Are you one of the many people who gain 10 to 15 pounds during the holiday season and then struggle the rest of the year to lose them? This is almost a Canadian tradition as so much focus is put on food during this 6 week period. By establishing a new holiday tradition, you can weigh the same on January 2 as on November 2. You will be a happier and more energetic person for it. Here are some suggestions.

Talk about something else - spend less time cooking, baking, buying delicacies. Talk less about dieting, recipes, food, and how delicious it all tastes. The more you get excited about food, the more you eat and stimulate eating in others. Focus on the meaning of the holidays and the joy of spending time with family and friends.

Cut back on fat and sugar - serve lighter meals, fewer desserts, or no desserts. Forget to buy candy and snack foods. If you must bake, try cutting back by one-third or one-half of fat and sugar in favorite recipes. They will probably taste the same or even better.

Serve smaller portions - one serving of turkey and stuffing tastes just as good as two or three. Eat it slower. Put less food on the table. Serve smaller deserts by cutting the pie in eight instead of six.

Keep temptation out of sight - clear away food immediately after meals and put snack foods away. Light Christmas candles instead of having candy dishes.

Snacks – enjoy your family and friends over a cup of spicy or mint tea and healthy snacks like fruit put out in attractive trays.

Holiday drinks - keep lemons on hand. When everyone else is drinking those high calorie drinks, mix yourself a carbonated lemon aid: 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 sachet of stevia and carbonated or tonic water. This will aid digestion and help keep the pounds off.

Relax – it is all right to eat a big meal now and then. One big meal will not add 10 pounds. But a marathon of eating big meals and being merry for six weeks may.

Daily exercise – does not mean you have to go to the gym. Even on those big meal days, instead of sitting around eating even more, go for a walk with a family member or a friend. Exercise reduces stress and gives us renewed vigor and enthusiasm.

If you gain weight…cut back on empty calorie foods in between the big meals and exercise more. It is much easier to lose it right away, than going on another diet after Christmas.

For more information on nutritional planning or complete nutritional assessments contact Charlotte at charlottel@nb.aibn.com.

PEACE ON EARTH …THIS WAS MARTIN LUTHER KING’S DREAM
“The kind of love people should have for everyone, including their enemies is overflowing love which is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless and creative – Martin Luther King”. SEASONS GREETINGS!!!

Disclaimer: The advice detailed in this article assumes that you are a normally healthy adult. The author, publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage suffered by individuals as a result of following advice in this article.