Weigh-In Wednesday - Keeping in Control During the Holidays

Many of us are gearing up for four full days of fun times with friends, family and food! Then just a few short weeks later, we'll be entering into Christmas and New Years which are two other holidays that seem to be focused on the same three F's.

I thought I'd give you some of my own personal tips for how I keep myself in control during these festivities!  Here are my top 10 tips:

1. Volunteer to bring or make certain dishes and make them healthier; Low Fat/Fat Free Ingredients or more Vegetables.
2. While the main dishes are being prepared, keep yourself busy talking to everyone...playing with this kids...watching some football...anything that doesn't involve you standing at the snack station mindlessly eating handful after handful of various finger foods that are NOT nutritious in the least.
3. Get your first plate with small portions of everything you like...including the starches like Cream Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, etc...and eat it slowly while chatting it up with everyone.
4. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your first plate...this will keep you hydrated AND help you feel fuller.
5. If you go back for seconds, stick to proteins instead of the starches. If you're going to overeat, overeating some extra turkey is MUCH better than overloading on those carbs.
6. Avoid the extra rolls...you have plenty of other starches, don't add to it by eating a buttered roll that isn't even as delicious as those items you only get a few times a year.
7. If you let yourself have dessert, wait a good 30 minutes to 1 hour after you've eaten and stick with just one.  One piece of pie, one cookie, one spoonful of apple crisp.
8. Grab some of your fellow friends/family members and go for a walk after everyone's food has settled...not only are you getting exercise, but you also know it's coming and will be more cautions about over eating.
9. If people want to give you left overs, again, stick with the proteins and healthier options. Then you don't go home with all these starches and calorie soaked food that you feel obligated to eat, or guilty throwing them away, you make it home with things you feel good about eating.
10. Just because you aren't revolving your entire holiday around food, like we've been trained to do in the past, doesn't mean you won't have fun...so have fun and enjoy spending time with family and friends that you might not get to see as often!