5 Easy Ways to Lose Weight this Holiday Season While Enjoying Holiday Foods

1. Use your salad plate for your meal. This will naturally cut at least 200 calories…especially since the salad plates we use now are super-sized. You can fill your plate without guilt since it is a smaller size. Because humans are visual eaters, you will naturally feel that this 'full' plate will fill you up and satisfy you.

2. Take a brisk walk every day. Whether you take a walk alone to center your thoughts and prepare for your day or you walk with family and friends to socialize, make sure you walk everyday to get physical activity that will burn calories. Don’t think you have time for walking? Yes, you do…build it into your day by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and park farther from the door. Every step counts!

3. Focus on the social aspect of the holidays instead of the food. If you are more excited about seeing your family and friends than you are about eating Grandma's pumpkin pie, you will not eat as much since that is not the focus. Trust me this works.

4. Eat whatever you choose in moderation. Do not restrict yourself from your favorite holiday foods. That is a set up for a binge. Your will power to not eat these foods will only last a certain length of time and then you will switch into rationalization mode. Rationalizing food typically leads to over indulgence. So eat a small amount of whatever you want and enjoy every bite!

5. Wear fitted clothes during the holidays as a constant motivator to make good food decisions and maintain your figure. If you feel good in your little black dress, you will not be as tempted to eat everything on the dessert tray and bust the zipper!

Happy Holidays!




Kelly Stallings, MS, LPC
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