5 Simple Tips to Beat the Holiday Season Fat Traps – Without Starving Yourself

Remember that feeling of delicious excitement we used to feel when we were kids as the end of the year holidays approached? Sadly, for many of us it has been replaced by a sense of dread … and not just at the prospect of opening our credit card bill in January!

For some, an even greater fear awaits: the prospect of tackling the bathroom scale after weeks of festive food and drink.

It was not for nothing that they once called the holidays “holidays” of Christmas. In medieval times, these festivals were rare islands of indulgence in oceans of famine that lasted for months.

In the developed world these days, the closest we get to famine is when we work through lunch. It can be a battle to keep our weight under control in the face of everyday food temptations. The end of the year parties can take us to the limit.

But it does not have to be like that. Here are five simple tips for beating the holiday season grease traps … and the inevitable guilt that follows. You’ll be relieved to learn that none of them involve starving yourself. In fact, the first tip advises the exact opposite …

1) eat a good breakfast

This may seem counterproductive, but this advice applies to everyday life, so why change it during the holidays? Many people sleep in late and skip breakfast during the holidays. By the time lunch or dinner arrives, they are starving and putting much more in their mouths than they normally would.

I assume, of course, that your regular breakfast is sensible and healthy. Starting the day with a stack of pancakes, grits, bacon, and six eggs is NOT a good way to start the day, holiday or not!

2) Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Anyway, you should drink a lot of water every day. During the holidays, this is even more important.

We all tend to drink more alcohol or sugary sodas during vacation periods. I’m not going to be a party pooper and I suggest you deny yourself these indulgences, but try to alternate each “bad” drink with a glass of water. If it’s a glass of club soda, with a lemon wedge, it won’t look or feel out of place. Your head and stomach will thank you the next morning.

3) Fill with fiber

Drink one of eight or more glasses of water half an hour to forty minutes before the main meal, along with a fiber supplement. You also don’t need to buy overpriced and over the top diet aids like ZetaCap or FiberThin. A product like Metamucil is much cheaper and just as effective.

You’ll feel fuller when food arrives, so you’ll eat less. And thanks to the extra fiber in your diet, food won’t stay in your digestive system for as long, which means less will be absorbed to eventually reach your waist or thighs.

4) Control your pace

This applies to the holiday season as a whole and to each of the great meals found during this period. Of course, enjoy the holidays, but resist the urge to turn every day between Thanksgiving and New Years into a holiday.

When presented to a table full of all kinds of delicacies, the natural response is to fill your plate with everything that can fit on it. Instead, opt for more, but for smaller portions. Have a slice of turkey with some vegetables. Then he comes back for a slice of ham and potatoes. Hmm, that sauerkraut looks good …

Chew slowly and talk with your friends and family. Parties are, by nature, matters of leisure. Use this to your advantage and take your time. This way, your stomach will have plenty of time to register that it is full, which is not the case when you are scoffing at a huge plate of food.

The advantage is that you can actually enjoy the dessert, rather than forcing him to have it out of obligation.

5) take a hike

Yes, the holidays offer more culinary temptations. But they also offer more opportunities for fun fat-burning activities.

Go for a leisurely swim or walk on the beach if you live in a warm climate. Otherwise, take a relaxing walk through the woods with your children. Or snuggle up with your partner in front of a blazing fire … which is sure to lead to one of the most effective and enjoyable forms of exercise!

Happy Holidays!