Eating healthy foods can be one of the hardest things to do during the holiday season. With a tempting variety of treats, multi-course meals, and other delicacies everywhere, this can be a trying time for anyone dieting and looking to stay in shape. You obviously don’t want to be left out when everyone else seems to be splurging. Unfortunately, over-indulging can easily get you off track when it comes to achieving your goal weight. That’s why it’s important to take control of what you eat.
Below, we share a few tips on how to stick to your diet plan during the holiday season so you can enjoy the festivities without worrying about gaining extra pounds. Moreover, Midss.org is jam-packed with incredible information that will make your weight loss and overall wellness journey a success.
How To Stick To A Diet Plan Without Cheating During Holiday
Sure, the end of the year is a time to relax and have a proper feast with loved ones, but it’s also one of the times when we’re bound to participate in bad eating habits that derail our fitness goals. In fact, research conducted by NCBI to determine how the holiday season affects weight gain shows that adults seem to add a significant amount of weight during the holidays. So, how can you enjoy the festivities and still maintain a healthy eating plan, you may ask? Read on!
Control Your Portion Sizes
The holiday table will be full of desserts and some family members may not like the fact that you’re only having a slice of what they brought, but it’s important to remember the reason you started a healthy meal plan or fad diets in the first place.
Can you eat everything on the table? Yes, absolutely! But do so in moderation. Instead of stacking up your plate with peanut butter blossoms and spending the next couple of days feeling guilty for not being able to make healthy choices, just get one or two cookies, then fill up the rest of the plate with a spoonful or two of everything else.
Taking small servings of things keeps you from overconsuming unhealthy foods and diets that may drift you off your weight loss journey. Also, avoid snacking if you can. These little munchies can add up pretty quickly and negatively impact your fitness goals. Instead, serve more veggies and protein.
Have A Plan
Without a proper plan, it can be difficult to eat foods or stick to the healthy habits and diet that have brought you this far and prevent holiday weight gain. Chances are you’ll be influenced by all the delectables on the dinner table, but if you plan well beforehand, you’ll be able to focus on your diet and have a better probability of success.
Find out what kinds of foods will be available and see if they fit your meal plans. Then decide how much you’ll eat. A simple trick to ensure you’re eating a healthier diet is to bring some of your healthy, favorite foods. Things like an extra salad or baked aubergine crisps to replace the normal potato crisps can go a long way in helping you eat healthily and keep fit.
Drink Water
Water is good for anyone dieting because it keeps you not just hydrated but also feeling fuller, making you eat much less. It improves digestion too, and this helps your body utilize important nutrients and minerals more efficiently, which can help with weight loss.
It can be tempting to drink a beer, soda, or other sugary drinks, but that happy hour can have detrimental effects in the long haul. Why? Because with such drinks, it’s not easy to keep track of the number of calories you’re consuming. For the most part, you will just be adding unnecessary sugar to your diet and putting yourself at risk of gaining extra weight. Alcohol consumption, especially, has been found to increase appetite, which can contribute to weight gain. If you must bond over a beer or any form of alcohol, go for low-calorie varieties. Also, don’t mix liquors with sodas, juices, or other sugary drinks.
Get Enough Sleep
For some people, the holiday season means going out more frequently and hanging out with friends till the wee hours of the night. Unfortunately, such habits often result in sleep deprivation, which may cause you to gain weight. Essentially, when you don’t get enough sleep, your appetite hormone levels increase, ultimately making you more likely to ingest unhealthy foods or pay little attention to your portion sizes.
A lack of sleep can also alter your cardiac rhythm, which can slow down your metabolism. As a result, your calorie conversion becomes less efficient, causing your body to store extra fat. A night or two of sleep loss may not be a huge problem, but when it prolongs to a week or the entire holiday season, it could lead to not only extra pounds but also serious health conditions like obesity and diabetes. That’s why it’s important to ensure you’re getting at least eight hours of sleep every night, no matter how busy the festive season may be. It will help prevent mindless eating and keep your metabolism functioning effectively.
Stay Active
The holiday season is a time to relax, we get it, but sitting on the couch all day watching Christmas movies won’t do you any good if you’re trying to lose weight.
If you’re not looking to start the new year with extra pounds, supplement your healthy diet with physical activity. Good thing? You don’t even have to lift weights at the gym. Even the easiest of activities, like walking down the beach or playing with the kids, can help you think less about food, which can be beneficial for losing weight. When you stay active, your body can also burn excess calories, which helps keep your weight in check.
