Tricks From A Dietitian To Keep You Trim

The holidays often mean shopping, vacations, tree trimming, and tons of social gatherings. Whether you find yourself at an office party, at a friend’s home, or at a resort, there’s a good chance that the place will be loaded with food.

There are clever solutions, however, to manage your calories at these seasonal events. Take a look at these four tips for keeping yourself trim, from Tristaca Curley, a registered dietitian and author of Fuelingwithfood.com.

Drink water – and lots of it: Drinking adequate amounts of water is a tried and true approach to reduce calories, to keep your metabolism humming along at a high rate, and to stave off hunger cravings. Many people mistake thirst for hunger and end up eating excess calories, leading to weight gain.

Go fingers-free: Avoid appetizers that don’t require a fork, knife, or spoon to eat, as these are typically the highest in calories and easiest to gobble up in higher quantities.

Pace yourself: Cocktails are part of most seasonal festivities. Curley suggests avoiding calories and alcohol by alternating alcoholic beverages with water or portion-controlled drinks like Coke mini-cans which have less than 100 calories per serving. Alcohol also reduces our inhibitions – and might lead us to choose foods that we wouldn’t normally have.

Commit to exercise: No time to work out this busy holiday season? Make it a family affair. Turn on the radio and dance with the kids for 20 minutes, or suggest after-dinner walks around the neighborhood following your next family feast.

Using these tips, you can save yourself the stress of unwanted weight gain. You may even lose a few pounds in time for New Year’s Eve.

www.newscanada.com

(Image Credit: www.newscanada.com)