This may sound funny, or even weird, but take a small plate with you to your holiday parties.
Think about it. One of the main reasons everybody gains weight during the holidays is over-eating. Weight gain is the direct result of excess calories, and we not only go back for seconds, but, thirds and fourths. So, control your portion size by limiting how much food you are able to put on your plate at one time.
Food and Calories
There really isn’t one specific macronutrient (ie. carbs, fats, proteins) that you can eliminate from your diet to avoid weight gain. Excess carbs equals excess calories. Excess fats equals excess calories. You see where this is going. Excess of any macronutrients equal an excess in calories, which in turn, leads to weight gain.
Most of us are unconscious about the total number of calories on our plate. We are, however, conscious of how many times we refill our plate. And, in social situations, our friends are more likely to comment on how many times we have gone back to refill our plate versus how much is on our plate.
The beauty of having a small plate at holiday parties is that we can set ourselves up for success. We can do this by controlling how much we put on our plate, amount of time it takes us to eat, and even leveraging social pressure in our favor.
Drinks and Calories
Just because our attention is on food calories doesn’t mean that our liquid calories are off the hook. The best way to offset the calories you are going to eat, is to reduce the calories you are going to drink. We can do this by carrying a few pixies of GreenTeaHP with you. There is a GreenTeaHP for every occasion.
Other Health Benefits
By limiting the total amount of calories we consume, we can avoid the common pitfalls of overeating at holiday parties. In addition to weight gain, overeating can weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to the flu and cold season. When we control our caloric intake, we are healthier, we feel more attractive and we enjoy the holiday season more.