The holidays are always fun but no matter how hard you try; eating right is just not in the holiday spirit. For me the holiday season is about two things, forgetting about pesky portion sizes and the need to drink water regularly. Food starts to exceed the plate limit and water gets replaced with holiday sodas, wine, beer, champagne and all the other forms of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages.
Getting back on track can be hard, and often people do this by going on post holiday diets in order to supposedly regain that balanced healthy diet. While such a drastic change is not very healthy, it also tends to leave one hungry and unsatisfied. But there is no need to force yourself not to eat after you’ve eaten too much.
Here are my simple steps to help regain the balance needed in day to day meals.
1. Try to forget about eating out for a while. Probably the holidays meant that you dined at a restaurant more often than you would on a regular basis, and why wouldn’t you? There are so many occasions for it. However cooking your own food is without a doubt healthier, easier and a very good budget friendly way to eat.
2. Water is usually the last thing anyone drinks during the holiday season. Rich wines for adults and colourful soda for the kids is the most appetizing seduction. But there is really no set way of going back to drinking water regularly except for just getting up and doing it. However here is a way you can cheat, what I like to do (and believe me if you don’t live alone this might drive someone a little crazy) is leave water bottles or glasses with water around the house. Leave a water bottle beside the computer, beside your couch, on your desk, or beside your bed. The point here is to have water everywhere you go so when you get thirsty you can’t give yourself an excuse to go to the kitchen and pour a glass of coke.
3. It is never good to eat late, but probably during the holidays you had to do that quite often. Give yourself a stop time, for example eight o’clock, at which you have to stop eating until the next morning. If you find that not eating late is causing a bit of a problem try reducing the hour every couple of days. So start with not eating before nine and then eight and then seven, and if you like it six. However eating at night can also depend on the time you go to bed, just remember don’t eat past ten pm.
4. Try eating grilled, steamed or baked food for a while. Don’t fry things right after the holidays, frying involves lots of oil and butter which can make your stomach feel heavy. You can have the same meal, just as delicious only prepared in a healthier fashion.
5. Instead of eating a couple of huge meals during the day, eat four or five times. So have things like light snacks between meals, this is a healthier and figure friendly way to eat and feel full and satisfied with your food.
6. Lastly, if it is really hard to decrease your portion sizes get a smaller plate. Just make sure it is not miniscule otherwise you will be denying your body food that it needs. About one third or half of your original plate should do the trick, but don’t starve yourself. And don’t be afraid to eat everything just in the right proportions. Denying yourself food can only lead to negative emotions.
These are six helpful tips that can save you during that heavy post-holiday time. Food should never be something you resent or uncontrollably crave; it is a passion and a love and like everything good should come in decent proportions.
Feel Beautiful!
