| |
| |
|
Weight Loss Information |
|
|
|
Getting Through the Holidays Without Gaining Weight
Now that the holiday season is here, holiday foods and meals take center stage. And this is as it should be. Food is a terrific celebration of friendships, of family and of love. These celebrations do not have to lead you to unhealthy eating habits. With a little advance planning, you can really enjoy your food and the holidays. Remember that the mental attitude you bring to the table is as important as what's on the table. 1. Plan Ahead. Without thinking about what is likely to be served, the best intentions fall by the wayside faster than you can shake a drumstick. If you absolutely cannot pass up the cornbread or cinnamon buns warm from the oven or Aunt Fay's amazing apple cake, then you need to decide what and how much you will eat so someone does not have to roll you out. If you're going to eat the apple cake that's fine, but remember to eat fewer quiche and pastry puff appetizers when you arrive and to pace yourself throughout the meal. 2. Strategize. So if you're not eating puff pastry appetizers, what are you going to eat? If you're going to someone's house for the holidays or if it's in your home, serve something that is good to eat like a salad, lots of vegetables and maybe shrimp cocktails and take larger portions of those and smaller portions of the rest of the meal. Eat your vegetables first. They'll fill you up, leaving less room for the more calorie-packed stuffing, mashed potatoes and pie. 3. Relationships first, food second. Yes, the holidays have wonderful foods - everywhere. But the reason you're gathered together with relatives and friends, rather than eating alone is to be in contact with people. Focus on the people and what you're doing instead of strategizing how to get those last potato puffs before Aunt Harriet does. Let Aunt Harriet have it. Besides, if her mouth is full, it will keep her from gossiping and give you the opportunity to connect with people you care about. 4. Eat small meals throughout the day. Do not make the mistake many people do of eating virtually nothing during the day to "save" extra calories for the big meal. You'll end up hungry and eat things you don't particularly like. Eat high-fiber mini meals for breakfast and lunch with snack (think whole fruit) in between to prevent an all-out binge. 5. Slow down. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register fullness. Put down your fork and talk to your neighbor. 6. Water, Water, Water. We often eat, when we are really thirsty. Drink water before, during and after the meal so you are well hydrated. 7. "Let's toast the Holidays!" Although it is important to drink liquids, alcohol dehydrates you, acts as an aperitif and loosens your resolve to eat healthfully. Calories really add up - and not just from the alcohol. Studies show that when we drink, we eat almost 20% more than our teetotaling friends. For an easy option, consider a wine spritzer or save the first toast for when the turkey is served, and sip four ounces instead of the usual eight. 8. Go for a walk. Instead of watching football on the couch all afternoon - eating the chips and dips during time outs - why don't you gather everyone for a long walk? Taking a 45-minute walk could use up almost 250 calories. This is a wonderful holiday tradition you could start. If nothing else, you're not home eating the leftovers. 9. Talk kindly to yourself. Banish the mantra, "I always gain weight over the holidays." Instead say to yourself, "I am giving myself the gift of health. I can eat and enjoy any food I want in moderation." Or as diet Dr. Gullo says, "Thin tastes better." 10. Enjoy the season of celebration. Remember the holidays are about coming from a place of gratitude. Now especially this year, we have a lot to be grateful for. Treat yourself well with friends, with loved ones and yes, with foods. Helene Haber, HHC is a board certified health counselor who specializes in nutrition and whole health. She designs personalized wellness solutions for women of all ages looking to enhance their lives, get their bodies back in shape and their health back on track. I invite you to contact me at TopCatHelene@aol.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Holidaze It's the travel time, meaning hours spent sedentary. It prepares me for the visiting, when I know there'll be no activity. Cause and Solution to Obesity ObesityToday, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese. Negative Calorie Foods FAQs What is negative calorie effect?Whatever food we eat, our body has to work hard to digest and absorb. There are certain foods that require more calories to digest than their own calories. Is Emotional Eating Causing You to Blow Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan? You've done everything right this time. You're eating lots of salad, fruit, and protein; using only low fat dressings and even staying away from white flour and refined sugar. Lose Weight and Exercise Now - Or Face the Music Later! My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not in if you like me, or even if you buy my e books. My responsibility lies in giving you straight talk with no sugar coating it. Learn the Secrets the Weight Loss Industry Doesnt Want You To Know About Weight Loss Diets All weight loss diets make you FatThat's right, because on all weight loss diets, you always gain it back, and usually with a few extra pounds as a bonus, so why diet?What's the point in losing 20 Lbs, and gaining back 25?Are you fed up with being overweight, and sick and tired of going on diets?Why go through all the struggles of dieting, the starvation, the cravings, and the ultimate struggle with willpower, only to gain it all back?When you consider the damage this does to your health, it's simply not worth it, however.. 