Festive and holiday seasons are here. The time of the year, when friends and family members, will make loads of goodies with lots of butter, cream, cheese, ghee and will be sorely offended if you say no to their culinary experiments. And you would be challenged not to give in to the temptations.
The good news is you can have the best of both worlds by doing it right our way –
- Start the day right: An important way to sustain your energy and avoid overeating is to never skip breakfast. Â Include protein, complex carbohydrates, and some dairy in your breakfast. These will stabilize your blood sugar and keep you feeling satisfied. Plan the meals for the day and eat all of them. Since you already know which all meal you will eat out, ensure that the meals you are not eating-out are extremely healthy. Try to eat dinner at home before you go for the card parties which will serve drink and fried food.
- Skip the appetizers and limit your variety – No rule book says you will have to eat everything that is served. It is ok just to eat two things out of 20. Survey the scene of buffet tables, know what your options are and decide which two you plan to have. If there is something that everyone is talking about, and you did not choose, just take one bite. Please be mindful not to waste food that you have served yourself.
- Choose a small plate – This will help you keep your portion on check. Also take everything you want just at the first time. If you keep going back to the buffet table you will quickly lose track of what you ate, and how much.
- Feed healthy dishes – If you are part of a potluck lunch, then make healthy dishes. There are a bunch of healthy dishes that are very easy to make. Practice what you preach.
- Go easy on drinks – Unless you are like me, who doesn’t drink alcoholic or any other non-alcoholic drinks (which are often loaded with soda, sugar, empty calories), try to take a break during your drinks. Drink at least 2 glasses of water after every drink. Water will keep you full and hydrated.
- Plan your workouts: Work-out in the morning, if you have a dinner, eat small dinner, and leave the dinner early, mentioning your workout schedule the following morning. You might get a few smirks, but a few smirks never killed anyone, yet.
- Wear snug clothes – This has always worked for me. You don’t want your paunch showing through them, do you?
No matter how tasty the food is, it is not wise to undo all the hard-work you did at the gym. Keep your summer image in mind before to go towards the plate! Happy Holidays!!
