Maintain, Don’t Gain, Through the Holidays-Guest Post by Dr. Sasse

The holidays are an especially difficult time to avoid carbohydrate calories and weight gain. Lots of the people we work with are great cooks and they have delicious recipes for holiday treats . We find the office full of delicious offerings on decorative holiday plates at every corner. And who can resist? Very few of us can! That’s why many of us gain several pounds during this time of year. Family functions, visiting relatives and holiday parties seem to take us away from exercise and conscientious food choices, and focus our attention on enjoying life, eating, drinking and good company. Not all bad certainly, but not all good either if all that enjoyment comes at the price of extra pounds and enlarging waistline. So what can you do to prevent the holiday bulge?

Here are a few tips compiled to help you avoid overindulging:


1. Never Arrive Hungry
Have a nutritious snack beforehand. If you do arrive hungry, drink some water to fill up before filling your plate.

2. Divert Your Attention
Don't forget that there's more to a holiday party than food. There is friends' company or dancing.

3. Pace Yourself


Chewing more slowly will fill you up with less food.


4. Be Careful of Buffet-Style Food Situations

Use the smallest plate and limit your helpings to a single story, and choose more protein and vegetables. This will be much more satisfying.
5. Limit Alcohol

Don't drink too much to where you lose self-control and wind up eating extra calories, in addition to the empty calories from the alcohol.
6. Be Choosy About Sweets
When it comes to dessert, be very selective and limit to small portions.

7. Bring Your Own Treats


Consider bringing a low-calorie treat that you'll enjoy and it'll make the fattening alternatives less tempting.

8. Limit 'Tastes' While Cooking


If you do a lot of cooking during the holidays, crack down on all those "tastes." Instead of tasting mindlessly every few minutes, limit yourself to two small bites of each item pre- and post-seasoning.


9. Walk It Off


Take a few minutes to get off the couch and walk around the block. Find opportunities to park further, use the stairs, etc



***This is a guest post provided by Dr. Sassse-To learn more visit his website at http://www.sasseguide.com/ No montetary compensation was received***