What do mashed potatoes, gravy, apple pie, homemade eggnog, and green bean casserole all have in common? They'll all be doing their best to tempt you this holiday season. Around the parties and the large family dinners, the holidays are the most common time to pack on the pounds.
Fight Back With These 10 Tips:
- Get in the right mindset: Staying true to yourself over the holidays begins with believing you can. If you tell yourself: "Oh, well, it's the holidays. I'm going to overeat and gain weight whether I like it or not," then you're setting yourself up for failure. Instead say: "It might be a challenge, but it's not inevitable that I gain weight over the holidays." There. Now act like you believe it.
- Think small: You might get some funny looks, but using smaller plates and utensils is a no-brainer way to cut down on the amount of calories you consume at each meal--even if you go back for seconds. It's science.
- Practice your lines: It's so easy to say "yes" to a piece of cherry cheesecake without even thinking--and then wonder how you could have forgotten that you weren't going to eat dessert at all. You'll be more inclined to stick to your goal if you practice saying "no" beforehand. Find an understanding friend with a good sense of humor who is willing to act out some of the "scenes" you will likely find yourself in, and literally practice what you will say to turn down dessert, or seconds.
- Bring your own snacks: Allowing yourself to get to the point of starvation will make it more likely for you to overeat when you finally do sit down for a real meal. Don't go to a gathering famished, and carry easy, protein-filled snacks like nuts or cheese in your bag or purse to keep your hunger at a manageable level throughout the day.
- Find new ways to celebrate: Instead of celebrating with food, sign up for a 5K fundraiser on Thanksgiving morning, attend an evening art walk, or make a plan to bundle up and stroll through town to see all the holiday light displays.
- Bring something healthy: If you're attending a gathering where everyone is contributing to the meal, offer to bring something healthy and that you will feel comfortable eating. That way, you'll at least know there's one thing you can eat.
- Enlist a friend: If you're worried about slipping or just want some support, find someone in your social circle to be your health buddy. It's much easier to eat healthy at a social gathering if the person next to you is, too.
- Don't be too rigid: Instead of planning to be perfect (spoiler alert: it's unlikely), expect that you will make mistakes and decide how you will recover.
- Be ready for resistance: Chances are you're going to make a few people uncomfortable by not participating in holiday overindulgence, so be prepared. Instead of getting irritated or defensive when someone needles you about not having any dessert, have a gracious response ready ("It looks wonderful but I'm just not in the mood for dessert tonight.") and don't give detractors too much energy.
- Bottom line: It might be a challenge to stay slim over the holidays, but it can be done. Even if you don't succeed 100 percent, you'll be better off than if you had just resigned to gaining weight and feeling sick from overeating for three months straight. You can do it!
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