The average American gains one pound during the holiday season. This doesn’t seem like much of a problem unless you gain every holiday season and don’t lose it . . . it can slowly add up. So what can you do to be more mindful of those treats and your portions?
- Going to a party or happy hour? Treat it like it is dinner, not a prelude to a meal. Research shows that if you plan to have dinner later, you may eat less at the first event, but you still end up eating more calories overall.
- Have a healthy snack with protein before you head out. Protein makes us happy and helps us to feel fuller longer than just eating a handful of carbohydrates. If you arrive at the event not hungry, you might not be tempted, i.e., you’ll make smarter decisions about your food choices.
- Think about how you want the evening to unfold. Visualize – yes, I said visualize – how you are going to stick to a plan for the night. Picture yourself at the party making the right choices. Believe it or not, it can help you to stay on target.
- Have fun! Don’t go to the event and starve yourself there. That’s just as bad as going and overindulging. Own your food choices and enjoy them. Don’t feel guilty.
- Workout! Don’t forget to get your workout in for the day. In fact, some research shows that if we do a quick, intense workout just before getting ready, we might have a slightly reduced appetite for up to two hours.
- Workout! Make sure you get out and move the next day, too. Have a plan for the next morning. It just might help with caloric balance AND prevent you from overindulging the night before.
- Find your favorites BEFORE grabbing a plate and filling up with everything. Before indulging at the event, check out the food table/offerings. Some items are going to “speak to you” and others won’t. Why bother filling up with foods (and calories) that you aren’t excited about?
- Use a smaller plate. Research shows that the bigger your plate, the more calories you’ll eat. You can reduce your intake by 15 – 45% by going with a smaller plate.
- Speaking of that plate, fill up half of it with fruits and veggies. . . then fill in with your favorites.
- It’s a social event. It’s not an eating event. Enjoy the company, talk, dance, play games, etc.
- Dip carefully. Say yes to things like salsa and hummus and no to French onion or spinach and artichoke dip.
- The first few bites are the best. Instead of thinking you have to have a lot of your “vice” foods, just remember that the first few bites are always the most flavorful.
- Move away from the table. Grab your plate, get your food and move to the other side of the room. Oh, and face away so you aren’t staring at the food.
- If the event is a dinner event, go light with the appetizers. Instead of eating appetizers mindlessly, save your calories for the entrée (and maybe even dessert).
- Skip the usual suspects. You can get potato chips and dip at ANY party. It’s the holidays. Think about the seasonal eats that you can really only get right now. Does your Aunt make a killer eggnog? Does Dad make an amazing bread? Savor the seasonal stuff and don’t waste your calorie bank account on the mundane stuff.
- Hold something in both hands. . . at all times. Maybe a beverage and your clutch. A beverage and a phone. It’s hard to graze when you can’t grab the food off the appetizer tray.