November and December are the hardest months for people who want to lose weight. There are so many opportunities to slip up and gulp down hundreds of calories. Before the holiday season starts, I'd like to give you seven powerful tricks you can use to lower the chances of putting on that holiday weight.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Stop overeating NOW! 7 Tips straight from the pros
This post was originally published on November 10, 2015.
Image via Thinkstock
Stay active
The holiday season comes with rich foods. If you are planning on indulging, then get moving and work out every day. It is when you eat and don't burn it off when extra calories get stored as fat. Also, adopt calorie-burning habits like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking far from the stores and walking.
Don't go hungry
If you have a party to attend, make sure you don't go hungry. Many hold off eating the whole day so they can "save" those calories and use them when faced with tons of tempting calorie-laden foods. Well, bad idea! Starving yourself will make you overeat later on.
Hold off the drinks
Eggnog, hot chocolate and fancy cocktails, the holiday season comes packed with divine drinks that are luxurious in both taste and calories. Remember, most of them are filled with empty calories and carry no nutrition. Alcoholic beverages notoriously pack hundreds of calories in one sitting, and lower your inhibitions, which will result in poor dietary choices. So if you drink, do so in moderation.
Serve on smaller plates
Smaller dishes can trick you into thinking you ate more than you really did. Psychologically, our brains are programmed to seeing big space on a large white plate as having less food. So by keeping the surface area covered by using smaller plates, you won't eat as much.
Eat protein
High protein meals will make you satiated faster and for longer. Because they take longer to break down, this slows down the digestive process. Serve yourself that small portions of turkey and ham, or if there are vegetarian options like quinoa, beans or lentils, indulging in those will get you the protein fix without the bad fat.
Skip the dessert
With all that refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, loads of butter and shortening, those slices of pie and cake are a surefire road to obesity and heart disease. Not worth it. So, either skip dessert or bring your own healthy version, like a piece of fruit.
Say no
If the host or your grandma asks you to have seconds, just politely decline. Don't fall into the pressure of feeling forced to eat more. Just say "I'm full," or "I have reached my limit". Your relatives will let you off the hook. Before going for seconds, wait at least 20 minutes, since our brains need that much time to register the feeling of being full. Strike up a conversation. Maybe after a while, you will be too involved in the chatting to think about seconds.
