay away from the sweets and stuffings; you’ll feel much better afterwards!
8. We are all guilty of overindulging. So, if you do, get right back on track the next morning. Don’t keep those leftovers lingering in your house for a week. Start cleaning the next morning and get a great workout in with some extra cardio. Think positive and stay on track!