The holidays are a time for celebration and having fun with friends and family, but they can also be fraught with worry when you’re on a weight-loss journey. No matter the holiday, we’ve compiled our best tips and tricks for staying on track while still enjoying the festivities.
Make a plan (with wiggle room)
One of the simplest ways to stick to your eating plan is to make a plan of what you’re going to eat ahead of time and to stick to that plan. If the plan is too rigid, however, you might feel panicked if you end up eating or drinking more than you intended. If possible, come up with a realistic goal of what you’d like to enjoy, giving yourself the option to consume a certain number of extra Points if you happen to deviate from the plan.
Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is an integral part of any healthy weight loss plan for several reasons: it can lead to feelings of satiety, it may stimulate your metabolism, it helps with digestion, and it has been shown to lower liquid calorie intake. If you plan on consuming alcohol, aim to drink a full glass of water between each alcoholic beverage. Not only will this slow down alcohol consumption, but it will also help prevent a hangover the following morning (and stave off cravings for greasy hangover food in the process.)
Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables
Non-starchy vegetables are not only delicious and nutritious, they’re also super-filling because of how much dietary fibre and water they contain. Eating a bowl of salad or vegetable soup before the big meal is another excellent way to increase feelings of satiety. You’ll find that enjoying a vegetable-based dish that’s rich in ZeroPoint veggies before or during a heavy meal means you’re less likely to veer off track over the course of the main meal.
Treat yourself to a post-meal stroll
Lace up those running shoes and hit the streets for a walk after you’ve finished your meal. It doesn’t have to be a long or vigorous walk, even a 15-minute saunter around the block will promote healthy digestion and give your body the time it needs to realize it’s full. You have the option to invite family members to join you or you can use the opportunity to take some well-deserved time for yourself.
Enjoy your favourite foods in moderation
Whether it’s a rich dessert or a special cheese board, holiday meals tend to be on the decadent side no matter which course they belong to. Make room in your plan to enjoy these foods, especially if you only tend to eat them at certain times of the year. Serve yourself small portions and take the time to truly relish these foods. For many people, you might even find that depriving yourself leads to overindulging later on.
Be kind to yourself
If you accidentally surpass your Points budget for the day resist the urge to be hard on yourself. Holidays and all the special foods that come with them don’t happen every day — falling off track for a day or two isn’t the end of the world. Recognize your amazing efforts throughout the rest of the year and pick it back up the following day. In fact, you can plan ahead for this by making sure your kitchen is stocked with all your favourite low or ZeroPoint foods so that you can fall back into your regular eating plan without any effort.