The holiday season is the one time of the year where we all throw caution to the wind when it comes to dieting. Christmas rolls into Boxing Day and the New Year, with a lot of parties, eating and drinking in between. Like a yearly ritual, early January often consists of excessive dieting, new gym memberships and New Year’s resolutions – all to remove the holiday weight.
However, instead of overeating in December and ultimately ruining your January, consider adopting some of these great and effective eating tips, which will help you keep the weight off during the holidays. At the end of the day, you should still be able to eat the foods you love and fit into your $100 pair of slim jeans.
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Don’t forget your veggies
While it’s easy to lose track with your dieting, it’s important that you keep cooking greens with every meal. It doesn’t have to be intensive or over the top either – just some simple and tasty steamed vegetables, like broccoli, peas or beans. If you like a good stir-fry, consider panfrying your vegetables to get a delicious serving of greens.
Source: Food Revolution Network
Have pre-portioned meal kits delivered to your door
One of the big reasons why we tend to put on weight during the holiday season is the excessive eating out, parties and drinking. It’s very common for families to do a lot less home-cooking at the end of the year, primarily because of time constraints and social engagements.
Purchasing pre-portioned, easy-to-cool meals via a delivery service, however, can solve a lot of your dieting woes for the end of the year. You won’t even have to compromise on the quality or scope of the food either, ranging from a HelloFresh baked pumpkin risotto to an Asian chicken cashew nut stir fry. This is going to mean that you save time and money on your weekly shopping bill. Furthermore, a delicious baked pumpkin dish will go down well over the Christmas holiday season!
Take a break before getting seconds
If you’re at a party or holiday function, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and over-eat. It’s often the case that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. So, instead of cleaning your plate and rushing back to the food table for more, take a few moments to let the food properly digest. There’s often a delay between your brain and your stomach, so giving yourself a few minutes to re-evaluate whether you want more is a good habit that can spare you a few extra pounds. A great tip would be to stand as far away from the food table as possible. That way, you won’t be constantly seeing and smelling the food, which will really test your willpower.
Source: Joe Hayden Realtor
Eat before consuming alcohol
If you’re planning a big night on the town with friends and family to celebrate the festive season, then the Harvard blog recommends that you eat before you start drinking alcohol. An extended session of drinking can stimulate your appetite and cause you to overeat. At the same time, if you’ve had a bit too much to drink, your food choices won’t exactly be the most nutritious or healthy. Make sure you eat before hand to stop those late-night drunk feeds.
Don’t go shopping when hungry
The Christmas season is dominated by weekends filled with shopping. Let’s face it, no one has a quick Christmas shop. Shopping can be an exhausting endeavour and it can also make you incredibly hungry. If you’ve spent the day at the local shopping centre, then you’ve earnt the right to spend some money on a great meal at a local café or restaurant. However, it’s best to go shopping on a full stomach, since this will minimise the amount of snacking or unnecessary food purchases you might make throughout the day. Save it for a nice meal out after all the shopping is done.
Source: Atelier Dana Nettlich
Keep a holiday budget
A great piece of advice from The Kitchn suggests that you should have a holiday food budget for when you go out. You shouldn’t spend money on food and drink just for the sake of it, especially if it’s not the best going around. Instead of recklessly spending on budget food and beverages, consider saving your money for those special occasions, where the best food, wine and beers will be available. Either way, keeping a budget will not only help your savings, but it can also help your waistline too.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
While it’s very important to be disciplined when it comes to holiday eating, it’s equally important to take a step back and relax. The end of the year is a great time to explore new foods and try new things. You could give a few delicious superfoods a try if you’re not sure where to start! Don’t let your obsession with maintaining your diet prevent you from having a good time with family and friends. It’s important to relax, so give yourself some time away to refocus. Embrace the fact that you probably will put on a bit weight over the holiday break and that’s completely fine!
So, it’s clear that there are many great ways for you to help minimise the weight gain during the Christmas break, while ensuring that your waistline still fits into those skinny jeans. The holidays are meant to be a time of renewal and enjoyment with family and friends. Make sure that you enjoy yourself when out socialising, even if it means not over-eating and curbing your alcohol consumption.
