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!
The holiday season can be a detriment to our waistlines. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy holiday food without packing on the pounds.
--Eat a small healthy snack before that big family dinner to avoid a feeling of strong hunger that leads to overeating. You can still have a piece of pie for dessert, but a few almonds before dinner might mean that you will be satisfied with a small slice of pie versus the whole pie. --Use small plates for the meal. Large plates make healthy portions look like Barbie food. You will convince yourself that the Barbie food is not enough to satisfy you before you even get started eating. Smaller, healthier portions will look satisfying. --Put your utensils down between bites and eat slowly to give your stomach time to register the full signal. Make certain to sit next to someone you like at dinner so that you can talk and enjoy the company as you eat SLOWLY. This technique can be a bit challenging if you sit by someone you are not really fond of. --STOP eating when you begin to feel full. The minute you start feeling full...you are done eating. Put your plate in the sink and enjoy the company. Holiday dinners typically take a few days to finish off. Remind yourself that you can eat another healthy portion of turkey again for your next meal when you feel hungry again. You do not need to eat the whole bird at one meal.
Author, Trainer, Speaker-
Kelly Stallings is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. She has more than 12 years of experience working with people in group settings to create significant changes in their life including increased overall physical health. Kelly’s experience reaches beyond working directly with clients. She has extensive experience training medical professionals on the appropriate uses of cognitive behavioral techniques for client’s healthy living. She is a dynamic speaker who puts people at ease with her warm, ‘no fluff’ personality. Kelly has been married to her high school sweetheart for 20 years and they have three great kids. Kelly and her family ‘Think Thin and Live Thin’ in Texas.
