Who does not love holidays?
Indeed, everyone does, right! And the good news is there are only a few days left for Christmas!
Holiday means a lot of foods – big meals, desserts, chocolate and many other mouthful dishes to enjoy. But if you are expecting to maintain a healthy lifestyle, make your best to cut back on these foods at utmost as continually eating these lead to unwanted weight gain.
However, that does not prevent you from enjoying your holiday as food is a significant part of the holiday; it is supposed to be enjoyed thoroughly.
There are some simple and actionable ways to survive in the holiday from indulging yourself from overeating. Throughout the article, we will look at some of the most useful ones.
Ways To Survive The Holiday Eating Frenzy
Read on the following approaches you should try to survive in the holiday from overeating:
Be cautious of overeating
The festive season means celebration, parties, and eating lots of delicious food. It is time we overindulge ourselves overeating with foods that are full of fats, sweets, carbohydrates etc. that result in adding extra kilos and gaining weight.
That said to be mindful while eating during the holidays. To avoid overeating, concentrate on the meal you are eating. Make your best to limit the number of high-calorie foods, balance your meals out by filling your plate with foods (vegetable dishes, green salad, etc.) that contain valuable nutrients and vitamins.
Another excellent idea is to use smaller plates to control the portion sizes to make sure you do not overload your plate.
Avoid eating sugary foods
When it comes to the holiday season, dessert is everywhere. That means there is a chance of excessive sugar consumption, which is a common cause of weight gain. The best trick to avoid sugary foods is to pick your favourite one and ditching the rest. Another great idea could be savouring the items (the one you want to indulge in) is to take time to eat them slowly, which will eventually leave you more satisfied.
Do regular exercise
The holiday season is the best time, mainly those who are busy with their work and unable to manage free time. This festive season provides the opportunity for most of these people to have extra time available by allowing them to do regular exercise to burn off excess calories and fat that is consumed over the period. Some of the fat-blasting bodyweight workouts you should try to cut out extra fat and calories from your body such as jump squats, inchworm, star hump, push up, bodyweight squats and many more.
Be stress-free
Control your stress levels as much as possible, particularly during the holidays. Although it is quite hard to keep the stress level under control, as you might be busy and surrounded by unhealthy food. People who lead a stressful lifestyle tend to crave more junk food causing weight gain. There are plenty of stress-reducing techniques such as taking yoga class, meditation, deep breathing, a brisk 30 minutes outside walk or putting on your favourite music etc. to help you de-stress and create calm.
Try to follow the holiday nutrition guide
Following are some of the nutrition guidelines you could try:
- First and foremost, set a performance goal which is essential particularly for the holiday season as it is filled with many temptations. For instance, targeting a goal to lose 1-3kgs during Christmas holiday.
- Start your day with healthy breakfast. Try your best not to skip it. Instead of eating sugary cereal; add eggs, oats, fruit and vegetables in your breakfast list.
- Drink water regularly. It is recommended to drink 8-10 glasses of water per day. Regular water consumption is best helpful for your energy level, satisfying hunger digestion, and the rest.
- During the festive season, alcohol is prevalent. It does increases not only your appetite but also reduces your ability to control what you eat. Containing high calories, it decreases your mental and physical performance resulting in increased stress level. Therefore, it is vital to limit your alcohol intake.
- Prepare a dietary plan with several healthy whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, fish, low-fat cheeses etc. Compared to other calorie-dense, rich salty and sweet foods, they are rich in low fermentable carbohydrate to support your health.
Change the approach of your weight loss efforts
There are plenty of ways to mitigate excess holiday weight gain. Following are some approaches to assist you in losing weight:
- Set a goal with the aim to achieve and maintain a balanced lifestyle. Make your best balancing work, food, home, emotions and reactions to life, and the like.
- Always surround yourself with people who would not undermine you instead support you achieving your goal.
- Have patience while working on your health program. Set a timeline, for instance, 24-36 months and work diligently to make it happen and do not expect significant results as it takes times. Try to enjoy the slow evolving experience by not rushing into anything.
- Be careful while taking nutritional supplements. Before going for them consult with a nutritionist or a physician who specialises in the treatment of factors related to weight loss, for example, specific dietary counselling, identifying nutrient deficiencies, treatment of intestinal imbalances etc.
- Additionally, you can take naturopathy treatment if you are considering for your weight loss.
- To balance your blood sugar and to gratify your body’s appetite, you may consume rich protein snack or shake that could reduce your hunger and cravings for hyper-palatable foods by safeguarding your waistline.
- Do somethings regularly in your life that you love. Also, never give up, as living a balanced lifestyle requires persistence over a long period.
We hope learning all of these ways will help you maintain good health by preventing yourself from eating splurge during the holiday. So what are you waiting for? Start preparing from today and make the best use out of these.