When you face tempting holiday foods or snacks, practice giving yourself a firm message:
DON’T EVEN START!
In your mind, use a strong, parental tone of voice, and repeat this phrase until you feel totally in control around the food.
By avoiding that first bite, you’ll prevent the taste trigger from even getting started. [Read more…]
When you eat fast, you are more likely to overeat.
Here are two great ways to slow down your pace of eating.
1. At holiday gatherings, set a goal of finishing your meal at the same time as the slowest person at the table.
This is especially challenging when there’s a two-year old at your meal.
2. At the start of your meal, set a timer or the alarm on your watch for 20 minutes.
Pace yourself (even if you’re only eating a sandwich) so you will be finishing the last bite of your food when the time is up.
For a simple but effective way to manage holiday meals, use the half-off special.
That simply means eat half as much as you normally would or half of what you actually want.
For example, scoop up a bunch of mashed potatoes, then put half of it back.
Picture the amount of dressing or green bean casserole you’d really like, then only take half that much.
Cut a piece of pie in half, then savor and appreciate the flavors. Remind yourself that you’ve gotten what you need from the food, so you don’t need to reach for another piece.
At holiday meals and gatherings, fill your plate with nutrient dense foods.
Always start with protein foods such as turkey, ham or vegetarian choices such as beans or lentils.
Then add healthy servings of fruits, vegetables and salads. Minimize the amounts of lower quality fuel foods such as stuffing, gravy, and snacks.
Use the “One Tablespoon Plan”
At a holiday meal such as Thanksgiving, pick out several of your absolute favorite foods and eat a one tablespoon serving of each one.
For instance, you might have a tablespoon each of mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.
This lets you enjoy the tastes you love while keeping the calories at reasonable levels.
It’s so tempting to try and eat less during the day in order to save up some calories for an evening meal or event.
But in reality, this usually backfires.
When you don’t get enough fuel during the day, you’re at risk of getting way too hungry and overeating at the evening meal.
So even on days when you have a big, special event, don’t cut way back on calories or skip any of your regular meals.
By keeping your body in a healthy balance during the day, you’ll have a better chance of staying with your goals in the evening.
Even if it means bundling up in warm winter clothes, take a 20 or 30 min. walk before every holiday meal or event.
If it’s feasible, walk again after the meal. You’ll feel a lot better than if you take a nap because you ate too much.
You can also build this habit into your ongoing daily life by planning to always take a walk before your evening meal.
This year, I am sharing 12 great tips on how to stick with your weight-loss goals during the holiday season.
Here’s what I want you to do: [Read more…]
Yesterday morning, I woke up with an achy feeling in my stomach. I ignored it and I drank coffee and ate a small breakfast like usual.
But an hour later, I felt worse, and concluded that either I had eaten something that upset my stomach or I had the flu. [Read more…]
“It was an awful week!” Shelly told her weight-loss counselor.
“It started going bad when I found out I didn’t get the new job I’d applied for at work.”
She reached for a tissue to wipe her eyes, then continued, “I thought I’d done everything right, but somehow it wasn’t enough. When my boss told me the news, my confidence hit rock bottom.” [Read more…]
As some of you know, in June, my husband had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
He’s doing fine, but is facing the sad reality that he probably won’t be able to play tennis (his favorite sport) for up to a year. [Read more…]