Eating for Weight Loss During the Holidays

The holidays are notorious for the amount of food that you’ll find yourself offered at various social gatherings, and the negative result that this can have on our diets can make any dieter secretly dread the coming of Christmas.  People everywhere struggle with weight loss, especially around this time of year, and knowing how to eat without gaining extra weight can be hard when there are so many delicious foods to choose from.  Here are some tips to help you eat for weight loss this holiday season without having to skip everything you love.

While eating for weight loss typically means avoiding the best foods and opting to replace most foods with vegetables or low fat options, the holiday approach is slightly different.  During the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, maintaining a proper diet is absolutely essential, but when the two big days arrive, consider a different strategy.

For starters, drink a large glass of water before a big holiday meal.  This reduces the available space in your stomach so that you cannot overeat – even if you’re tempted to.  Second, take a small portion of your favorite foods only, not a regular sized helping.  That way it will look like you’re taking some of everything whereas you are really only taking half a meal… with half the calories. 

If you are playing chef this year you can always make healthy substitutions in your recipes, but if not, then take only a small amount of each food.  Smaller portion sizes will certainly help your weight loss goals without requiring you to pass up on your favorite dishes.   When dessert comes around, split a small portion with your spouse or child.  This lets you enjoy your favorite foods without destroying your weight loss goals.

Eating for weight loss during the holidays is all about portion control.  Maintain your diet throughout the season and ensure that you make the right choices at the big meals, and your weight loss plan will still be on track when the holidays are over.