If you have ever gone on a roller coaster ride you know that just after you pass the top you are in for the ride of your life with out the ability to control your speed. It is so easy to fall into the holiday eating roller coaster and say, “oh, it’s just the holidays, I will start my diet on Jan 1.” To me that is a green light to eat with reckless abandonment anything and everything you that comes your way. In my “life before losing weight” a 5 to 10 pound gain was not uncommon. Not any more. Now is the time to set yourself and make plans for a successful ride. Here are five challenging holiday situations with tools to help you though.
1. Eating at a restaurant: You can go online and review the menu in advance for most restaurants. I did this last week and it worked like a charm. I picked the salad I wanted to eat and when the waitress seated me I gave her my order. I also took my own low calorie dressing (Newman Lite Sesame Ginger) that has only 35 calories for a 2 T serving.
2. Prepare a car kit: I can’t even count the number of pounds I gained by eating fast food while I was out and about running errands let alone the money that I spent. Now I have a car kit with water, healthy premeasured snacks, a can opener and a can of salmon with healthy crackers if I need a lite meal. When this is in the car it is so easy to just get out a snack to keep you going so you blood sugar does not drop.
3. Pot Luck Party/Office treats: I have learned that the best way for me to be successful at event eating is to prepare one of my favorite healthy dishes. Last time I attended a potluck party, I took my favorite fish stew loaded with delicious vegetables and cod. It was my meal for the evening as most of the other food was high in calories. At the end of the party when everyone was talking about how bad they had been, in my heart I knew I won big at this event. At a potluck party that I am giving I have requested that my friends bring healthy dishes. One of my favorites to take is my walking salad which is celery and carrot sticks standing up in a small plastic cup with lite dressing on the bottom.
4. Holiday Food Gifts: This can be a real danger area for me. Almost 100% of the holiday food gift packages are loaded with calories and are so tempting. If it is something that I should not eat, I have made a pact with a friend to take it immediately to her place. She then takes it to a weekly potluck she goes to. That way I do not have to waste it and I do not have the pounds.
5. Plan and organize your life to keep down the stress: If you are a stress eater like I am this is a very important step to take. I know that when I get under too much stress I head for the fridge and once I am off track, I find it is hard for me to get back on track.
Set yourself up for a winning ride. You can do it! Remember small step make a big difference in your health, weight and happiness.
