Every year it’s the same thing, starting with the bowls of Halloween candy around the office and at home and ending with the New Year’s Eve party. There is temptation lurking around every corner. It is one thing to gain five pounds one year but if this has happened several years in a row you are now facing a serious problem.
Parties are everywhere during the holiday season, how can you enjoy yourself and keep from gaining weight? You have to be prepared with a strategy to cover any and all situations that will come up.
The Candy Bowl: first it’s Halloween candy and then it’s Christmas, Those chocolates seem to lurk everywhere you look. Don’t let your desk be the place where the bowl lands. As a matter of fact, make sure that it is placed as far away from you as it can. Keep a supply of healthy, low calorie snacks in your desk so that you won’t fall victim to a snack attack. At home, place the bowl on top of the fridge when you are home, out of sight out of stomach!
Dinner Parties: During the holiday season there are going to be many times when you have to attend dinner parties and family gatherings. Keeping your friends and family from sabotaging your resolve takes a lot of tact and willpower. When you know you are going to be faced with a lot of temptation, fill up on low fat and low calories food before you leave home. Try to avoid grazing, this is mindless eating and you can consumer many more calories than you realize on dip laden chips one at a time. If you are tempted, grab some veggies with no dip or anything offered that isn’t buried in cheese or sauce. Foods such as one bacon wrapped scallop are satisfying and not a diet killer.
Steer clear of the dessert table unless they are offering fresh fruit. Anything with whipped cream should be avoided. One chocolate covered strawberry is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without using up a whole day’s worth of calories. Have your piece of pumpkin pie and skip the whipped cream and leave the crust behind and you have not hurt your diet at all.
If it is possible, fill up on a bowl of soup. This will take the edge off of your hunger and make it possible for you to feel part of any holiday meal. If not, look for things without rich sauces and gravy. Turkey is one of the super foods and if you don’t cover it with gravy you can enjoy it to your heart’s content.
If you really want to have something then have it, denying yourself will only make you overeat. It is much better to have one chocolate chip cookie to satisfy your craving than to end up grazing on everything in sight.
When you are at a cocktail party stay away from the oversized frozen or creamy drinks. Have a Bloody Mary, a diet coke and rum or a seltzer with your favorite alcohol added. A glass of wine is always a lower calorie option. Even better, have a seltzer and lime and have no calories what so ever and you can be the designated driver. .
There are many pitfalls awaiting you from Halloween until New Year’s but with some careful planning you can be prepared for anything that comes your way.