The holiday season can be the most difficult time of all to lose weight. During this time of year, there seems to be fattening foods wherever we look. You don’t have to go trick-or-treating to be exposed to Halloween candy, and after that it only gets worse as holiday meals and parties are everywhere, causing many people to forget all about their diets. It seems like a conspiracy to make you fat! What can you do to start off the new year without carrying around ten (or maybe even more) extra pounds? Believe it or not, it’s possible to lose weight or at least not gain any over the holidays; below are some ways to accomplish this.
Control your portion sizes. Filling up your plate is a habit that many people have, and it’s one you should break.
Take small portions of the things you want to eat. Your plate shouldn’t feel so heavy you have to carry it with two hands. Remember all of the effort you’ve put into losing weight when you fill up your plate -you can indulge in almost anything, as long as it’s a small portion. Limiting your portions is something to keep in mind at all times, but many people forget about it when November and December roll around. Apply this to holiday parties and meals and you should have a grand time indulging.
In between all those holiday meals and parties, eat as healthy as you can. This isn’t to say you should starve yourself. If you eat too little this time of year, you’ll only be tempted to overindulge when the holiday foods are passed around. Lean protein and healthy carbs (in moderation) can help you feel satisfied without being fattening. So pay attention to how you eat for your regular meals during the holiday season, and you won’t have to pay as high a price when you attend parties and gatherings.
While teaming up with someone who’s also trying to lose weight is helpful no matter what season it is, during the holidays it can be even more beneficial. You probably know someone else in your family, office or among your friends who also wants to lose some pounds. Your weight loss buddy can be someone to turn to when you’re tempted to abandon the struggle. If either of you gets discouraged, you’ll have someone to talk to. You’ll find that overcoming all the holiday temptations and pushing forward towards your goals is a lot less difficult with a partner. There are so many things that can stress people out during the holidays. Why should your diet and weight loss goals be among them? You can help yourself by doing a lot of things to keep on your diet, which will result in losing weight. We’ve talked about a few of them here in this article. If you will look hard enough, you will find the right thing to do.