The holiday season can be a stressful time, especially when it comes to food. The holidays are an important time of year to spend with family and friends, but you can always count on large amounts of food. This can make it difficult, if you are trying to lose weight or even just maintain your current weight.
On average Americans gain one to two pounds during the holiday season. This may seem insignificant, but holiday weight can stick around and cas add up over time. Below are a few tips to help prevent the dreaded holiday weight gain while still enjoying the holidays.
- Don’t skip meals and make sure to eat breakfast. Eating breakfast within an hour of waking will help your metabolism. Eating throughout the the day and trying not to skip meals will help prevent overeating later.
- Fit some physical activity into your day. Not only will physical activity burn extra calories, it could be made into family time. Take the whole family on a walk to get out of the house and or go sledding.
- Focus on family and friends instead of the food. Its easy to forget there is more to the holidays than the food. Enjoy spending time with your family.
- Use a smaller plate and focus on portions sizes. Using a smaller plate can help prevent over-eating. Larger plates can make a serving of food appear smaller and fool our brains into thinking we need more food. Using a smaller plate will also help keep portion sizes under control
- Watch out for drinks. Without even knowing it, calories from liquids can add up in a hurry especially holiday favorites like eggnog. If you’re looking forward to a certain drink, consume one serving of it and mix in water throughout the day.
- Bring a healthy dish. Rather than being stressed over not knowing what kind of food might be at a holiday party, bring a healthy side dish so you have healthy alternatives available.
- Eat what you want (in moderation) and don’t feel guilty for what you ate. Make sure to enjoy the food and the atmosphere. Try to leave the holiday eating to that day.
- If you’re hosting the holiday gathering, give away leftovers. This way you won’t be tempted the following day (or week) and you can resume your normal, healthy eating routine.
But most importantly enjoy the holiday season and don’t forget the Courts Plus member Holiday Party on Tuesday, December 11th. The party will be from 5:45pm-7:00pm and includes a sit down meal served by the Courts Plus staff. There will be also be a kids pizza party, along with inflatables and holiday themed art projects and activities. Remember your entire family is invited to this member only party
