Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

Surviving the holidays without gaining weight means making an extra effort to be mindful of what, when and how often you eat. Here are a few tips to enjoy the holidays without losing sight of your weight loss goals.

Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

Ignore the growl. You shouldn’t starve yourself, but if you’re eating regular snacks and meals, you may need to retrain yourself to ignore the occasional hunger pang. Make sure you’re not thinking about food because you’re bored rather than hungry.

Make your seconds healthy. If your first plate of food didn’t leave you feeling satisfied and you find yourself going back for seconds, make sure to stick to healthy vegetables for your refill.

Share your dessert. If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth with one of your favorite holiday treats, share a serving with someone. You’ll take in fewer calories practicing portion control in pairs.

Skip dessert and have fruit. If you can resist the cookies and pies all together, satisfy your sweet tooth with a piece of fruit or fruit salad.

Keep your salad dressing on the side. Whether eating out or eating at home, keeping your salad dressing on the side and dipping your bites as needed will usually lead to you eating less dressing.

Avoid the alcohol. Alcoholic cocktails are loaded with empty calories and sugars. Stay away from overloading on alcohol at your holiday parties if you want to avoid gaining weight.

The rules for healthy eating during the holidays are pretty much the same as the rules you follow for losing weight the rest of the year. But with temptation out in full force, you may need to recommit to making healthy choices during the holidays.