During the holiday season, it is easy to put just a little too much of that yummy food on your plate and then stuff yourself eating it all. There's nothing wrong with eating a little extra during the holidays, but if you are constantly overeating, you won't feel very well when the holidays are over. Take a look at tips 1-10 of the 20 tips to avoid holiday overeating to keep from overindulging this year.
1. Give Yourself Breaks- Take a few breaks between plates of food. If you eat slowly and take a break before going back for seconds, your body will have time to digest and let you know when you are full.
2. Don't Starve Before Meals- If you spend all day starving yourself so that you can eat as much as possible during dinner, you are going to eat much more than you normally would and pay the price afterward.
3. Try One Bite of Everything- Take just a small bite of every food that seems appetizing to you. Then you can decide which ones you definitely want to eat, and which ones you can pass on.
4. Take a Walk- Getting a little bit of exercise before you eat can help you control the urge to eat everything that looks good. You can also take a walk between dinner and dessert to give your food time to digest.
5. Don't Pig Out on Leftovers- When we eat holiday meals, we eat a lot more food than we typically would in one meal. If you are going to eat leftovers the next day, try to make your meal the same size that you would normally eat for dinner. You don't need to eat all of the leftovers in one meal.
6. Drink A Lot of Water- If you keep yourself hydrated, you will feel more full and be able to curb any cravings you may be having. Water will prevent you from adding extra calories to your holiday intake that would come from pop, juice, or alcohol.
7. Eat Lots of Veggies- By eating a lot of the healthier foods before filling your plate with everything else, you will help prevent the intake of empty calories.
8. When You Feel Full, Stop!- Don't stuff yourself. If you begin to feel full, stop eating and remember that you can always have leftovers later.
9. Play Holiday Games- Holiday games will keep you distracted from the food. If you choose an active game, you could also get a little extra exercise.
10. One-Dessert Rule- Everyone has a hard time saying no to desserts. The best way to combat this is to choose just one dessert to eat after dinner. If there is another dessert you would really like, you could do a half portion of both or save a piece of the other one for later.
If you can keep from overeating during this holiday season, you will feel great for the start of the new year. Check out Part 2 of the 20 Tips to Avoid Holiday Overeating to see tips 11-20. Please contact us for more information.
