Eating During the Holidays

QUESTION:

Please help me - the holidays are here and all I see are tables of great food and snacks at every party I go to.  How can I keep from eating everything in sight?  Any suggestions?

What should I be drinking, just water?  How about sparkling water or juices?

Answer:  As far as beverages always stick with straight water, or diet beverages. One of my favorite rules of thumb is to never drink anything with calories even juice.

One really good way to reduce hunger around great food is to first fill yourself up with water.  By drinking enough water where you have to relieve yourself every 45-60 minutes your stomach is sure to remain somewhat full which will cause you to eat less.  Also, before you dive into the less healthy or more calorie dense food you should fill up on raw vegetables.  All the fiber will make you full and keep your full.  I know the temptation is there to eat but i assure you that if you can walk away from that party and honestly tell yourself you did good as far as sticking to your new way of eating you will have far greater satisfaction than if you had eaten a ton of high calorie food.  Some people will say that it is okay to indulge once in awhile or around the holidays.  I somewhat agree with this unless you are not sure you have 100% control over yourself and know that it will not make you return to old eating habits.  If you think you can do this then i say go ahead and eat some not so healthy food but if it's early in your “diet” and you're not 100% committed or adjusted i would suggest staying away from the foods you know are the worst.

Here's a suggestion:  some typical foods found around this time are turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, casseroles, stuffing, cooking, and snacks.  When it is before dinner or lunch fill up on the vegetable plate instead of cookies and snacks in order to save yourself 500-1000 calories.  Then when it is time for the meal fill your plate with mostly ham/turkey and salad and a little of the other stuff.  The protein and greens will fill you up the most and save you tons of calories.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.