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The holidays are known around the world as a time to spend with family and friends, attend lavish parties…and well…EAT. With the New Year around the corner and people looking for new, healthy beginnings holiday parties are like Temptation Island with all the gooey, creamy, chocolaty and unhealthy treats at your finger tips. December is known for its holiday dinners that include heavy calorie counts so whatever you choose to celebrate you are sure to face a various selection of rich, delicious calorie dense foods that aren’t so waistline friendly. The New York Times reported that the average weight gain per person through the holidays was one pound, but if you are already overweight entering the holiday season you are more likely to gain closer to five pounds.
http://transporter.nfta.com/2013/10/eating-right-during-holidays.html
Whether you are hosting or a guest at the holiday parties, everyone has the option to make healthy decisions when it comes to choosing what to eat and drink throughout the evening. No one expects you to skip all the treats, that is totally not enjoyable and also near impossible, so the best thing you can do is plan for them. These holiday parties aren’t a surprise, we walk into them knowing full-well the treats are definitely going to tempt us. There are a few tricks of the trade I’ve picked up through trial and error that may help you responsibly indulge. Below are ten tips that have helped me get through holiday parties in the past, leaving festively satisfied yet not feeling guilty about consuming my weight in turkey.
- Don’t skip meals before a holiday dinner – Most people think that it is better if they don’t eat all day because they are going to have a big meal at night…right? WRONG! Eating throughout the day will help you to not feel the need to eat everything in sight later that night. Coming to a dinner party starving will cause you to overindulge for sure.
- Drink Water – When you enter a party and are offered a drink, choose water over an alcoholic beverage that is filled with all those extra, unnecessary calories. Water will also help give you a slight feeling of fullness before that big holiday meal, hopefully keeping you from loading up your plate. If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, go back and forth between a flavourful drink and water. It may not seem like much, but mathematically it cuts your liquid-caloric intake in half!
- Choose healthy substitutes – If you are a host, do your guests a favour by choosing healthy alternatives to the normal cooking ingredients. Choose fixings that are low in fat helping to lessen your guest’s calorie consumption, skip the high calorie sauces, or make your gooey chocolate cookies with dark chocolate so your guests can reap the health benefits. There are plenty of healthy alternatives that will still curve your cravings! If you’re a guest make sure you choose the healthier options that your host provides.
- Skip the apa-teasers – Appetizers are usually filled with lots of calories and fat. By skipping them you can avoid those non-nutritious, usually fried, baked, rolled-in-bacon kind of calories and save them to enjoy in your meal. If you can`t avoid appetizers by choosing healthier versions such as fruits and veggies over chips and dip you can dramatically lessen the calories you consume.
- Start with a salad – A salad does not only have a vast majority of nutrients, but it will also help you fill up on healthier foods before you brave the rest of the buffet. Make sure to skip the creamy dressings on your salad and choose a low calorie option such as oil and vinegar.
- Use a smaller plate – Using a smaller plate will help you maintain balanced portion sizes so you don’t load up your plate with too much food. Learning proper portion sizes before going to a holiday function can help you better plan your meals.
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- Make a balanced plate – Don’t fill half your plate with those creamy mashed potatoes; make sure to leave room for some veggies and protein. This will ensure that you receive all the valuable vitamins and nutrients that a balanced plate provides.
- Don’t be afraid to leave food on your plate – Sometimes we eat with our eyes and are full before we finish all of our food. Don’t feel obligated to eat every last bit of food on your plate, devouring all those extra calories that you don’t really want, just because it’s there doesn’t mean you need to eat it.
- Do enjoy dessert – Many people think that you need to skip the dessert table but the truth is if you have balanced the rest of your meal enjoying a small dessert will not blow the diet. By indulging in ONE dessert you will fulfill your craving and are less likely to binge when you get home later that night…because you were so healthy and skipped dessert. Just be warned that sugar can cause you to crave even more sugar, so be careful not to fall in to the” just one more” bottomless pit.
- Don’t skip the gym – This isn’t really an eating tip, but it is a sure remedy for your mini-indulgences throughout the holiday season. Just because you`re on holidays doesn’t mean you are on a holiday from the gym. You have extra time now to begin an exercise schedule that you can ring in the New Year with, and it will help you burn off those extra calories from your holiday parties. Besides, a one hour workout is only 4% of your day. Getting into an exercise schedule will not only help you over the holidays, but in your future health and fitness goals.
So today should mark the day! Don’t wait until January 1st to start your new, healthy life. University of Toronto research states that although people start off strong with their New Year’s resolution to lose weight, by the following year they are usually back to the weight they started with or even heavier. So we challenge you to beat the odds, it won’t be easy, as the U of T article states “the odds are stacked pretty heavily against you“, but by taking it one holiday party and one craving at a time you can choose to become a healthier version of you, even through the holiday season.
