It is said that you can gain as much as 10 pounds over the holiday seasoon. That figure may be more exaggerated than the reality, however, many people I have encountered over the years report gaining as much as 5-7 pounds over the holidays. Most likely though, you would gain about 1-2 pounds that would actually stick.
In order to fight over-eating this holiday season, you must be proactive. Here are few tips to help you get past the holiday gluttony:
Drink a Glass of Water before Eating - You're still going to eat high calorie foods, so you can limit the amount that you eat by drinking some water before your meal.
Eat From the Veggie Tray - A lot of times, you have food that is prepared to snack on before your meal. Eat from the veggie tray. Don't be concerned about dipping it either. It's a heck of a lot better than eating the stuffed mushrooms or eating the cheese balls.
Eat Your Breakfast - You're supposed to eat breakfast anyway. However, you still wait because of the amount of food that will be available later. Eat your breakfast and you will not gorge yourself at your holiday meal. Study after study shows that breakfast eaters always consume less calories than non-breakfast eaters.
Stay in the Habit of Exercise (or get in the habit) - If you are exercising, you can still get up and do some activity. Sometimes you eat because you are bored. Go for a walk, throw the football around with your kids (or grandkids), do anything that is active and safe. It will keep your mind away from food. As they say, "out of sight, out of mind."
Eat Small Amounts - Pick foods you really like, but don't get huge quantities. Get plenty of lean turkey, surround your plate with some veggies, then place small quantities of sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, bread and butter, etc. (don't mean to make you hungry.) Only get a small amount of dessert as well.
written by
Kelly Huggins, A-CPT
Exercise Science, B.S.
