'Tis the season for spending time with the family and the many holiday parties both inside and outside work.
There’s food just about everywhere we turn. And if you think you’re putting on some weight this time of year, you might be right. Studies have shown people gain anywhere from one to ten pounds during the holiday season.
Registered Dietician Rebecca Denison with GBMC said different strategies can work to help avoid the temptation around us.
She said don’t feel like you need to finish your plate; the first few bites might be all you need.
“The first three bites are where you’re going to get the most pleasure and enjoyment and then you’re just chasing it like a drug addict after that,” Dennison said.
Some other strategies include the “10 minute rule.”
“If you still want something in 10 minutes, you can have it. Try to distract yourself in that time,” Denison said.
If you’re at a holiday party, Denison said try to enjoy the other reasons you went, like, catching up with friends and networking. Don’t stand by the food table. And before you even go to the party, try to visualize what you’ll do when you get there.
“Practice yourself going to the party, having fun, and not overeating. Seems a little different for a lot of people but visualization is a very strong tool,” she said.
Denison said most American’s don’t have a healthy relationship with food. A bad recipe for our bodies.
“When we constantly expose our bodies to the calories it cannot consume at one time which is about 500-1000 calories at one time, that we can actually absorb at one time, it has to figure out what to do with those items, and that tends to be the fat around our middle which tends to be the most unhealthy fat to have on our bodies,” Denison said.
The first step to having control over what you eat is believing it’s possible and know you’re not always going to get it right, especially at first.
Also, make sure to stay active.
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