8 Proven Weight Loss Tips There are a lot of "crash" diets out there that promise that you'll drop a considerable amount of weight in days or a week.I have tried a few of these, and in my experience the weight always comes back on, just as quickly since the weight loss tips given are not something that will work with your body. Have You Given Up on Weight Loss? Have You Given Up on Weight Loss? by Greg Landry, M.S I receive several email messages every day from people who have given up on weight loss. Is Body Mass Index or BMI a Real Measure of Obesity or is It Flawed? Body Mass Index (bmi)A Misleading measure of ObesityMany professionals use body mass index also known as bmi as a measure of excess fat or obesity, but the system is totally flawed and misleading. So. Four Steps to Hunger Control Axiom Number Two: Hunger ControlTrying to lose weight without understanding how to controlyour hunger -impossible. Probably the main reason so manydiets fail is because they ignore hunger. Diet & Weight Loss Tips: How To Stop Eating Junk Food By Finding Your Craving Hour Even if you're not overweight, you still could have a junk food craving; especially if you're cooped up in an office building, working 9-5 and not exactly having the best day.If you're like almost anyone else, you've probably had your share of cravings for some kind of excitement or satisfaction in the form of junk food. Could False Memories Be An Efficient Diet Helper? Speculating on the scientifically proven memory unreliability, the memory specialist Elizabeth Loftus, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Irvine thought of using the technique of false memory induction as a new approach to dieting. And this is how: by inducing false memories about specific foods. Atkins Diet Plan - What's it All About? A typical breakfast consists of 3 or 4 strips of bacon, two or more eggs and coffee. A snack would maybe be chunks of cheese and a cup of coffee with cream. Diet Pills And Supplements Losing weight is a struggle that many of us face every day. In the search for the best diet program, the subject of diet pills and supplements can be the foremost thought on our minds. 3 Steps Gastric Bypass Patients Can Take to Avoid Calcium Deficiency Most Americans do not get enough calcium in their diets; the average daily intake is 500 milligrams shy of the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) of 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams.Gastric bypass patients are even more unlikely to intake adequate dietary calcium and without supplementation they may become calcium deficient which ultimately results in osteoporosis. Low Carb Diets Cause More Than Water Weight Loss Many critics in have attackedlow carb diets for only providing aninitial loss in water weight, rather thanactually affecting sustained fat loss.Some critics have even suggested that dieters lose don't lose any fat at all. 7 Little Known Facts About Cellulite Cellulite is a condition for which cures are commonly sought. The lumpy, rippled skin which typically appears in the thighs and buttocks area known as cellulite is typically associated with a weight problem; however an individual need not be overweight to have cellulite. How to Exercise and Lose Weight on a Busy Schedule In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunityto talk with people from all walks of life about their health,fitness, and weight loss goals. Whether their goal is tolose weight, gain muscle, stick to a diet plan or program, improve theircardiovascular health, or simply to maintain their current fitnesslevel they all have one common enemy---TIME. Low Carb Diets - The South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet, Zone Diet, and More The low carb diet craze has become extremely popular amongst dieters. From diet books, free low carb diet plans, online dieting sites, and thousands of low carb recipes, low carb diets have produced favorable results for millions of overweight people. Weight Loss - Its in Your Head When you truly consider the weight-loss process, the battle waged is mostly in your mind. "Should I eat the corn muffin with butter or would it be better for me to have margarine or better yet, have jelly? What am I doing eating this muffin anyway? It's so caloric and filled with saturated fat.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
