Diet Strategies for the Holidays - #Thanksgiving, #holidays, #diet

The holiday season is coming up and along with that comes a lot of socializing, eating, and drinking. My husband's family is already planning our Thanksgiving meal, which will include turkey, ham, lamb, all the trimmings, plus all sort of desserts. One Thanksgiving, one of my sons counted the calories one could consume at such a celebration, and it was around 1,500 calories.


My friend, Maria Ciocon, and I were discussing a plan to keep from gaining weight over the holidays. Here are my suggestions:

Avoid drinking sodas and alcoholic drinks because they're loaded with calories;

Be careful of rich appetizers, trimmings, and desserts. I'm talking about chips and dip, mashed potatoes, gravy, butter, pies, cakes, bread and other carbs, and so on;

Think about what you pop into your mouth! Do you really want more dressing with gravy? Do you really want another slice of pie? Have that slice of pumpkin pie, but not two, and avoid eating it with whipped cream.

By all means eat at these gatherings, but do so sensibly.

Don't think you're "dieting" because you'll feel deprived; think instead that you're choosing to be "healthy" and taking care of yourself.  You'll feel better and lighter if you choose salads, vegetables, lean turkey meat, instead of piling your plate high with mashed potatoes, gravy, and other buttery creamy food.

Don't castigate yourself if you do eat too much. Just make up for it by eating salads and taking more walks in the days after.

At these gatherings, focus not so much in indulging in food and drink, but in talking to your loved ones.

Weigh yourself regularly so that you can correct yourself right away in case you gain a pound or two. It's easier to get rid of 1 or 2 pounds rather than 5 or more.

Here are some tips I picked up in the internet:

Healthy eating for the holidays

Top 10 Holiday Diet Tips of all time

Tags: holiday, diet, health, Thanksgiving, food

This is all for now,
Cecilia