Cheryl A. Major is a volunteer contributor to WestfordCAT News. Email news@westfordcat.org.
Most of us are invited to social gatherings during the holidays. If you try to eat right and not overdo, these events can be tempting and can really derail any good work you’ve done during the previous months. We all hear people talking in January about how they need to lose the weight they gained over the holidays. Here are five easy tips to keep you from having to sing that tune next month!
Don’t arrive hungry – Be sure to eat food ahead of time that provides you protein and healthy fat. This will keep you feeling fuller longer, and will keep your blood sugar normalized. If you’re not starving when you arrive, you’ll be less apt to just fill up a huge plate with everything in sight!
If there are different plate sizes, choose a smaller plate. If you put moderate amounts of food on a huge plate, visually you won’t like what you see, and believe me, you’ll be tempted to go fill that plate. If you have moderate amounts of food on a smaller plate, what you see will look more pleasing and will look like a generous meal.
Fill your plate with salad. If available, make the main part of your meal the salad. One of my favorite nutritional doctors is Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He says, “The salad is the main dish!” Once you’ve got a healthy serving of salad, then add small samples of the other foods you’d like to include.
What about alcohol? If you’re planning to have a drink or two, start off with a non-alcoholic drink. Grab a sparkling water, for instance. This will get you started and won’t add calories. Next you can have a glass of something, wine or beer or a cocktail. Alternating water and an alcoholic drink is also a good strategy to keep from overdoing it during holiday get-togethers.
But what about dessert?? You know, I believe it’s OK to splurge once in a while and have a dessert. Again, portion control is key here. Having just a taste of something (or a couple of somethings) will keep you from feeling deprived, and you’ll be proud of yourself that you didn’t blow all your hard work during the previous months to get and stay healthy!
If you follow these five easy tips, you’ll be much more likely to make it through the holidays without facing January trying to lose five or ten extra pounds!
Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show Thin Strong Healthy airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com  Cheryl offers ongoing information and coaching to help you feel better and be healthier. Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CherylAMajor. She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience.
Questions? Email Cheryl at cheryl@thinstronghealthy.com and be sure to put Health Question in the subject line. Your question and its answer will be included in a future article.
