Start Now to Maintain Your Weight During the Holidays
The elections are over and we now have the holidays to focus on. Over the next couple months most of us will celebrate holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years. On New Years Eve we so often find ourselves making that annual resolution to eat healthy and go on a diet to shed those pounds. But is there a better way? Can we still enjoy the holidays and not have to worry about packing on the weight?
Even if we are on a diet we need not give up the joy of getting together with family and friends for those holiday celebrations of good cheer. Sure we may be tempted with an abundance of food and drink. Driven mad by the site of those delicious desserts of pies and cookies. Pushed over the cliff as we control our temptations to enjoy the hot chocolate and spiced cider. And naturally we must enjoy that prime rib, ham and turkey along with all of the fixings. And to top this off as we shop for the perfect gifts we will be faced with the challenge of avoiding fast food.
A good start is for us to enjoy that holiday food while not eating in excess. Some of you might be thinking, “But Terry that will be easy for you since you have had gastric bypass surgery!” Well folks I hate to tell you but even those of us that have a smaller pouch due to weight loss surgery can still over eat. For all of us regardless of the method we have chose to lose weight, portion control has to be at the top of our list. While you need to be careful you need not starve yourself. Spread out those delicious holiday dishes over time while taking small portions. So often as little of a tablespoon of a yummy looking food will satisfy our craving so take a small amount to start with instead of loading your plate. Spread out the pleasure, eating slowly and enjoying every morsel. Enjoy the desserts while again thinking portion control and choosing wisely.
Now is not the time to forgo those 6 - 8 servings of daily water. Especially during parties when others may be drinking fancy drinks it can be difficult to stick with water. What helps me is to drink from a glass like others are using for their calorie-laden beverages. If I plan on drinking bottled water this is one time that I might splurge and purchase that designer labeled water. The upside of drinking water is you will find that you will be less hungry and not eating as often. Plus the water will help to flush excess waste from some of those fatty meals causing less bloating.
With all that is happening during the holiday time it is easy to overlook exercise. Take every chance you get to work in some extra walking. Can you think of a better excuse to go to the mall and shop? With the crispy cool weather a short evening walk is still invigorating and will help us to keep down those extra pounds and keep up our holiday spirit.
If you eat too much do not allow it to get you down. Instead look at the next day as a new day as you pick back up and get back into a healthy life style. By using a bit of common sense you will not gain a lot of weight during the holiday season. You may even surprise yourself finding that you have lost weight and have proven that you can maintain a healthy life style.
Happy, Healthy Holidays
Terry
