You would not have the wisdom and knowledge you now possess were it not for the setbacks you have faced, the mistakes you have made and the suffering you have endured.
Robin Sharma
The holidays are amongst us and with it comes the parties, overeating and the 5-7 lbs of weight gain. As much as I love the holidays and socializing with my friends and family I also cringe thinking of all the food and the weight gain that comes with it. In the past I have tried all the right tricks to prevent the excess and unwanted weight and have successfully failed each and every time, until recently. So what was different this time? I decided to take a look at where my downfalls were and what I can do to prevent this from happening to me yet again. Mistakes are never a mistake if we can learn from them and stop them from occurring over and over again. So I became AWARE of my behaviors. Awareness is the #1 step when making lifestyle changes. First you must look at what you are doing and why. Without this step you will not be able to follow my simple holiday rules below and get the results you want.
10 SIMPLE HOLIDAY RULES:
1. DON'T skip meals. Eat as your normally would and do not go to a party hungry. Hunger and low blood sugar lead to overeating. Before you leave home, eat something light and also drink a great deal of water the day of the party.
2. Don't over exercise. Everyone thinks exercising extra hard and long will help burn the calories but in reality it will make you hungrier causing you to overeat. Take a nice walk and move your body with the activities you love.
3. DO eat a taste of everything you LOVE. Taste and love are the key words in that sentence. Take a little of those things you absolutely love and can only get on this holiday and leave the rest.
4. DON'T forget that lots of holiday foods are healthy. Turkey, ham, roast beef, seafood, sweet potatoes, cranberries, green beans, pumpkin, roasted chestnuts, apples to name a few. Just keep an eye on the way these dishes are prepared.
5. DON'T skip the fat. Eating moderate amounts of fat during the holidays will satiate the appetite and prevent overeating of carbs.
6. DO offer to bring a dish. Choose to bring a traditional dish and make some modifications to improve the dish's nutritional stats, by minimizing the sugar.
7. DON'T drink too much. If you aren't careful, you can drink all your meal's calories before dinner is even served. Sip your beverages slowly and you will have a clear head when you head to the meal.
8. DO move away. Don't stand around the appetizer trays. If you are there, you will eat mindlessly.
9. Do take a breather. Take a meditative moment at least 1 time everyday to breathe deeply, clear your mind of all the clutter. We tend to overeat when consumed by our thoughts.
10. Do enjoy yourself. Enjoy the season, friends, and family and not just the food.
It doesn't matter where you have been, it is where you are now and the direction in which you are heading.
Donald S.Neviaser
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