Preventing Weight Gain in the Holiday Season
Preventing Weight Gain in the Holiday Season
The holidays are here and with it comes parties, luncheons, special dinners and sweet treats we may not normally have. There are steps that you can take to make sure the holidays are healthy and happy for everyone.
The holidays are not a time to make weight-loss a goal. Save that for January 2. Instead be realistic and strive to maintain a healthy weight and attitude about the temptations. Also, be regular with your exercise program. Walk daily; make the gym or "Y" a part of your shopping trip; continue to spend at least 30 minutes daily on you home exercise equipment. Not only does the exercise burn calories, but it helps you deal with the holiday stress, which, in turn, helps improve your mental health.
Maintaining weight is easier said than done, given the bountiful food and drink available during all the festive activities. There are some surprisingly simple tips and tricks people can use to keep holiday weight gain in check without skipping sampling all the goodies.
Eat regularly (breakfast, lunch and dinner) throughout the day. Don't starve yourself in anticipation of a big meal. It may seem like it is good sense to save room, but skipping a meal usually leads to overeating. Being extremely hungry may lead to gorging yourself. Use a smaller plate when enjoying a buffet or snack trays. The smaller plate will help you take smaller portions.
If you are doing the cooking or giving the party, reduce the amount of butter, oil or shorting by half by replace it with an equal amount of apple sauce. Use artificial sweetners instead of sugar. You won't know the difference. Serve punches made with artificial sweetners instead of sugar or corn syrup solids. If your recipe calls for eggs, substitute two egg whites for every required egg. Using egg whites can reduce cholesterol significantly.
Serve light beer instead of regular. Serve punches instead of mixed drinks. My favorite is a mulled wine made with red wine, cranberry juice (1 to 1 ratio) and spices. The spices give a festive aroma to the whole house.
After eating a big holiday meal, go for a walk. Ask others to join you as you walk around the neighborhood. Do something active as a group. Play several rounds of a Wii compute sports game. Be on your feet moving.
Mentally plan your holiday and have a wonderful time with family and friends.
Article by Bill Keeney
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/preventing-weight-gain-in-the-holiday-season-3838694.html
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