7 Holiday Food Tips To Help You Avoid Excess Fat Gain

Worried about what the holidays mean for your waistline? If so, you aren’t alone. Most people do gain an average of 3-5 pounds over the two to three weeks that make up the holiday season so if you aren’t careful, you may find yourself having to set a weight-loss related New Year’s resolution.
This said, if you keep a few quick tips in mind, you can be sure to avoid excess fat gain this time around. Here are 7 must-know tips for you to be following.

• Avoid Chocolate Early In The Day

First, as best as possible, avoid eating chocolate earlier on in the day. If you indulge mid-afternoon or morning, there is a greater chance you may ‘write off’ that day and just keep indulging because you feel like you’ve blown it.

If you are going to treat yourself, try and do so in the evening when that treat is less likely to progress to a full out cheat day.

• Swap Out Mashed Potatoes For Mashed Squash Instead

If you’re planning on making mashed potatoes for one of your holiday meals, consider mashed butternut squash instead. This is a lower carb, lower calorie variety and will still taste great. Mash it up with some unsweetened almond milk or low sodium chicken broth.

• Opt For Turkey Rather Than Ham

If you’re choosing your main protein option, consider going for turkey rather than ham. Some people still prefer using ham as their main holiday meal, but ham contains more fat and less protein than turkey. As turkey is one of the leanest protein sources you can eat, it’s a great option to be selecting.

• Plan Your Snacks And Meals In Advance

Moving along, make sure that you plan your meals and snacks in advance as well. The more planned out you can be so that you know what you will be eating at each meal that comes your way, the less likely you are going to be to indulge in foods that you shouldn’t.

Those who don’t have a good game plan are almost inviting poor choices to enter the picture, so this can really influence how well you adhere to the diet you’re on.

• Get Active Every Chance You Get

If you want to minimize the damage of any indulgences you do make, you’ll want to make sure that you are getting active as often as possible. Even little bits of walking, window shopping, house cleaning, and so on will add up over time, so be sure that you are making an effort to get up and move. This will help to boost your daily energy expenditure, resulting in you keeping your calorie balance in check.

• Watch Alcoholic Beverages

Alcohol beverages must be monitored as well. Remember these contain a high amount of calories, especially if you go in for Egg Nogg or mixed drinks, you can easily take in 300-400 calories or more in a night.

If you add this to your diet plan, it adds up quickly and before you know it, you’re gaining weight at a rapid pace.

• Chew Gum Throughout The Day

Another quick tip to keep your calorie intake in check is to chew gum throughout the day. If you’re chewing gum, you won’t be putting other foods into your mouth and that will help you keep your calories under control.

Plus, the minty taste can have an appetite suppressing quality in itself.

So there you have 7 quick and simple tips that you can use to help keep your holiday as healthy as possible. Use these and you can make sure that you enter the New Year looking just as lean as you went into the holiday season.