The holidays are a favorite time of year: decorations, music, family time, gift-giving, and… food. Everywhere you go, there it is. It’s enticing, delicious, and oh, so hard to avoid. It’s no wonder weight gain is so common during the holidays. On average, people gain at least a pound even before the New Year arrives. But the bad news is, most never lose that pound and keep adding weight year after year.
If you’re on a diet, you may be worried about overcoming the temptations of food during the holiday season. You may have gained in the past, but this year can be different! Follow these tips from the boot camp in San Diego to enjoy yummy food without ruining your diet.
Stay Active
Yes, you may be extra busy with shopping, parties, and school performances but being busy isn’t an excuse to skip exercise. Make time for your 30 minute boot camp session. Exercise during the holidays will give you more energy for your to-do list, help manage holiday stress, burn the calories from that bite of Christmas candy, and help keep you focused on your weight loss goals.
Pick and Choose
When sweets and goodies are so readily available, it’s almost impossible to say no completely. Give yourself permission to enjoy a small portion of one or two. Don’t take a full portion and expect to limit yourself to one bite. Most likely that’s not going to happen. Peruse the options available and then pick and choose what you’d enjoy most.
Party Smarts
Holiday parties often revolve around food. Plan ahead to resist temptations. Eat a small meal before the party so you’re not super hungry on arrival. If you bring food to share at the party, choose a healthy dish that you like. Find yourself gravitating to the food buffet? Focus your attention elsewhere. Find a friend to talk with or head to the dance floor.
Limit Alcohol
Many people are clueless about the calorie content of their drinks. A 12-ounce can of beer and a 6-ounce glass of red wine each contain around 150 calories. Just 1.5 ounces of gin, vodka, or whiskey contain 100 calories. Limiting your number of drinks will save on calories from both drinks and food. Stick to one or two alcoholic beverages a day. If you want to carry something around at a party, try sipping pomegranate juice or tea. No one will know the difference.
Cut Your Risk
You’re in control over what you put in your grocery shopping cart. If certain types of holiday food are your weakness, keep them out of your house, since you won’t be as tempted to eat them when you can’t see them. When temptations are given to you as gifts, be gracious, but quickly share the food with others.
Maybe it’s a holiday tradition to spend time in the kitchen baking. It may be time to start baking and cooking new kinds of low-calorie healthy treats.
Portion Control
You can still enjoy the best the season has to offer without overindulging and ruining your diet. It’s all about portion control. Choose to use a smaller plate, don’t pile your plate with mounds of food, and savor each bite and eat your meal slowly. When a single helping isn’t enough—even after 15 minutes of letting the food digest, fill up on fruits and veggies.
Enjoy the Season
Don’t let a diet take the fun out of the holidays. If you need to focus on maintaining your weight rather than weight loss, that’s okay. Spend the time keeping your focus on the true meaning of the season rather than how many calories are in the pumpkin pie.
Find Your Filler Food. Too many temptations to fight on an empty stomach? Figure out what healthy food makes you feel full fast and keep it on hand. The San Diego boot camp recommends an apple, banana, or small bag of baby carrots. Once you get a few bites of whatever special treat is on hand, finish off your appetite with your filler food of choice.
