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Tips on Holiday Weight Maintenance.
Hello all! I hope you had a great Holiday! Now that Thanksgiving is over, and we have all stuffed ourselves well past capacity I figured I would blog about some ways to avoid that holiday weight gain. Some of these tips I researched after I had already consumed massive amounts of food on Thanksgiving so they are really more of a guideline for next year or even for that big Holiday meal in December! I think these tips can be very helpful, especially for someone who is trying to control their weight during these gluttony-filled months of the holiday season.
The first helpful hint for maintaining your weight during the holidays is changing up the recipe. Of course all the foods around the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, are delicious. Unfortunately, they are so delicious because most of it is loaded with fat and sugar. If you choose to leave a little bit of that butter out of the mashed potatoes it will still be delicious and cut that fat and calorie content by almost half! Instead of cooking a whole turkey, which will lead to leftovers, consider roasting just a turkey breast and removing the skin. Sugar-free desserts and toppings, such as whipped cream, can still taste great without packing all the extra calories you don't need. Making a few modifications in the way you cook can make a huge difference on your waistline without having to sacrifice a lot of flavor.
The second helpful tip would pertain more to those traveling for the holidays. Of course, if you are going somewhere for your holiday meal you cannot control how they cook the food. What you can control, however, would be the portion sizes and if you have seconds or not. Taking small amounts of your favorite sides such as stuffing, mashed potatoes and that green bean casserole can limit the amount of calories you take in. Also, eating the white meat of the turkey as opposed to the fatty dark meat or the skin can also cut down on calories. Limit yourself to one portion. This is going to take self-control, but eating that second helping is a sure fire way to pack on those extra calories your body doesn’t need. Take your time when you eat to allow your body to feel full.
The next tip would be avoiding the ominous food coma. I am the first one to admit that after eating a big meal on Thanksgiving or any other holiday, my first thought is to get to a couch and take in some TV. This is a normal reaction, but one that is detrimental to maintaining weight. The best thing to do is get outside and take a walk with family, or get out in the backyard and start up a holiday football game. Many towns organize charity runs on or around Thanksgiving. This can be a great way to burn off some of those calories from the meal. Or maybe a little run in the morning is more your style. Bottom line is, get out and get active before and after those big meals so your body can burn the calories.
Avoiding leftovers may be the most difficult part of weight maintenance over the holidays. There aren’t too many things better than a turkey sandwich loaded with all your favorite sides after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the last thing you want to do after eating an enormous meal, is eating it all over again in the form on a sandwich. The best thing to do is to try and cook according to the amount of people you have coming so that there really aren’t leftovers. Also, giving away leftovers will push your temptations onto your friends and loved ones during the holidays. Better them than you though. If you have to keep leftovers, try and save the healthier items like vegetables, or the white meat of the Turkey to avoid caloric overload for the next couple days.
Finally, take advantage of those vacation days! Everyone gets a few days off around the holidays, so don’t waste them on the couch. Try and focus on exercising and eating right during those all-important vacation days. It may seem like less of a vacation at the time, but you will go back to work on Monday feeling great while everyone else still has the turkey-hangover. If you don’t feel like exercising during these prime shopping days, at least park far away from the store. Those extra steps will help you burn off calories. If you are able to do all of these things, those holiday meals won’t make much of a dent in your weight loss or your weight maintenance goals. Enjoy your holidays everyone!
Posted:
Thursday, December 1, 2011 3:01PM by
Christopher
Categorized under:
Nutrition
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