With the holidays rolling in, there will be tableful’s of cakes and cookies in almost every household, and all kinds of other tasty temptations all around us, so how do we loose weight or avoid weight gain over the holidays? listed below are some wondering strategies that you can apply to keep the weight gain at a minimal this time of the year.
1. Do not deny yourself everything and almost anything. With all the tasty treats around, it is hard to say no. So one thing you can do, is whatever it is that you feel like eating, eat a small portion of it and by that I mean – just enough to satisfy your craving in the earlier part of the day, say about 100 calories worth. Treat it as a treat for you for the long busy day ahead of you and the calories you will burn running around all day. This way you did not deny you wants and needs and did not over indulge in your guilty eating pleasures. its a win- win situation, but remember, only a SMALL portion.
2. Keep your regular meal times. Most people will have some time off over the holidays, and most people try to catch up on their sleep during the time off. Sleeping in is okay as long as you still have your breakfast at a decent time. If you are going to be out and about all day, try not to skip any meals because skipping meals leads to overeating all kinds of foods later in the day. If you don’t have time for a full meal, try to eat a healthy snack or meal replacement bar instead. Try to take some snacks with you if you are going to be spending the better part of the day in the malls with all kinds of temptations.
3. Read food labels when you are purchasing food items. It is very important to pay attention to the portion size, the number of calories in each portion, and the amount of saturated fat in each portion. Majority of the times our view of the “supposed ” portion size is very different from the “actual” portion size and the amount of calories that a portion size makes up and before you know it, you will have gained a pound of weight in a week by just adding an extra 500 calories in your diet per day. Reading and understanding the calorie count and where the calories these calories are coming from – carbohydrates, protein and fats, helps you make the healthiest food choices. With smart food choices, you will have no problems loosing weight without even thinking about it!
4. Make small substitutions in your diet when eating out to cut out extra unwanted calories. With so many family dinners and lunches to attend where you might have little choice over the food that is served, it is important to be mindful of what you eat especially because not many of us are going to run to the gym after to burn it off. So its important to remember to eat just enough rather than engorging your self with a lot of food. Make small substitutions for example, drink water, diet soda, or unsweetened iced tea instead of high-calorie sugary drinks. Choose low-calorie and low-fat versions of salad dressing, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Go easy on fried foods – go for foods that are baked, broiled, poached, or grilled instead. This way you can enjoy a great meal, be a gracious guest and be discreet about what you put into your mouth without offending your host. Oh, and please skip the seconds!
5. Share an entrée with a friend at sit-down restaurants. If you are going to be dining at a restaurant, you have a lot of choice over what you order. Try to share larger more calorie laden meals but order a personal salad or side of vegetables. Ask restaurants to: “Please hold the cheese,” “Leave the sauce on the side”, “Use low-fat salad dressing,” and “Please substitute vegetables for French fries.” As always try to avoid fried dishes. As well, avoid alcohol laden drinks and mixed drinks, instead settle for unsweetened iced tea or sparkling water and you will have saved your self from weight gain due to extra calories, and if you keep up with this pattern, you will in fact start to loose some weight naturally!
6. Avoid situations that trigger eating – Replace the candy or cookies on your desk with fruit or avoid walking near the office candy bowl. Avoid eating while watching television, reading, or driving. Many people do not recall what they’ve eaten while doing other things. Place a bowl of healthy fruits on your desk that you enjoy eating, this way you can avoid the cookies and the cakes passed around at the office. If this is unavoidable, take a quick walk, or take the stairs and try to burn off and avoid the extra calories and in no time you will start burning off the excess weight with minimal input…
7. Avoid late night snacking at all costs! Feeling hungry at 9:00 pm? Munch on some popcorn or snack on some fruits, but do not go raid the fridge for that last piece of pie worth 350 – 500 calories. You can always have a small slice first thing in the morning.
Here are my simple natural suggestions for easy ways to loose weight and not gain weight over the holiday, However if your still need some help with weight loss, please check out our Toronto naturopathic weight loss center.
By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.