As we all know the holiday season can be a challenge if you are trying to maintain or even lose weight over the holiday season. Last year, while losing my weight I managed to lose weight over the holiday season, first time ever in my life I am sure. This year I am maintaining but this still requires me to be very aware of anything I put in my body.
As people find out how much weight I have lost they are always asking me for tips on how I was so successful. Here are some tips on how to survive this holiday season;
- Keep your Christmas baking to just doing a dozen at a time. Make it more of a family affair so it’s more about spending the time together and less about the cookies you are about to consume.
- Keep your baking in a covered Tupperware container on top of the fridge. Out of sight, out of mind!
- When it comes to the traditional turkey dinner I changed the following; I use dehydrated gravies, they are yummy and no one notices once you have all those other savory flavours on the table. I bake my (meatless) stuffing outside of my turkey. When making my stuffing I use only enough oil to sauté the vegetables and use chicken broth to get everything moist. Mash your potatoes with lighter fat milk, I use 1% milk. Lastly, you actually don’t need any butter in those mashed potatoes to make them smooth, trust me!
- Before dinner make sure you have a large glass of water so you aren’t sitting down super hungry.
- Plan! Plan out your days; figure out which days are going to be the hardest to keep within your calorie intake so you can have a lighter breakfast those days.
- Have lots of fruit around the house. For those times you something sweet, try an orange first. It might just do the trick.
- Plan some workouts into that busy schedule; even if that is a family walk after your dinners, doing a 30 min walk is better than nothing. I plan to do a run Christmas morning once we are all done our breakfast. It’s a great time to get out for even 30 minutes. Everyone is usually napping or showering, no one will miss you. Go! 🙂
- If you are the shopper, don’t buy the junk. If your family really wants it, then make it a fast trip to the store so you are making a conscious decision to bring it into the house. Maybe while they have their chip fix, this would be a great time to go for a run or take a bath. I personally have found if I avoid these foods, I no longer crave them.
- Allow yourself one treat. Maybe there is going to be a dessert you really want and aren’t willing to miss out on. No problem, anything in moderation right? Just make sure you are having a smaller portion.
- Watch those liqueur’s. I am with you, I love a coffee and bailey’s as I watch my family Christmas morning but be careful they are full of calories and fat. Anything in moderation. 🙂
- Measure and weigh your food as much as possible. If you journal your food, make sure you are recording everything! If you normally don’t journal, this may be a great time to start, this will help keep you aware of any foods you are taking in. Remember, that includes the nibbling, it all adds up.
- Don’t beat yourself up! If you have a bad day, no problem, tomorrow is a new one. Do not wake up and think “well I messed it up so I might as well just go town and eat it.” Today is a new day so set yourself straight and get back on track.
Let me know if any of these tips helped you out. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas with your families!
