The holiday season is upon us (where did the time go??) and with that comes the irresistibly delectable fantabulousness of our favorite treats that make the holidays. Not upstaging the family or anything, but the cooking traditions are co-stars in all of the holiday frenzy. Butter and sugar and pies-- OH MY!!! Not to worry, all of your hard work in the gym and your carefully crafted meals to this point do not have to be ruined. I will share 5 tips to ease your mind and make the holidays that much more enjoyable: 1. Make your indulgences count. Too often, we pile food on our plates because it just seems right to have a little bit of everything. We do this even when the food is not that good. Just because there is a half-pound of cheese in a 1-cup serving of macaroni and cheese does not mean that it is good. It just means that it is packed with extra fat and calories that you aren't really enjoying and that you could be using on something worthwhile. Choose the foods that you really love and if it turns out that your family assigned the wrong person to the dressing, do not continue to eat it as if it were good. Move on to the next thing. 2. Keep tasting to a minimum! Of course we want to make sure that the food is good (unless you are trying to avoid playing host for future events :-D), but employ assistance for the task of food tasting if you need to. If nothing else, someone is bound to volunteer to help with tasting the food! Use a small utensil for tasting a modest sample to determine if something needs adjusting. Limiting tastes will help you avoid excess calories that end up unaccounted for in your mind, but absolutely count in real life! 3. Savor the flavors. Hopefully you have not let yourself get ravenous to the point where you are salivating before your first bite. You don't want to come to the table too hungry because you will inhale your food without really tasting it and you will be more inclined to go for seconds. Take the time to let ALL of your senses partake of the delicious meal set before you. 4. Take an active approach to the day. Start off the day with a few jumping jacks, some dynamic stretching, or a quick walk if you really feel ambitious. Implement activity before the day's festivities begin. In addition, take advantage of opportunities to pitch in for the holiday instead of just waiting for the food to be ready. Help with the meal preparation and/or volunteer for clean-up duty. 5. Keep in mind that these events don't happen all the time. A day or two off from your normal, healthier eating routine will not do any damage. In fact, indulging in a few extra calories may just be the jolt that your system needs to reset itself. This is particularly true if you have been on a weight loss journey and have cut calories significantly. At a certain point, the body reaches a plateau and cutting calories is just not working anymore. Cycling your calories (even unintentionally) by increasing them on the holiday may even benefit you by shocking your body with a bit more fuel. Just get back on track in the following day (or two). You may notice that this list does not suggest that you fill up on appetizers and water. This strategy is fine too, but for me, I prefer to enjoy the foods that I really like. Even if you try to eat lower calorie filler foods first, you may find that you are not satisfied. Therefore, you end up eating what you really wanted to eat in the first place, which means you end up eating more calories than you would have, had you not consumed the filler. All of this being said, the holidays are a special time for many, so try not to take the (often self-imposed) "rules" too seriously. I hope that at least one of these tips was helpful for you. More importantly, take care to relax and enjoy your loved ones! What is your favorite part of the holidays? Do you have a special tradition? A signature dish? A favorite food?
6 Comments
Karen Martin
12/2/2015 06:14:23 am
These are great tips. Not only for thanksgiving but for every holiday that has a focus on food. Looking forward to more good information. Thank you
Reply
Alena
12/3/2015 01:46:37 pm
Thanks for reading. I am glad you found the information useful =)
Reply
Kim
12/3/2015 06:26:27 am
Welcome back and just in time for our New Years Resolutions!!!!. You and your TIPS have been missed. Looking forward to what's ahead.
Reply
Alena
12/3/2015 01:47:20 pm
Thank you, it feels good to be back! Stay tuned ;-)
Reply
Dana
12/6/2015 08:18:19 pm
Thanks for the Great tips! I will implement these tips into my daily life.
Reply
Alena
12/7/2015 07:35:02 am
Awesome! You are welcome. Thanks for your feedback!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHello there, my name is Alena and I am a Registered Dietitian! This blog is a platform through which I can share my knowledge and perspectives on a variety of nutrition-related topics. Feel free to contribute by commenting. Archives
November 2021
|