How to Eat, Drink and be Merry, without gaining weight.

Once again tis the time of year to eat, drink and be merry. The holidays are here and everyone is cooking up a storm or headed over to the family barbecue.

It sure seems easy to gain a lot of weight during the holidays. And wouldn't it be nice if we could get away with eating all that food and not gaining those extra pounds.

Well, I'm not going to say that is easy, but here are some tips you can do to keep from eating too much of the stuffing, and saving room for mom's apple pie. They can help keep you from overeating and still eat what you like.

1. Before you sit down to the big meal drink 1-3 glasses of water. This will give you a fuller feeling and help you to eat smaller portions. Speaking of which:

2. When you do sit down for the big family meal ask yourself this. How much food is on the table and how much do I want sample. Speaking of Samples, try this: Select your portions in sample size. You may be amazed at how fast your plate fills up and still be able to taste all the different flavors too. Plus, you'll be able to speak knowledgabley about every dish that is served (including the soup).

3. Another good tip is to have an appetizer before the main meal. No, not the cakes and candy. I'm talking about a having a salad or a bowl of soup, which helps you to feel fuller, so you desire less of the main coarses. Allowing you to select your portion size with your eyes instead of your stomach. Speaking of the stomach:

4. Don't go to the big meal with a big appetite. Eat something (not too much) at least 2-3 hours before you go. This will help keep your metabolism normal so that you don't feel starved or full when you get there. It also helps you avoid munching on the sweets and candies when you get there.

In summary here it is. Eat something 2-3 hours before the big meal. Drink 1-3 glasses of water, have a bowl of soup or salad as an appetizer and choose smaller portions of each dish you like and save room for dessert.

Let's not forget about mom's famous lines "eat your vegetables" and "chew your food slowly". These two tips are surprisingly effective. Vegetables have a lot of fiber which fills you up faster and have a lot of vitamins and minerals that satisfies the bodies need for healthy nutrition. Chewing your food slowly breaks it up more thoroughly so that your digestive system can process it more efficiently.

I used these tips last year and was able to maintain my body weight and eat Aunt Ann's homemade apple pie too. The turkey still put me to sleep after dinner, but hey, do you know a better way to get out of doing the dishes? Just kidding, For my next tip try this, when the meal is over offer to help clear the table or do the dishes. A little bit of activity after a big meal keeps your metabolism going and helps you digest more of the nutrients and absorb less of the fat.

Remember, if all these tips don't work you can always go on a diet later. The holidays are meant to be fun, so enjoy yourself.

If the pressure to eat too much is too great, then eat and plan too lose weight later. Which brings us to the best tip of all. To lose or maintain your weight you must plan to manage your weight. Weight loss planning before you overeat is much more effective than after.

Click Here To Bookmark Eat, Drink and Be Merry

(Permalink)

If you liked this page click the "Like" button