Holidays are such a special time of year. They bring a unique kind of joy, and a certain level of stress. Food is abundant and usually delicious, full of sentimental favorites. It can be difficult to avoid overindulgence at this time.
These 8 tips can help you stay the course, enjoy the holidays without feeling deprived or guilty, and make for a much easier January.
1. Wear snug clothing.
Sounds simple, right? Try it. It may be uncomfortable but you will not feel like overeating.
2. Chew gum.
Chewing gum stimulates your digestive process. It makes your body feel as if it is getting food, but it isn’t.
Read more about why you should chew your food more
3. Be a food snob.
If you don’t absolutely love it, then leave it.
4. Avoid skipping meals to indulge in upcoming holiday meals. Research shows that when we skip meals, we eat more overall.
5. Interchange alcohol with non-alcoholic beverages, like water.
The bonus is that you end up drinking less alcohol, and the water fills you up so that you also feel like eating less.
6. Allow yourself one full size dessert at each meal. Do not graze at the dessert table eating little tastes of various desserts. You WILL end up eating more dessert this way.
7. There are usually veggie plates for starters. Try and start with those, or avoid the starters altogether. We think it fills us up so that we don’t have room for our meal, but then, somehow we do make room…and end up overindulging.
8. Try to plan ahead. Planning really is key to success. Try to find out what is on the menu ahead of time, and plan your meal accordingly.
Read more about how to curb cravings
Bottom Line
No matter what happens, keep your goal in mind. If you overindulge, don't beat yourself up over it, just get back on track the next day.
