Bangkok--15 Dec--francom asia
The New Year season is coming and most of us are taking 5 to 9 days of holiday. Many people are planning a much-awaited trip with their loved ones, or a hometown visit to join a festive family celebration. Others will be gearing up for a series of parties with friends at chic nightclubs or rooftop bars around the Sathorn, Thonglor and Sukhumvit areas, or other jam-packed nightspots throughout Thailand. There are those planning a quiet, cozy celebration at home, or having a private celebration with some champagne, cheese and cold cuts, or even a bottle of beer and crispy fried chicken.
Most festive activities will put you face to face with situations that will trigger you to overeat. But you must remember to resist when your will power is being tested nonstop! We do not want to pay back the happy moments with a huge storage of fat and calories in our bodies. Susan Bowerman, Director of Nutrition Training at Herbalife, describes several situations that lead to overeating and offers smart tips to keep us away from unhealthy weight gain.
1. Longer meals – Holiday meals tend to be leisurely, and the longer you sit at the table, the more you’re likely to eat.
Tip: Stop eating when you realize you are full. To signal the end of the meal, take your plate into the kitchen, or pop a breath mint in your mouth.
2. Eating with other people – Aside from adding temptation, long meals can influence you to have large portions that others are eating.
Tip: Be the first to serve yourself with a reasonable portion, so you are not swayed by the amount of food being piled on other people’s plates.
3. Drinking alcohol – Alcohol is high in calories and can loosen your will power.
Tip: Set a limit of how many drinks you will have and stick to it! You can alternate alcoholic drinks with calorie-free beverages.
4. Exposure to wide variety of foods – The more variety there is on your plate, the greater the chance of over-eating.
Tip: Limit the number of choices you allow yourself, or keep your portions very small if you’re going for variety.
5. Pressure from friends and family – Relatives prepare plenty of special holiday dishes. Either you cannot resist them, or you eat a lot to please them!
Tip: Try helping yourself to just a small portion and when urged to have seconds, tell them you might get more later.
6. Getting out of your usual routine – Several days of feasting are enough to destroy the healthy eating habits you have executed throughout the year
Tip: Try to stick to your usual eating routine, and make a commitment to stay on track with your exercise, too.
7. Eating away from home –When you’re outside, it is harder to control portion sizes and ingredients.
Tip: Get a small portion of rich food, and fill the rest of your plate with healthy choices like vegetables and green salads. Use a smaller plate if possible
8. Buffet - It can be the ‘’perfect storm” of overeating – there’s lots of variety and you can go back as many times as you want!
Tip: Take a stroll down the length of the buffet line and determine what you’re going to have. Fill up your plate with the lower-calorie items, with much smaller portions of the richer fare.
9. High exposure to food - During holiday time, you’re exposed to unhealthy food everywhere - sugary snacks and cookies you receive as gifts from friends and family and New Year’s cake at the office. It indulges you to eat much more than you normally do.
Tip: Rather than let your impulses win, stop and ask yourself whether you planned to eat it or not. If not, you shouldn’t be eating it.
With these reminders, you will be better prepared to face the sweet temptations of the holiday season. Have fun and enjoy the company of your friends and loved ones while avoiding weight gain. Remember that self-discipline is one of the most important qualities to have if you want to create the life you really desire. Oh yes, you know you can do it!
*These tips are brought to you by Herbalife in line with its mission of providing nutrition for a better life and promoting healthy, active lifestyles.