Oh, how hard it is to resist the holiday dinner table temptations! What can we do to prevent the usual weight gain over the winter holidays? “It is OK to do it once a year”, this is the thought that comes across the minds of those, who watch their figure, but decide to take a break for the holidays period. However, trust me, this “once a year” will definitely stay on your waist; plus, it will be much harder to lose those extra pounds. Here are some advices for those who want to try and avoid gaining weight during the winter holidays.
Do Not Starve Yourself
Many people actually try to “fee-up” some space for the holiday dinner, and eat nothing for the whole day before the celebration. Then, unfortunately, they storm the festive table with unnatural power. If you want to try not overeating, this is definitely not the tactics you want to follow. Instead, eat vegetables and fruits during the day, this way you will not gain extra calories and you will be less attracted to the mayo-salads and sweets at the dinner.
Choose Your Food
Once you take a look at the holiday table, decide right away what dishes you want to try. Then, put everything from the “desired” list onto the plate, this way you will be limited to the total portion of one dinner-plate. If you put just one type of salad first and eat it, you will put second one after, and then will come the third, fourth, and so on.
Have a Sweet Appetizer
Recall, that your parents often told you not to eat any sweets before dinner-time, as they can interfere with your appetite. They were absolutely right, just like they were perhaps right about many other things as well. Sweets induce formation of so-called satiety hormone, such that you will definitely be less hungry after having a piece of chocolate.
Do Not Rush
Chew slowly and carefully. A well-tasted flavor and even aroma can bring the feeling of satiety as much as extra helpings.
Eat Less Sweets
Sweets are the most misleading type of holiday foods. Since, about 80% of carbohydrates are absorbed into the organism through the mouth, esophagus, and stomach it is really hard to feel full from eating sweets. Therefore, even if you fight your desires and say no to extra helping of mayo-salad, you risk of “catching up” on the calories during the dessert time. Furthermore, you will not even notice that you overate.
More Veggies and Fruits
To resist this temptation, try to add as much vegetables and lean meat during your dinner, as full stomach will have much less thirst for sweets. At the same time, you can replace the fudge cake with fruits, which are more filling but contain much less calories.
No Sparkling Water or Pop
Pop is one of the worst enemies of any figure. It is easily drunk, but contains tons of sugar. For example, one liter of cola contains 500 calories. Furthermore, some nutritionists believe, that consumption of carbonated beverages contributes to cellulite formation.
Just Dance
Do not be lazy, once you have a couple of drinks and greetings you should go for a walk or dancing. An hour of snow-ball fights (of course if there is snow outside), or even walking, or better dancing, can help you shed at least a quarter of the foods you have consumed during the dinner. It may not seem much, but when you think about the fact that for that hour you could have been consuming various foods.
