The holidays kick off with Thanksgiving, which means family events, office parties, get-togethers with friends … and all of the food, drinks and excess calories that come with them. Here are 12 tips to keep you from packing on the pounds and help you stay on track over Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season.
- DRINK WATER BEFORE ANY FUNCTION
Drink 4-5 glasses of water before you go out to any party or get-together. This gives your stomach the illusion of feeling full and decreases your appetite.
- PRE-PARTY WITH PROTEIN
Eat a heavy protein meal with veggies before you attend any party. This ensures your hunger has been satisfied and you will eat less junk at your future destination. - PORTION CONTROL
A serving size should be able to fit in the palm of your hand. Try it all – but in moderation! - EAT IN ORDER
As you sit down with your heaping plate, make sure to eat your salad, vegetables and protein first. You will quickly begin to feel full and are less likely to finish the remaining high-glycemic carbs on your plate.
- PICK YOUR POISON
If you are going to eat, big leave the alcohol out of the equation. Or vice versa. The more you eat, the more alcohol you can consume. Dangerous combo!
- LEAVE THE LEFTOVERS
Mom and grandma love to send us home with cookies, pies and leftovers. Say thank you but no thank you. Leave it, and avoid the temptation after the gathering!
- INCREASE YOUR OMEGA-3s
If you know you are going to consume additional calories, increase your omega-3 intake to as much as 8-10,000 mg per day via fish oil or flaxseed oil for optimal fat burning.
- FRESHEN YOUR BREATH
Brush your teeth right after you eat, or keep minty sugarless gum in your pocket. This will help keep you from binging on more food after your first round.
- PARTNER UP
Split dessert with your partner or a family member. If no one wants to split it with you, take half a serving.
- DON’T SKIP WORKOUTS
Exercise on the day of the party. If you want to eat poorly, then you need to earn it. Get your ass in the gym and get in a hard HIIT cardio session and intense leg workout. Make those less-than-healthy foods work for you. Be the boss!
- DON’T STARVE YOURSELF
Get up, exercise and eat healthy all day. Do not send your body into shock by starving, then packing in tons of food, high in simple sugars – sending your body into storage mode. Keep it consistent!
- LIFTING OVER CARDIO
The average moderately intense hour-long lifting session can burn twice as many calories as a low-intensity, hour-long cardio session over the course of the day. HIT THE WEIGHTS!
