Everywhere you look people are offering you Christmas goodies and high calorie sweets to eat and enjoy. Although they taste great and we usually only get to enjoy them during the holidays, the amount of fat and calories that are in them is enough to put you over your ideal weight, making it tough to shed those pounds once the new year begins. Its not only the sweets that add those pounds, sugary drinks, specialty lattes, spiced eggnog(or other alcoholic drinks) and rich festive foods are also a big problem.
Here are some things to consider before you get too far into this holiday season:
1. Count your calories – Before indulging on large quantities of food or drink, check out the calories on-line at nutritiondata.com. Be prepared before you go to a party or gathering. At Nutrition Data they have a BMI and Daily Needs Calculator that will tell you where your recommended daily intakes should be.
2. Snack a little between meals – A handful of nuts will help keep you from eating a big lunch.
3. Chew gum – Chewing gum will keep your mouth busy and not thinking so much about food. Research on monkeys has demonstrated that chewing helps release cholecystokinin, a powerful hormone that helps make you feel full.
4. Choose fruit over Juice – An apple will satisfy longer than drinking the same amount of calories in an 8 oz glass of apple juice.
5. Stay on your exercise routine – It may seem that you don’t have time with all the holiday happenings but you must make your exercise routine a priority if you want to keep your girlish figure.
Now this doesnt mean you have to miss out on all the great food the holidays have to offer, it just means you need to be selective, chosing lower fat options and puttng limits on the amount you do eat.