Enjoying the Holidays without Gaining Weight
Newsletters
Here are five simple strategies to help you enjoy the holidays without gaining weight:
- Reduce the Stress: Start by creating a holiday planner. List everything that adds to your regular routine including parties, outings, shopping, decorating, and guests in your home. This creates a road map, and you can see where you are spread too thin and make other arrangements.
- Keep Your Body Moving: Don't forgo your daily walk, swim or other form of activity just because you think there's no time. Use your holiday planner and make movement an important part of every day. Put a seasonal sticker in your planner as a reward for each healthy activity you perform.
- Don't Rely on Fast Food: It's tempting when you're so busy, but plan ahead so you can avoid it. Stock your freezer with easy-to-prepare chicken breasts, ground turkey, or fish fillets, and plan meals that you can prepare in under 30 minutes. When you'll be away from home, take healthy, pre-packaged snacks to hold you over to a healthy meal.
- Keep Holiday Treats to a Minimum: One holiday party is not going to add pounds to your waistline, but letting every day be a holiday party will. Plan on one treat at the office or home a day, and plan on declining some of the food that's offered to you. If you bake gifts to give to others, wrap them or freeze them or give them away before they tempt you.
- Watch the Liquids: We are usually more aware of the food we place in our mouths than the liquids we drink. Most holiday drinks contain 500 calories or more. Have plenty of non-caloric beverages on hand, and don't forget to drink plenty of water.
With a little forethought you will enjoy the holidays even more, and your remembrances will all be on your mind, not your waistline.
Healthy regards,
Megan Porter, RD
