Holiday Season

We all know that the holiday season is not only full of fun-feasting and merry drinking but also is notoriously bad for our waistlines. In fact, on average, Americans gain around 10lbs from thanksgiving to New Years. How do we help this from happening while still enjoying the festivities? Here are some easy things you can do to help keep the pounds off, without having to sit on the sidelines!

1. When it comes to alcohol, the key is MODERATION! But also, stick to wine, champagne and light beers, mixed drinks add alot more calories than you realize!
For instance:
1 glass (5oz) red wine around 127 calories, white wine 120 calories
1 light beer around 100 calories
1 glass (4oz) champagne around 78 calories
COMPARED TO
1 glass rum and coke around 182 calories
1 frozen margarita around 246 calories
1 long island ice tea around 276 calories
1 whiskey sour around 175 calories
1 vodka cranberry around 172 calories
1 cup of egg nog (without liquor) is around 340 calories

2. If you know you're going to a party where there will be food served, the most important thing to do is to EAT BEFOREHAND. Have a light dinner, such as a salad, before you go, which will keep you fuller and help you to eat less! Those little appetizers really add up and people tend to overeat by underestimating the amount of food they have eaten.

3. If you have to have a dessert, try to stay away from certain baked goods! One slice of pecan pie (not including the whipped cream or ice-cream you'd have with it) is around 500 calories!! One slice of apple pie has 250 calories, and a slice of pumpkin pie has 350 calories. Try to pick a fruit dessert instead!

4. If you do in fact have a day where you completely splurged, there's no need to panic. But make sure that the next few days you take it a lot easier! Ramp up on exercise and increase your vegetable and low calorie foods intake. Weight loss and weight maintenance is all about an overall decrease or balance in the number of calories in vs. number of calories out.

5. If sports are a big part of your holiday season, as they are for a lot of us, it is very important to NOT EAT WHILE WATCHING THE TV. Snacks, like chips and dips, seem to disappear so much faster when we are watching tv. This is simply because you are not paying attention to how much you are eating, and since these types of snacks are rarely filling, we end up consuming wayy too many calories above and beyond.

6. Lastly, the most important part of not gaining weight this season will simply be to WATCH WHAT YOU EAT. When making a plate at a buffet, don't pile up and don't go back for seconds. If you are having appetizers, make sure you keep count of just how many you've had! Same with your alcoholic drinks. If you know you are going to be eating out, earlier in the day don't snack and eat lighter.

These are all easy and simple tricks, it just makes sure that you must be mindful this holiday season!