Don't Save Up
Don't save calories from earlier meals for "the big one." You'll inevitably get too hungry and overeat to compensate for missing those meals. Thanksgiving day should include a substantial, healthy breakfast and a normal lunch. Then, you won't be too famished to practice portion control when dinnertime arrives.Make Like a Rabbit
That is, help yourself to a veggie-filled salad or raw vegetables, such as carrots and celery, before the main meal. Doing so will curb your appetite, provide you with extra nutrients, help you feel fuller later, and give you something to munch while others are eating high-cal hors d'oeuvres.Figure Out What's Filling
If you don't know which dishes to avoid, think filling -- the ones you eat one serving of and think, "I couldn't eat another bite" (but usually manage to anyway).This includes high-fat casseroles, such as broccoli and cheese, cream-based soups, mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, stuffing, and dressing. In this case, the more filling, the more fattening.Sponsored Links
Drink Less Like a Fish
If your family serves wine during Thanksgiving dinner, try to limit yourself to just the first glass. A few glasses add up to hundreds of calories. (According to Calorie Count Plus, three glasses of white wine serve up 210 calories!) Plus, drinking can actually stimulate your appetite, make you more likely to disregard portion control and less likely to say no to the dessert table. So after one glass, swap that glass of wine for a glass of water.Don't Sleep it Off
Triptophan is a worthy adversary, but fight the urge to nap the evening away. Moving more than normal -- whether it be a game of touch football in the front yard, or a marathon of shopping on Black Friday -- will help compensate for any little indulgences that slipped by over the last couple of days.Eat Turkey Until You Never Want to See Another Turkey
All those leftovers don't have to spell diet disaster. Turkey is a healthful, lean protein source that's perfect for healthy meals. Slices of turkey (without skin and gravy) with whole grain rice and steamed veggies makes a low-cal, well-rounded meal -- you can even save room for a tiny slice of Mom's pumpkin pie.A turkey sandwich on whole wheat with reduced-fat mayo, lettuce, tomato and baby carrots is a nutritious, diet-friendly lunch to use up more leftovers, or to enjoy year-round.
Maintaining is Marvelous
Don't worry about losing weight during the holidays. Resolve instead to maintain what you've already accomplished. In the end, staying right where you are on the scale is better than putting on a few pounds. Don't stress out over no net loss -- celebrate a lack of gain.
One More Thing...
Don't let yourself think a few Turkey Day slip-ups are cause to give up your weight loss efforts altogether. It's rather tempting to go back to eating all of your old favorite fattening foods after you've blown your diet a few meals in a row.But remember, you will look and feel better come January 1 if you get right back on the wagon and return to your new, improved eating habits. Happy Thanksgiving!
No comments:
Post a Comment