The holidays are coming up, which means a plethora of food and desserts are going to be tempting even the most disciplined of people. This temptation must be anticipated in order to stay on track for fitness goals, especially weight loss. This blog will cover some tips and tricks that can be followed in order to make staying on track much easier.
Water!
Allow water to be your best friend on thanksgiving. Drinks are great, but food should be the main focus on thanksgiving (after loved ones of course). Many drinks may taste good, but most are filled with lots of calories that are almost 100% refined carbohydrates. If you’re already planning on consuming more food than usual, then it will help tremendously to stick to water, this way, the only calories that will be adding up will be nutritional calories that come from food with substance. Water will also help to ensure that you don’t overeat. The water will help fill you up so that you won’t want to go for that extra scoop of potato salad or macaroni and cheese.
Eat Frequently
Eating many small meals throughout the day will help increase self control. Through speaking to many clients about eating habits, I have found that individuals go for fattening or bad quality foods more often when they reach a point of intense hunger. I’m also guilty of this. Eating small meals will help make better food decisions, and also help to reduce overeating. If food is kept in the stomach on a consistent basis, then you will not crave to eat more than you need to. Also, this will help you sample many different foods! If your thanksgiving is anything like mine, then there is usually much more variety of food than I can even fit into my belly. If you can eat several small meals throughout the day, this will enable you to eat many different types of foods without eating too many calories! You can eat all of the foods you love without feeling guilty of eating too much of them.
Healthy Options
There are many healthy options provided on thanksgiving, so try and stick to these as much as possible. Vegetables usually contain very few calories and provide a great feeling of fullness. It’s when the veggies are smothered in brown sugar and other toppings that make the calories add up quickly. So find the veggies that are made and kept natural with some salt and pepper if you find that you need something to help fill you up after eating the main course. Turkey is a very lean meat, so take advantage of turkey, and limit the amount of gravy. Carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes are some examples of food that provide awesome sweetness that can settle any sweet craving. Have dessert, and then use these options to keep the dessert to a minimum.
Many foods can be eaten on thanksgiving as long as you are staying mindful about the amounts. Always have water by your side, and eat many small meals throughout the day. Following these tips will help increase your self-control tremendously. Also, stick to the healthy options as much as possible. If you follow these tips, then you will continue to make strides towards your goals despite the holidays creeping up! Happy goal reaching!
