Fat loss is about way more than just how you look. If you’re storing excess fat, shedding it can restore your health, encourage you to exercise and move your body, and can reduce weight-related conditions like diabetes and heart disease. If you want to lose weight, it might be manageable enough most of the year, but when the holidays arrive, you are tempted by all the sweets and treats!
You don’t have to put your fat loss journey on hold just because the holidays are here. This blog post is going to show you how you can be healthy and stay on track, while still enjoying the holiday season with your friends and family.
Be Careful with Alcohol and Caffeine Intake
Many people like to enjoy their coffee in the morning during the winter, but the problem is that caffeine has been connected to sugar cravings!
When you have caffeine in your system, it then starts to crave more of that same boost in energy, which often leads you to wanting sugary treats.
If you struggle a lot with cravings and know you’re about to be surrounded by easy access to treats, now is a good time to give up or reduce your caffeine intake.
The same can be said for alcohol, which also leads to more cravings and sugar-eating binges.
Keep Hydrating
Instead of drinking all the soda, coffee, wine, and alcoholic beverages, switch to water.
Flavor your water if you need to, such as infusing the water with cranberries and oranges for a seasonal water, or just adding some lemon slices to each glass.
This makes it feel like you are having a special drink, but all you are drinking is clean water with some healthy fruit juice inside.
Water makes you feel full, takes away cravings, and the fruit can help with the sweet tooth as well.
Reduce Your Sugar Cravings
There are healthier ways to fulfill those sugar cravings when not having anything isn’t working out for you. Trying to will-power yourself through the holiday season is not easy!
For example, if everyone around you is eating fudge and cookies, and the sugar cravings are too much, try eating some fruit. Fruit has natural sugars that aren’t bad for you, but definitely help to fulfill your craving for something sweet.
To make it more like a dessert, dip fruit in melted dark chocolate for a little sweet treat or try adding some homemade whipped topping on top of the fruit. You can also drizzle it with Manuka honey, which is still far less fattening than other Christmas treats.
Find Good Distractions
You can also find some other activities that take you away from your cravings when they are hard to battle. If you don’t want to overeat during the Christmas season, find somewhere else to go away from the food or treats and write in a journal, go for a walk or play a board game with friends. This can help boost your mood and take your mind off the food you are craving.
Tips and Tricks For Not Overeating at Christmas
When Christmas is approaching, you might be concerned about overeating and gaining weight especially when you’re visiting others’ houses. If you are trying to maintain your weight or lose fat during this time of year, these tips can be very helpful.
Eat Before You Leave
A common trick that many people use when they don’t’ want to overeat during a special occasion or event is to eat beforehand. This may seem silly since you are heading to Christmas dinner, but the point isn’t to eat an entire meal, then eat a second meal when you arrive.
What you are trying to do is eat a small meal or snack that is as healthy as possible, so that not only are you full, but you know you had something good for you. When you arrive for Christmas dinner, you will be much more likely to make healthy decisions because you are slightly full, and your cravings won’t be as bad, so you don’t overindulge.
Don’t Count Calories
Instead of trying to count the calories, grams of fat, or carbohydrates of each food item you choose, just count the number of plates. Give yourself just one plate to enjoy Christmas dinner on, including the dessert. That means only a certain amount of the plate should be filled up with food, leaving an empty portion for the dessert that will come later. The rest of the plate is filled up with anything you want, but you can’t use a separate plate, bowl, or go in for seconds.
Find the Healthy Options
Whether you are enjoying appetizers at a buffet table or choosing food at Christmas dinner, try to fill up your plate with the healthier food options first. Get a portion size of ham or turkey, then make up the rest of the plate with the healthier veggies. If there is any more room on your plate, you can then add the less healthy options like mashed potatoes or stuffing, but these should only be a very small portion of what you will be eating.
When you are trying not to overeat, denying yourself something rarely works. A better method is to use these tips above, and let yourself have a bite of everything. If you want to try everything, don’t pile up your plate, but add a bite of two of each food item, enjoy them, and then move on!
Healthy Holiday Group
If you would like extra support over the holidays (and who wouldn’t!) I’ve created a Healthy Holidays Facebook Group that is completely free to join. Click the link here to request to join! I hope I’ll see you in there. We are going strong with lots of tips and extra accountability to feel great and stick to our health goals during this season.