Monday, November 1, 2010

Holiday eating - stuff the turkey but not yourself

"Heed the still small voice that so seldom leads us wrong, and never into folly."
~ Marquise du Deffand


Uh oh, the best time of the year for the gaining weight gremlin is almost here - the holidays!! The oh so tempting scrumptious trifecta of holiday eating - Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah and New Year's. The smells, the good food, the overeating! Oh my! Some of us can gain a pound just thinking about it! Lol!

I'm here to offer you a survival guide to get you through the holidays with minimal to no weight gain. It can be done!! The key here as in all eating behaviors is moderation.

Don't overeat. That is the biggest holiday sin. Eat moderate portions and keep up your exercising (you are exercising, right?) and you'll be just fine.

Try to stick to lean meats (pile on the turkey!) and green vegetables but keep those plates of yams/sweet potatoes (although these in moderation are very good sources of complex carbs), stuffing, potato salad, mac & cheese, cakes, pies, sodas, candy and whatever other carb laden plates you might be tempted to have to a small portion instead! Very important, those holiday carbs are the weight gaining culprits. I'm not saying to not have them, no need to deprive yourself from these treats but just keep the portion small enough to satisfy your craving for their taste.

The trick here is to give yourself the reward for your discipline (especially if you've been and are working out hard) while not ruining all the progress you've made. The satisfaction you get from your show of willpower during the holidays should give you the confidence to get through any cravings any other time of year. Think of it as your end of the year discipline and willpower finals, don't fail the test!! You can do it. You can get through the holidays without overeating. I know you can.