As we approach the end of October and the candy-filled bowls that ensue, we enter another month with a holiday. If you are like most Americans, Thanksgiving usually is a time spent with friends and family around a table filled with unhealthy choices. Some people decide to not eat all day because of the ensuing onslaught of food that will take place over the next several hours. The holidays can be a difficult time of year in which most individuals will pack on 5 to 20lbs and will end up keeping that weight on for the rest of the entire year. I thought it might be helpful to provide some great ways to keep the pounds off during the holidays.
The best way to stave off the pounds is to create a caloric deficit by exercising more to compensate for the extra calories you are consuming. This could be as simple as increasing the number of steps you take in a days time. By wearing a pedometer this can help you track the number of steps that you usually take and then you can double that during the holidays. Another option is to increase the number of times you work out in a week or increase the duration. That means if you work out 3 days a week normally, try working out 5 or 6 during the holiday months. If you typically only work out for 30 minutes a day, try increasing that to an hour. The rule of thumb is that if you are going to indulge your cravings, you have to burn off all of those extra calories.
Another poor choice people make is to not eat breakfast or anything prior to arriving for the large meal. This is a terrible idea because you body is in a catabolic state when you wake up after hours of sleep. Then if you combine not eating for several hours, that means your body will continue to store bodyfat and lose lean muscle tissue. A person’s metabolism starts when food enters the digestion system and if a person doesn’t eat within 3 hours the body will revert back to its catabolic state. It is intrical that a person eats breakfast within the first hour upon awakening in order to start the metabolism. A well-balanced meal consisting of a protein and carbohydrate will help fill satiety levels and keep the individual full for approximately 3 hours. An individual should then continue to eat every 3 hours after consuming breakfast until the time that they are ready to go to sleep for the evening.
If you want to stave off some extra calories during the Thanksgiving meal, try utilizing recipes or other ingredients to lessen the overall calories in the meal. Try using a fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey and make the gravy. Use substitutes for butter and oil wherever you can. You can also use sugar substitutes in place of sugar and/or fruit purees instead of various oils. Another idea is to try plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream in creamy dips, mashed potatoes, and casseroles.
Another great trick is to eat your protein first and your carbohydrate second. This will help you limit the amount of carbs that you actually consume because the protein will fill you up. If you are at a buffet, try to choose the options that have the least amount of calories. Items that have little or no sauces/gravy are better choices and load up on your vegetables. Try to limit yourself to only one starch at a meal. By combining all of these tactics, hopefully you are able to maintain your weight through the holidays or possibly even lose a few pounds.