So it is that time of year again!!  Halloween was just the beginning, now comes all the Thanksgiving Parties, the Christmas Parties, and too top it all off The New Year Parties.  It is the Holiday Season, and if you are not equipped with an eating game plan you are going to get blind sided by about 5 to 8 pounds of extra weight.  5-8 pounds is how much weight people usually pack on during this time of the season.  That is why you need a game plan to help you through this glutenous season.

Lets face it, parties and family gatherings are fun…well at least parties are.  But when you mix fun with delicious food, then you have a recipe for a weight loss disaster.  So you need to switch up your game plan a little bit, most the year you are probably focusing on how to lose weight, but during the holiday season you need to focus on how to not gain weight.  Weight management!  The holidays are way to fun to dismiss, and it will only cause you frustration and disappointment if you decide not to eat these delicious foods.  You main goal should be to keep your weight stable through these times.

Don’t get me wrong, if you are strong enough to get through the holiday season and still lose weight, then go for it!!  But the average person usually throws all their discipline away during the holiday season, and binges on eggnog, turkey, mash potatoes, and pie.  I am trying to give the average person a new way to look at things, a strategy to their Holiday Eating.

Here are a few Holiday Eating tips:

1. Continue to workout.  Okay, so the first tip has nothing to do with eating, but this is very important, you need to stay active during this time of the season.  Resist the urge to go into hibernation.
2. Don’t Starve Yourself.  What I mean by these is…do not starve yourself before you go to a party or a family dinner.  Make sure to eat little snacks before you arrive to the party to help curb your cravings.  Eating small snacks can help you from cutting loose.
3. Portions.  Eat rational portions, you do not need to fill your plate up so full it needs a wide load sign to get through the crowd.  Your stomach is not meant to eat that much food.
4. Eat Slowly.  Allow your body to know it has eaten food.  So many times we inhale the first plate of food, and then after the second or third serving our bodies finally catch up, and we feel terrible.  Eating slowly will help your body know when it is full and when you need to stop eating.
5. Know The Consequences.  You know that 5 to 8 pounds you have been working to get off all year, well if you gain it all back,  you will have to lose it all over again the next year.  It is a terrible cycle to get in.

Hopefully these Holiday Eating Tips can prevent you from gaining weight during the holiday season.