Holiday Help!!!

“The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.”~ Unknown

     Hi everyone! Well, I know that we are admist of what I call the “Triple Threat” of the year when it comes to weight loss. It starts off with Halloween, goes through Thanksgiving, and even before you have a chance to let your pants out, you have to deal with the holidays. I guess all those dinners, parties, goodies, and temptations that we are faced with and often give into are one reason that many people put down “lose weight” when New Years finally comes around. I know that I'm going to have to keep in mind some things this holiday season if I want to avoid gaining even more weight.

     One of the things I'm going to do is if I'm invited to a potluck party, I'm going to try to make a personal dish that I enjoy and is also on the healthier side. That way, if there are no other healthier dishes that I can put on my plate at the party, I know I can always fall back on my dish rather than only having less healthy options to choose from. If there are other healthier dishes at the party, I can also fill my plate up with them and by doing so, I'll be better at practicing my second strategy, which is moderation.

     I'm a big advocate of moderation for the simple fact that life is too short to not occasionally indulge in something you enjoy, including certain foods, even if it may not necessarily be good for you. However, the key to this notion is to try to practice moderation when it comes to temptation. This year, when I go to any holiday parties, I'm going to try to devote the largest portion of my plate to the healthier food options while leaving a little room to sample any “guilty pleasures” I know I really want to try. I think this strategy will allow me to get a taste of some of the more indulgent foods, such as desserts, without completely blowing my weight loss efforts.

     A third technique I'm going to try this holiday season is to drink atleast one glass of water right before I eat at a party. Water helps me feel fuller before I eat so I am more likely to eat less. It will also keep me more hydrated in case I do decide to drink an alcohol beverage at the party.

I hope that these three little tips will help me from gaining weight during this holiday season. If anyone reading this entry has any waistline-friendly recipes or weight-loss tips that they would like to share, please feel free to leave it in a comment below :)