A little holiday weight gain...

Here we are again, the holiday season has begun.  Even the most die-hard fitness nut will encounter some trouble avoiding the cookies, cakes, alcohol, and big family meals...and that's ok.  These things are nearly impossible to avoid.  But with a little preparation you can survive with limited, if any, weight gain.

1.  Maintain your diet:

During the week, working a normal schedule,  it's much easier for us to stick to our diets and exercise regularly.  On days off, when we know a big meal awaits us, this is much more difficult.

To combat this, try to avoid sleeping in.  Rise at your usual time (you can nap later), have your breakfast, and start your day.  Eat your usual meals, at your usual times.  By eating normally, you'll avoid your body's devolution into "starvation mode".  Often, when in starvation mode your body is simply so hungry, when you finally do eat, you'll stuff yourself.  The problem?  Your stomach takes some time to tell the brain it's full.  In other words - you'll eat far more than you really need, and when your brain finally gets the message that you've eaten enough, you've probably over eaten.

Going to dinner with an already satisfied belly will prevent excessive over eating later in the day.

2.  Drink tea:

Or any warm liquid really.  Warm liquids create a sense of satiety.  Before dinner, drink a cup of tea, coffee, or even warm water.  While this won't eliminate your appetite, increasing satiety will prevent excess consumption during the meal.

3.  Stand away from the buffet table:

Sure, this sounds stupid-simple.  But consider how easy it is to grab the extra meatball, cheese cube, or cupcake if it's within arms reach.  Stand 10 or 15 paces away.  It's not far, but the mere exertion associated with the walk may give you pause to decide if you really want that extra morsel.

4.  Choose alcohol wisely:

Vodka and tonic?  Try vodka on the rocks with a splash of tonic.  You just saved 55 calories.

Beer?  Try a pilsner or lager over heavier stouts.

Wine?  New research suggests white and red have the same health effects, so choose either.  But...if possible, choose a smaller glass.  Smaller glass = smaller portion - again, you'll need to keep going back for more, giving your the same pause as when you need to walk to the buffet table.

5.  Pick a small plate:

This suggestion is heavily supported by well documented studies.  If you choose a smaller plate, you'll eat less food.  It's not really because you can fit less food on the smaller plate, rather it's because you can fit more food on the larger plate.

Participants of these studies routinely packed the food on the larger plate, even if they didn't want it.  Most participants with the "large" plate reported higher instances of symptoms of over-eating (feeling full, bloat, heart burn, etc.) while the smaller plate group didn't.  It's important to note, the participants were not limited in the amount of food they could eat...unlimited trips.  The participants could eat as much as they want, but those with the smaller plate chose to make fewer trips to the buffet, and thus ate fewer calories.

Bottom line: Small plate = small portion.

6.  Eat proteins:

Pile up on ham or turkey, even meatballs, and vegetables.  Avoid stuffing and sweets.  Remember, sugar (not fat) is the enemy.  Filling up on relatively healthier options can make a big dent in the long run.

7.  Indulge a bit:

If you're a healty eater and a regular exerciser who spends the year at a healthy weight, indulge a bit.  It's only several weeks out of the year.  Don't go crazy, but the 2 or 3 pounds you may gain will fall off again.

For more tips and tricks, as well as expert guidance contact Fit2You at info@fit2youfitness.com.