Staying Fit During the Holidays: It's Possible!

     The holiday season is approaching and we’re all worrying about the same thing: not coal in our stockings, but fat in our tummies. Slice after slice of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, holiday parties, boxes upon boxes of Christmas cookies, and even your Nonna insisting you have another slice of turkey…it all adds up to the point where your belt gets loosed three or four notches come New Years.

"Ho, Ho...Holy Cr*p! Shouldn't Have Had All Those Cookies"

            Since you would rather celebrate New Years with a well fitted belt than a cinched waist, here are some tips to avoid adding “lose holiday weight” to your New Years resolutions this year.
·         When attending a potluck holiday party, bring a dish that is healthy so you know there will be a healthy option for dinner, not having to eat only heavy foods.

·         At a holiday party, when we stand near the serving table, we tend to over indulge while not even noticing how much we ate because we were too busy chatting with our pals. Avoid this from happening by standing away from the serving tables to reduce temptation or mindless eating. Only go there once at the beginning of the party to get just the amount you need. Then, socialize elsewhere from the serving table.

·         After you receive a big box of holiday chocolates, cookies, or other treats as a gift, it can be very tempting to eat the whole box at once. If this is a problem, take some for yourself, then bring the rest to work, school, or what have you and share with everyone else. This way, you won’t over do it on the sweets, and all your co-workers/ classmates will love you!

·         During the holidays, we tend to eat at restaurants more often, where the portions are huge. Instead of eating a meal fit for 3 by yourself, you can ask the waiter to bring you a to-go box with your dish. As soon as you receive it, portion out enough to make you full to have for your meal and place the rest in the to-go box. Save it for lunch or dinner the next day. This way, you still get your money’s worth without overeating.

·         Often times, holiday parties/ dinners are a few hours later than you normally eat, so by the time you sit down for your meal, you’re ravenous and eat everything in sight. Eating a small, but substantial snack beforehand can prevent this. For example, two brown rice cakes with a little natural peanut butter on top.

 ·         Lastly, remember that holidays are for celebrating, celebrations include dishes. One slice of pumpkin pie won’t ruin your life. Relax and enjoy it without feeling guilty. It’s only once a year, how you eat on Thanksgiving/ Christmas is pretty trivial considering it’s a mere fraction of the 365 days a year. 

Following these simple tips, the transition through this year’s holiday season well be both fun and guilt free!

We got this!