How to avoid the holiday pounds
November comes and you get into the festive holiday mood. You start to eat lots of yummy goodies, you bake food, and many people put on the pounds. For some people, the holidays, while joyful, come as a double edged sword. The time spent with family is enjoyed, but there is dread at the thought of the holiday weight gain that seems almost inevitable. Too many people think that the only way to avoid gaining weight at the holidays is to avoid the food, be unsocial, etc. This seems true because let's face it, you'll eat meals that include foods that are high in fat and calories and low in nutrition. So, what can you do? Well, try these five tips:
First, avoid the alcohol and soda. You can have a great time at a party without drinking high calorie, no nutrition beverages. Cocktails and beer are usually served at holiday parties, but they can be full of calories, but what is more is they lower your inhibitions, and you will have a harder time turning down other fattening foods, and your appetite will be stimulated, and you will eat even more than you usually do at a party. So, instead, join the group, have fun, but lay off the alcohol or just have one.
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The next tip is to get to the party late, and eat first. If you eat a full meal before you go, then you will try the food, but you won't eat tons of the fattening crap. If you go hungry you might end up eating a whole meal of junk food, chocolates, fatty appetizers, etc. If you go late, you will miss a lot of the food, or at least not feel as much pressure to eat as many people may have stopped by the time you show up. Of course if the party is small, or if it is a dinner party or something, showing up late is not an option.
If you want to avoid the holiday pounds, you can use the parties, and the time off to be active. If you live somewhere with snow, get out there and go sledding, snow board, ski, or anything else that burns calories. Sledding is a ton of fun, and walking up the hill to sled can help you burn calories. Skiing takes energy. Snowboarding can help you burn tons of energy. If you are not into snow sports, you can still play in the snow, throw snowballs, laugh and have fun. This burns tons of calories and can help offset some of the extra eating.
Next, do not do your shopping online. It is true that online shopping is easier and that it is nice to not fight the crowds. However, most people work out less and eat more in the winter, but this leads to holiday pounds. So, instead of working out you can shop until you drop. Take the stairs not the escalator, walk around, walk a lot, and instead of sitting at home, get up on your feet. You can do this by caroling, walking to deliver your gifts, or cards, or just walking around the mall for fun.
Last but not least, no matter how poor you are, do not give food as a gift. Why? Well, you inevitably eat some of what you bake, and people usually return gifts in the same fashion, so you will likely get a lot of cellophane wrapped goodies. So, if you get the home baked kind, set them out for all to enjoy so that you do not eat them all by yourself. If you get store bought wrapped stuff, donate it to your local food bank.
If you can do these things you can enjoy some of the fun foods of the holidays without the huge worry hanging over your head of having a butt sir mix-a-lot would like.
