Avoid The Annual Holiday Weight Gain

The winter holiday season is a month long food feast. From holiday parties with family and friends to break room treats at work, it seems there is a constant stream of food everywhere you look. But this does not have to ruin your dedication to eating more healthfully--or your waistline. All it takes is some planning and a few strategies to avoid the annual holiday weight gain. These tips are good for any party you attend, during any part of the year.

One of the most important things you can do throughout this time is to not skip meals. Skipping meals only helps to increase your weight because you will be starving by the time you get to your holiday function--and you will overeat. Also, your body will go into starvation mode and start to converse calories. Every calorie you consume will more easily become fat instead of being used as energy. If you feel hungry before the party, have a healthy snack.

Once at the party, turn your focus to catching up with friends instead of eating appetizers.  Take a few tasty looking raw vegetables with about a tablespoon of dip on a plate and sit with friends at a table. This strategy will allow you to know how much you are actually eating. Avoid standing by the appetizer table and eating directly from the serving platter. This is a recipe for mindless overeating. When dinner is served, use the plate method -- fill half your plate filled with non-starchy vegetables, and fill the other half with meat and a complex carbohydrate (starch). When dessert is served, if it is something appealing to you or a favorite item, eat it and enjoy. It is OK for you to not eat dessert if you are not hungry or don’t like what is being served.

Food in the workplace is abundant during the holiday season. Remember, just because something is there does not mean you have to eat it, especially if the item is not appealing or you are not hungry. Keep candy dishes away from you by moving them across the room. Bring your own healthy snacks to your desk, such as fruit or whole grain crackers. If you have special activities with your co-worker, such as a cookie swap, collect the cookies, eating the one or two you really like and save the rest for the upcoming holiday party.  Plus, you can always bring in a healthier item such as raw vegetables with low fat dip.

When the holiday finally arrives, enjoy yourself by eating all your favorite foods including cookies and other high fat treats. The most important thing is to balance healthy foods and proper portions with your favorite foods and treats.

Image courtesy of debspoons at www.freedigitalphotos.net

Ideas For A Healthy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season. It is a time to give thanks for what we have. However, it is also about food. Most of us will eat the typical Thanksgiving dinner—roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes or candied sweet potatoes, croissants, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and pie. This dinner alone can top 1,300 to 2000 calories. If you are not careful, this one dinner over several years could be responsible for obesity, heart disease, and/or diabetes. To help prevent these problems, skim off the extra fat and calories with these guidelines for a healthier Thanksgiving

Portion control is probably one of the most important concepts to remember. Portion distortion is everywhere on Thanksgiving. All of our favorite foods are spread on the table, and we want to eat it all. During this time remember the plate method -- half your plate is filled with vegetables, a quarter filled with complex carbohydrates, and the last quarter with protein. Scan the table and look for the vegetable option. Most likely it will be green beans with fried onions. If possible, bring a healthy vegetable dish for everyone to enjoy – and fill half your plate with your own side dish. This ensures you have something you can fill half your plate with. Turkey is most likely the protein so fill a quarter of your plate with this meat. Remove some or all of the skin. This will dramatically decrease the amount of fat you are consuming. If you can, ask the cook to skim the fat off the gravy to make it lean. If you can’t do this, then limit the amount of gravy you put on your turkey. For complex carbohydrate keep the portion to about a half cup. If sweet potatoes are served choose those over white mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes are filled with powerful antioxidants and vitamins, and will be better for you even if they have marshmallows on them.

Another easy -- and common sense -- step is to prepare foods that are lower in fat and calories. If you are having the big day at your home then this step is even easier. You have total control over what you and your guests eat. Plan the menu out beforehand so you can choose foods that are tasty and healthy. Choose to add as many fruits and vegetables to your meal as possible. You can remove the turkey skin when cutting it so you (and your guests) do not eat it. Buy fresh cranberries and cook them down with a little water and a sprinkle of sugar to make a healthy cranberry sauce. Make mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. This has far less calories than a casserole with marshmallow topping. Include a few vegetable side dishes for guests to choose from, such as roasted brussels sprouts or steamed green beans with almonds.  Stuffing can be made with brown or wild rice and an assortment of fresh vegetables. Avoid drinking more than two glasses of any alcoholic beverage. Festive drinks are fun but they can add on the pounds quickly.

Dessert is the last piece of the Thanksgiving holiday puzzle. One benefit of controlling portions at dinner is it leaves enough room for dessert. Many people eat pumpkin pie as their main holiday dessert and it is typically a better choice. Pumpkin is a healthy vegetable than provides Vitamin A, fiber and antioxidants.  Pecan pie is filled with sugar and fat which can cancel out the better choices you made during dinner. Double crusted pies, such as apple pie, are also high in fat and calories and should be limited. Portion control is still important during dessert. Choose to eat one moderately sized piece of pie. Eating more than one because you “saved up for it” does not count. If you want more, take home a piece or two for the next few nights.

Image courtesy of debspoons at freedigitalphotos.net