Six Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

1. Eat Before You Party

While your own food probably won’t be as exciting or delicious, chowing down a bit before you head out can help you to not over-eat, simply because there’s already food in your system. Also, consider only eating hors d’oeuvres that are mainly veggies (without heavy cream or highly saturated fatty sauces, of course). Consider not eating fried foods or those smothered in gravy.

2. Desserts? Just One, Thanks

This one’s a killer, but limit yourself to just one dessert per dinner party. Or, if there are simply too many delicious options, try eating only one or two bites from two different desserts — without finishing both of them. Choose the desserts that aren’t fried or filled with cream, like a plain fruit tart or a fruit salad. Be mindful of your dessert choices now, because they could stay with you long after the holidays.

3. Talk To The Host/Hostess

Help your friends help you — talk to whoever’s throwing the party and let them know that you are on a bit of a “new fitness program” with “specific nutritional requirements.” They’ll appreciate knowing what you can or can’t eat, because their aim is to make sure everyone has a great time. This might even remind them to have more healthy food choices for everyone at the event, which is a win-win for the waistlines of all the party revelers. If you’re polite about it, more than likely they’ll be receptive and supportive of your lifestyle change. This will take the pressure off of you, and also means (hopefully) that they will be more considerate and not try to have you taste every single (ultimately delicious) food that they’ve prepared. This also ensures that they won’t be insulted when you decline certain items.

4. Don’t Stop Exercising

Do your best to continue to exercise between 30 and 60 minutes every day. If you’re really committed, think about leaving a party early enough to get in a long refreshing walk or a jog before bed. The body will appreciate and honor your efforts to stay fit.

5. Don’t Overstay Your Welcome

Typically an hour to an hour and a half per party is enough to mingle and enjoy yourself without going overboard. There’s no need to keep a stopwatch by your side, but making sure you don’t stay for three or four hours is important — because the longer you remain at an event, the more likely it is that you’ll eat and drink more than you planned.

6. Remember To Relax

This may sound crazy, but you shouldn’t feel obligated to go to every single office party or pot-luck event that you get invited to. Go to the events that you are actually excited about with people you know and actually care about. Don’t feel like you have to go to a party just to impress the boss or other co-workers — in those cases, you’ll still feel like you’re working. This is your holiday — enjoy it!

Keeping these six simple tips in mind will give you an advantage over your tragically carb-binging brethren during the holiday season. If you apply them, you should be able to maintain your weight and fitness level and decrease the stress in your life. At that rate, you might not even need to make any resolutions for 2014!

Every day is a gift! Enjoy the holidays.

Source: askmen.com