With the holiday season coming up, our fridges and tables will soon be filling up with traditional holiday treats – turkey, pumpkin pies, yams and other delicious – yet caloric – foods. People trying to lose weight find this particular time of year more challenging than any other season, after all, what can be more tempting than tucking into scrumptious temptations with your friends and family! The great news is, you can still enjoy the holiday season with all its wonders without jeopardizing all your work prior to Thanksgiving. All you need is a couple of tips and tricks on how to stay on track – keep on reading!
Weight Loss Spring Hill – Eat what you love!
The absolute worst strategy you can come up with is trying to resist all temptations. There is absolutely no way you will be able to happily eat your sad little salad while your family is stuffing their mouths full with stuffed turkey. Nobody’s will is that strong! If fact, in the long run, your so called strong will will snap and your mind and body will try to make up for all the things you’ve been denying yourself for the past couple of days. Every dietitian, including our Spring Hill dietitian will tell you the same thing – it’s better to eat one piece of pie a day than eat a whole pie in one sitting!
That being said, try to avoid too much resistance at the Thanksgiving table and do not feel guilty for having eaten more calories than you probably should. It is supposed to be magical time filled with joy and laughter! Don’t spoil it with negative emotions. You can definitely eat your favorite food and still be able to stay on track to losing weight – provided you won’t stuff yourself to the point of being sick!
Dietitian Brooksville – Healthy choices at the table
If you’re the person responsible for cooking at your house, what you can also do is try to substitute your traditional holidays foods with healthier versions. Or you can pitch some of the ideas to the cook! Here are a couple tips you can try:
- in general, oven-baked is always better than fried. It contains less saturated fats and calories, yet it’s just as delicious!
- avoid store-bought, already-made foods. They usually contain additives and conservatives to make them last longer and you want to stay out of these. Try making your own pumpkin puree or sweet potatoes mash instead of using canned goodies. Healthy, tasty and the satisfaction of making them yourself – priceless!
- prioritize vegetables – you can experiment with all the fantastic recipes that are out there – roasted brussels sprouts with rosemary, honey-glazed carrots, or baked yams. As soon as you realise that veggies don’t have to be boring, losing weight will become a piece of cake – so to say! ?
And if, despite all your efforts, you gain too much of that ‘holiday weight’, our registered dietician in Spring Hill, Brooksville, Hernando Beach and Hudson can help you get back to your perfect weight. Losing weight can be a beautiful and satisfying journey – provided you do it right! Contact us today and see how we can help you achieve your goals.