The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends, and that means tons of good food, wine and holiday cocktails…and then, of course, a lot of crowded gyms come January 1st. According to Men’s Health, the average person consumes an extra 600 calories a day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, which translates to an extra six pounds of fat heading into 2012. While no one wants to gain six pounds over the holidays, we also don’t want to spend the holidays obsessing over what to eat and what not to eat to avoid weight gain.
Here are a few tips to help you avoid temptation this holiday season – without turning into an obsessive calorie-counting scrooge!
1. Eat a healthy, filling breakfast. Bob Harper swears by eating a bowl of oatmeal in the morning to keep him full and focused – and away from all the holiday treats! Mix in half a scoop of protein powder for a high protein, high fiber breakfast that will keep you full for hours and away from the cookie jar.
2. Drink plenty of water. Sometimes we think we are hungry when in fact, we’re just thirsty! Drink a cold glass of water before you grab a snack, and you might be surprised how quickly your hunger goes away.
3. Chew a piece of sugarless gum. It’s easy to end up adding hundreds of calories a day just by sampling what you’re cooking or baking. A nibble here, a lick there…it all adds up! Resist the extra calories by chewing a piece of sugar-free mint gum when you’re in the kitchen, and save the calories for enjoying the final product!
4. Don’t completely avoid holiday treats. It might sound counterproductive, but you shouldn’t deprive yourself entirely during the holidays – or anytime of the year! The more you resist something, the more you want it. So instead of saying ‘I can’t eat any sweets or chocolate this month’, tell yourself you will enjoy one dessert – not sample each and every one! You’re much less likely to overindulge if you aren’t depriving yourself.
5. Exercise more. Not only does exercise help burn the extra calories we all take in over the holidays, but it also helps speed up the metabolism and regulate blood sugar. Plus, it’s a lot easier to resist that tray of brownies after you just worked so hard at the gym! Why let it all go to waste?
6. Have a snack before the party or dinner. If you’re starving by the time you get to a party, you’re likely to devour anything and everything. And you’re less likely to enjoy it if you’re just shoveling it down out of pure hunger! If you arrive with a little something in your stomach, you won’t be so tempted to eat everything in sight, and you’ll actually take the time to enjoy what you do eat.
7. Stick to one cocktail. The more you drink, the harder it is to avoid temptation. Inhibitions are down and that healthy mindset is out the window. Not only that, but the food you eat while drinking is more likely to be stored as fat because your body wants to metabolise and burn off the alcohol first. The more you drink, the longer it takes for the food to get burned. So stick to one glass of wine, beer, or cocktail for the health benefits.
