Avoid Weight Gain During the Holidays

Avoiding weight gain during the holiday season is challenging, but there are a lot of ways you can enjoy the abundance of food while maintaining a stable weight. One of the most critical components to not gaining weight during the holidays is by practicing moderation. Moderation is incredibly important, as it allows you to savor your favorite foods during the holiday season without the worry of gaining weight. Often times moderation is not practiced during the holiday season as it is considered a time to enjoy food and company, but it is critical to maintaining an ideal weight. 

Control Your Appetite

People will tend to misconstrue their level of hunger, often leading to overeating. In order to avoid this, do not continue to eat after you feel that you have had enough. Many people often make the mistake of consuming a large amount during the main course of the meal and then continuing to have dessert afterwards. If you would like to have both dinner and dessert, it is recommended that you consume less during dinner in order to cut calories. If you would like to enjoy certain types of food during the holidays ensure that you moderate yourself in other areas. 

Calories Count

Being aware of the caloric content in food and beverage can also drastically decrease weight gain during the holiday season. Often alcoholic beverages have a large amount of calories within them. It is common to consume this drink during the holidays, but moderation must be practiced. Often times just knowing the caloric content within common holiday foods will cut the amount of weight you gain during the holiday season. Knowing the caloric content of foods will allow you to determine an appropriate portion size when choosing what types of foods you will be eating at a holiday gathering. 

Avoiding light snacking before courses can also help cut caloric intake and weight gain during the holidays. Often time hosts will have a variety of small delicacies on the table before a meal is served. These should generally be avoided if you are trying to watch your weight, as you will be having a main course and possibly dessert later.  

Again, the key to avoiding weight gain during the holidays is to practice moderation and to have knowledge about the types of food you are consuming. You can still enjoy all the holiday themed foods you love while avoiding weight gain.