Getting Through the Holidays without Gaining a Pound

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There’s a reason why losing weight is the most common New Year’s resolution; it’s because the holiday
season is fraught with opportunities to overeat. And we’ve become so accustomed to this cultural
feasting that it can be extremely hard to break the habit. Couple that with the fact that emotions run
high at this time of year (and many families feel that food equals love) and you can not only be fighting
your own desire to eat everything, but also the guilt that comes with turning down food that your family
members have worked hard to prepare. It’s a double whammy of weight-gain temptation. But there
are ways you can manage your caloric intake and make it through the holidays without gaining a pound.
Here are just a few tips and tricks that might help.

1. Practice portion control. Whatever you’re thinking of putting on your plate, consider cutting it
in half. If you’re like most people, you’ll load up your plate with food and then make yourself
sick trying to eat it all. Consider that during a regular meal you might have on main dish, a side,
and a veggie. During the holidays, you could be facing a table full of entrees and sides, plus
vegetables loaded with calorie-laden sauces. By cutting each serving size in half (half a piece of
meat, half a scoop of potatoes or stuffing, etc.) and eating slowly to savor your food, you’ll find
you get full before your plate is empty and you’ll stop yourself from seriously overeating.

2. Walk it off. There’s no reason you can’t sample all the foods you love this holiday season, and
you’ll have a much easier time maintaining your weight if you work in a little exercise to combat
the extra fats and sugars of the season. So get to the gym before your feast, go for a walk after
dinner, or gather the whole family to tour the neighborhood singing carols.

3. Use the “one spoon method”. When you’re facing a mountain of food and your mouth starts to
salivate, you may have trouble controlling your urge to eat everything in sight. So arm yourself
with a small plate (salad size) and a tablespoon. Allow yourself one scoop of each dish (and
skip the ones you know you don’t like). Your plate will look full and often, it only takes a bite to
satisfy your taste buds. If you’re still hungry at the end, get one more spoon of your favorites
only.

4. Skip the alcohol. Alcohol not only has a ton of calories, which is no good if you want to lose
weight, but it also lowers your inhibitions, making it much harder to say no to excessive eating.
So skip the alcohol this holiday season and you’ll see the results you crave on the scale.

5. Eat beforehand. If you show up full you’ll have a much easier time staving off the temptation
to over-indulge. Meal replacement shakes are one good option, although even the best proteinpowder may not keep you full for the duration of a family gathering. However, it’s a much
better option than starving yourself for days (slowing your metabolism) only to load up on
calories at a holiday feast. In truth, you’re better off eating normally and then treating the
holiday meal like any other, rather than making a big deal out of it. But it could definitely help
to eat something healthy and filling beforehand.