Ten Tips To Sticking To Your Diet And Exercise Program During The Holidays

     Many people go through the holidays, especially around Christmas time, forgetting that they were even on a diet. They often say to themselves whats one more cookie or one piece of chocolate will not hurt, or they drink that 450 calorie cup of eggnog.

Before most people know it they may have gained several pounds by New Year`s Eve, only to have to make a new resolution. However, you do not have to wait until then to find ways to help you stick to your diet. No matter what time of the year it is, the following are ten tips to help you stick to your diet during the holidays:

Eat Low Fat Desert Alternatives: If you love chocolate, or at least food that tastes like chocolate, you may want to consider pudding deserts and pies that are lower in calories than traditional chocolate deserts. Many candy companies also offer both low carb and low sugar chocolates and other treats that you can eat instead of the rich, high fat deserts most often eaten at holiday parties.

Cook with low fat spreads or oils instead of Butter or margarine. Some spreads that you use instead of margarine or butter are lower in fat and can even be used for baking. Furthermore, many liquid oils contain unsaturated instead of saturated fats, and they help to reduce the amount of fat that would be stored on your body. You can even find lower calorie sugars to help reduce the amount of sugars that turn to fat as well.

Use Egg Substitutes: Many cake and bar recipes call for eggs. Sometimes you can use egg substitutes in these recipes. Not only that, but you can use tofu as an egg substitute. Therefore, next time you make spinach or three cheese (with low fat cheese, of course) quiche you can be assured it will have the same texture, and even the same color as eggs when you add the right ingredients together. Not to mention, you can use tofu to make an egg salad substitute as well. You can add ground mustard to the mixture so it appears more like regular egg salad with the yokes in it. To many people the taste is phenomenal-just as mush so as real eggs.

Avoid Egg Yokes: Another way to cut down on calories and fat, and even cholesterol consumption is by eating only the whites of the eggs. This part of the egg is often used in many low fat deserts and dishes.

Drink Low Fat Beverages: Whether you drink alcoholic drinks or non-alcoholic drinks during the holidays you have to keep in mind ones with milk and eggs in them contain quite a bit of calories. You may want to find recipes for egg nogg alternatives and/or low fat recipes for various ice cream drinks and shakes.

Keep Busy: Usually the best way to avoid eating too much is to find activity that will help you keep your mind off of food. You can plan outings with your kids if you have any or a group of friends if you do not have any kids of your own. You can also find goodwill activities to be involved in such as ringing bells for certain charity groups, caroling, and hosting a dinner for the homeless people. The more healthy activity you participate in with family, friends, and neighborhood organizations the better. It will help you keep your mind off of food.

Do not Stop Exercising: It is okay to take a day off once in a great while from your daily exercise routine. However, be careful not to make a habit of it. Some people can gain pounds within even a few days if they do not keep up with their exercise routine. Make sure you keep it up. Furthermore, exercise, believe it or not is a great stress reliever, and one of the most natural appetite suppressants for most people. Both of these benefits of exercise can help you during the holidays.

Do not Make Excuses: If you are serious about sticking to your diet or exercise program during the holidays make sure you do not justify not sticking to the plan. For instance, if you use stress as an excuse for eating, train yourself to use stress as a reason to exercise.

Stay Away from the Food Table: When you are at holiday parties you will be less likely to eat too much if you do not stand two feet away from the buffet table the whole time. Try to steer the conversation group to the living room. If you are the host of a dinner party who knows that there are people who are watching their weight be conscious to provide plenty of activity for your group to keep your guess away from the food table.

Host a fat free dinner party: This will be your opportunity to challenge your friends and family to see how well that many fat free and reduced fat foods can taste great. You can provide a variety of lean meats, seasoned veggies, low fat deserts, and more to your guests. If you observe them and notice that they are eating what you have prepared then you can start a new positive trend within your circle of influence. Before you know it, everyone you know will be eating healthy and losing weight if they need to.

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