10 Tips For Surviving The Holidays Without Gaining An Ounce

     The holidays are a time to get together with friends and family and share traditions, memories, and if you're anything like me - food. It seems like every function that you go to has tons of goodies and delicacies that you absolutely MUST try, and in the process you can easily gain anywhere from five to ten pounds - or more! It doesn't have to be this way, however. Wouldn't it be nice to have a New Year's resolution other than losing weight this year? By following these 10 tips you can get a handle on your holiday eating, keep the pounds off, and maybe even lose some weight along the way!

1. Fiber is Fundamental

Taking fiber supplements helps reduce your appetite by making you feel full before the meal even starts. It also keeps your food moving along quickly and smoothly while ensuring regular bowel movements. There are many fiber supplements available; try taking one scoop before eating breakfast and one before dinner to stay regular and keep your weight under control. If you are not accustomed to taking fiber supplements, start slowly so your body has time to get used to it.

2. Water, Water and More Water

Along with taking a daily fiber supplement, drinking more water is one of the most helpful (and easiest) steps you can take to improve your health and control your weight. Water not only suppresses your appetite, but it also helps to metabolize stored fat into usable energy. 8 glasses of filtered water is the very minimum you should be drinking every day - if you are very active or overweight you may need more. (A good way to figure out how much water you need is take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2 for the number of ounces you should be drinking. Example: If you weigh 140 pounds you would need to drink 70 ounces of water every day.)

While it may seem hard to drink this much water, making some simple replacements can really add up. Try replacing coffee, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages with water as often as possible; meal times are a great time to make these replacements as you really won't be missing the flavor of your drinks. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages can cause dehydration, so replacing them with water is doubly beneficial.

3. Learn the Principles of Combining Foods

Have you ever noticed how your stomach is a little more sensitive during the holidays? All the different kinds of food combined with the added rich/sweet/fatty foods you aren't used to eating on a regular basis can really do a number on your digestive system. The principles of combining foods can help enhance and ease your digestion by teaching you how certain foods work together. The number one rule to follow is to avoid mixing proteins and carbohydrates.

So when you are enjoying your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham avoid the stuffing and mashed potatoes and have a green salad or steamed vegetables instead. Another easy-to-follow food combining tip: eat your fruit first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait a while after eating a meal to enjoy dessert.

4. Carbs are Costly

Overeating refined carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, white bread, and sweets causes your insulin levels to rise, thereby converting those carbs to glucose in the body. If you were doing hard physical labor or exercising 24/7 this wouldn't be a problem because your body would use the glucose as energy, but since most of us would prefer to watch football or the local holiday parade after those big holiday meals, our bodies end up storing this extra glucose as fat. Instead of refined carbs try choosing complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole grain bread and pasta, bran, oats, etc. Not only are these foods high in fiber, but they help slow down food digestion and glucose absorption, and they'll leave you feeling fuller longer.

5. Try Digestive Enzyme Capsules

The reason your stomach gets so sensitive when you're eating many different kinds of food at the same time is because your body is unable to produce all the different digestive enzymes required for the proper digestion of every type of food. Because of this we start to feel heavy, bloated and/or gassy after big, multi-food meals. Digestive enzyme capsules help to thoroughly break down food, and with the help of these enzymes you are less likely to feel hungry and overeat. Try taking two digestive enzyme capsules with big meals to avoid feeling gassy and bloated.

6. Ditch the Dinner Plates

Over the years the trend for supersized foods and drinks has tricked us into thinking we are not eating as much as we really are. Restaurants aren't the only place the portions are bigger, however; household portions are bigger too - nobody actually knows what a normal portion looks like! Try using a smaller plate (i.e. a salad plate vs. a dinner plate) to fool yourself into thinking you're eating more. Though they might hold the same amount of food, a small plate full of food very likely will leave you satisfied faster than a large plate that is only half full.

7. Skip Seconds

It takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to signal your body that it is full, so wait a while before you reach for seconds. Eat your small plate first, and once you're finished wait 20 minutes. If you're still feeling hungry, then, and only then, reach for seconds.

8. Eat Slower

Digestion begins in the mouth, and chewing your food well is essential! People who eat slower tend to eat less, have proper digestion and nutrient absorption, and weigh less too. Chewing slowly gives your body a chance to signal that it is full much sooner, and hopefully gets you to stop overeating. In other words, the slower you eat, the less food it takes to fill you up, and the less likely you are to gain weight.

9. Get Moving

I know, I know, pretty much the last thing you want to do in all the hustle and bustle and stress of the holidays is exercise, but that doesn't mean you can't get moving for at least a few minutes each day. Try parking at the far end of the parking lot when you're out doing your holiday shopping; take the stairs instead of the elevator (or walk up the escalator instead of standing still); or incorporate it into your family time. Make it a habit for the whole family to go for a walk after dinner, it'll burn some of those extra calories and it's better quality time than sitting around the television.

10. Just Relax!

Many of us tend to overeat when under stress or pressure, and worrying about gaining weight after every bite can actually make you more likely to gain weight. Just relax and enjoy the holidays! Even if you do gain a couple of pounds you can always start over with a colon cleanse to get back on the right track.

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