7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday Season

Here comes Halloween… and the start of the “season of
feasting” for a lot of folks around here.

It’s become a sort of time-honored “tradition” for Americans to
put on weight between Halloween and New Year’s Day. Some would
even say it’s to be expected — “After all, it’s the holidays!”,
they say.

Now, I love the holidays. And I bet you do too. Who wouldn’t
love all the great treats and wonderful foods that just seem to
spring up around us during the holiday season, right?

But don’t you just hate it when you step on the scales after the
holidays, and discover you’ve put on weight?

Fret not, for I’m here to show you how you can have fun during
the holidays and enjoy all your favorite holiday treats,
_without_ putting on any extra pounds.

Here are 7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday
Season…

1. Give yourself permission – Go ahead and eat anything you want
during the holiday season. Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s, it
doesn’t matter. Yes, you can have all your favorite foods. Isn’t
it refreshing to know that you don’t have to abstain from your
perennial favorites? You see, we tend to want more of what we
cannot have. The more you try to stop yourself from eating
something, the more you want to eat it. And when you do give in
to the temptation, you’ll tend to overeat. Here’s the secret:
It’s not “all or nothing”. Have anything you want, as long as
you remember not to go overboard and consume too much.

2. Be clear of your goals – There must be a reason why you want
to keep your weight down. If you don’t already have a reason,
now’s the time to sit down and think of as many as possible.
This step is critical if you want to be able to enjoy your
holidays and maintain your weight throughout. You need to be
crystal-clear about your “Why”. Why do you want to lose weight?
How would you feel if you end up putting on weight? Conversely,
how would you feel if you can go through the holidays and yet
maintain your current weight? Think about these questions
carefully, and build up your arsenal of “reasons why”. The next
time you are tempted to overeat, recall these reasons again and
they’ll help you to stay in control.

3. Have a little of everything – Remember how it’s not “all or
nothing”? The secret to enjoying all the great food without the
subsequent guilt is to have a little of everything. Just
remember to control your serving portion sizes. You have
permission to eat all kinds of food, but this doesn’t mean you
can go out there and devour extra- large portions of everything
with super-generous gravy toppings, ok?

4. Be careful of the little nibbles – Sometimes, it’s not the
big-time party or pig-out feasting session that causes you to
gain weight. On the contrary, it’s exactly the opposite — it’s
the little candy and chocolate bar that you pick up to nibble
on, everything time you open the fridge or walk past the office
candy bowl. All these little snacks in between meal times can
(and will!) add up to a lot of extra calories. This sneaky
little problem is something that has caught many women
off-guard. And now that you know this, it’s easy to catch
yourself in the act the next time it happens to you!

5. Be smart – They’re certainly trying, but don’t be fooled by
the retailers and their fancy packaging and labels. Have you
noticed a lot of the packaging now screams out phrases such
“fewer calories”, “low fat”, “less sugar”, “low carb” and etc?
Whilst all these claims are true, it does NOT mean you can eat
more and have bigger portions. Remember: “fewer/low/less”
doesn’t mean “Zero/None/Without”. Also, it’s pretty usual that
when something comes with less of one thing, it has more of the
other stuff e.g. lower carb, but more calories.

6. Use the healthier versions – Many of the sweets and treats
offer you a choice of healthier versions. So when you can,
please do opt for the low-calorie, reduced sugar, or lower fat
varieties.

7. Choose the right chocolate – And if you must have chocolate,
please go for dark chocolate and avoid the milk chocolate. By
far, dark chocolate is the best choice as it has antioxidant
properties that can protect the body from damaging oxidative
stress. So there you have it, consuming a moderate amount of
dark chocolates is actually healthy for you!

So, who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

Copyright 2005 Tracy Lee

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