25 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

The time of the year is approaching that you will be attending holiday parties, family gatherings, and social activities usually associated with calorie filled food and beverages.

While you certainly don’t want to be a party-pooper, it doesn’t hurt for you to look out for your overall health and well-being as you enjoy the celebrations.

So, here are 25 steps you can consider following as you go through the holiday season and help keep your holiday bulge to a minimum!

• Make a delicious low fat mayonnaise by combining one teaspoon of Dijon mustard or satay sauce with a low fat yogurt for dishes that you personally prepare.
• Do not skip meals. Starving yourself before you go to an event that you plan to eat a lot can actually give you the opposite result. Skipping meals can result in your body’s metabolism slowing down in an attempt to conserve calories. So, when you overeat after going without food, it takes a while for the body to readjust. In the meantime, your body converts the extra calories into fat.
• Stuff vegetables like capsicum and zucchini with flavored fillings or minced chicken, white meat or fish. These are healthy and contain low fat.
• Consume pita bread roll ups or wraps with salad fillings or beans for protein.
• Eight hours after waking up, your metabolism slows down so plan on 30 minutes of exercise before dinner to increase your body’s metabolism which can lead to a catabolic state (calories are burned by the body) for about two to three hours. So your body will continue to produces an increase in burned fat even hours after the work out is over.
• Add alfalfa or mung beans to your salad to get extra iron.
• Put some forethought into the meals you make at home and eat to meet your nutritional requirements while blending in good taste for satiation.
• Make your family favorite recipes ensuring that fats, salt, and sugar are cut out. Substitute non-fat yogurt for cream, stir-fry without oil and use herbs and spices instead of salt to taste.
• With your doctor’s advice, plan ahead for an exercise program that will get your heart rate to a desired level.
• Slowly eat and chew each bite during your meals; you will end up eating less.
• Complete three small meals and two snacks spread out over the day instead of one or two huge meals.
• Use chicken stock when stir-frying. This will cut down on hidden fat.
• Buy non-toasted muesli instead of the toasted ones if this is something you like. A plate of toasted muesli contains more fat than a plate of bacon and eggs.
• As much as possible do not remove the skins of your fruits and vegetables since most of the nutrients are concentrated under the skin.
• Warm water with just a squeeze of lemon juice before breakfast will get your metabolism going for the day, this also helps to improve digestion and prevent constipation.
• Consider trying vegetable protein from soya beans or tofu. All legumes provide some protein, so you should include lentils, lima beans, and others into your casseroles and soups.
• Get yourself an accountability partner; this will motivate you to stick to your plans and enjoy your new approach to eating.
• Though it’s hard at first, try not eating 3 hours or more before bedtime.
• Make pasta a fast food choice – preparing a pasta meal or salad will only take 10-12 minutes.
• Chili helps to speed up metabolism – even the milder varieties, so this can help your body burn off any excess calories.
• Make your omelets without adding the yolks! This will markedly decrease your fat intake.
• Substitute baking soda, baking powder, and soya sauce in cooking. Use low sodium versions if you have any problems with hypertension.
• Remove fat by dropping ice cubes into the baking tray. Fat will stick to the ice cubes.
• Drinking hot water instead of cold water in the morning can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.
• Eat something healthy before you go to the parties and other holiday gatherings. This will take the edge off of your appetite and make it easier for you to eat in moderation so you won’t be quite as tempted by all of the goodies.

So, keep these tips in mind and follow as many of them as you can. This will help you to avoid those extra pounds that you really don’t want and enable you to start the new year on a high note.