The holidays should not be an excuse for you to neglect your figure and eat foods that don’t really nourish you.
Christmas is a beautiful time to enjoy friends and family. There is never a lack of excuses to be able to spend time with our loved ones: posadas, lunches, dinners, parties and meetings. However, that doesn’t mean you have to neglect your weight during the holidays.
Here are 10 tips to keep your figure this holiday season:
1. Enjoy your food during the holidays, but make sure the rest of your meals are balanced. For example, have some eggs for breakfast with some vegetables, instead of something with bread or an omelet.
2. Control your portions. If you can’t resist dessert, eat without remorse but always keep your portions small. To make this easier for you, you can use small plates.
3. Eat foods high in protein. Animal foods are high in protein and will help you feel full faster and longer. Cut down on pasta, breads, crackers and snacks. Eat turkey, cod, leg, etc. without remorse. Accompany them with a nice portion of fresh salad and you’ll be eating a complete and balanced meal.
4. Avoid sugary drinks. Swap the punch in favor of hot tea, sweetened with stevia or some other sweetener. As for alcoholic beverages, it is better to consume drinks that you can accompany with mineral water instead of juices or soft drinks. How about a whiskey and mineral water? Or a vodka (mineral water and lemon)? Wine for the toast? Prefer red wine over white wine as it contains less sugar.
5. Drink enough water throughout the day. This will help you avoid dehydration and mistaking hunger for thirst. It is recommended to drink 7 to 9 glasses of water a day.
6. Don’t stress. Avoid worrying too much and enjoy the holidays. Cortisol (the stress hormone) causes an increase in insulin which triggers an increase in appetite, especially from eating sweets and starches.
7. Eat slowly. Enjoy the flavors of the dishes and the company. This way you will be able to detect more easily when you are satisfied.
8. Exercise. Try to be physically active throughout the day. Take advantage of meetings to dance or do other physical activities.
9. Watch out for snacks. Serve the snacks you’re going to eat on a plate so you can keep track of the amount and avoid overindulging. Prefer snacks such as fresh vegetables rich in fiber, as well as nuts and almonds rich in unsaturated fats. This will help you to calm your hunger.
10. In your meetings, focus on mingling with people and not on the food. Sometimes we tend to stand at the side of the dessert or snack table, the best thing to do is just to take a small plate and go somewhere else.