Holiday Dieting

If you are like me, you would like to maintain your weight and shape while still enjoying the wonderful foods and treats that are always available during the holidays.

Here are some practical ideas that are easy to do.  Of course, any diet advice or medical questions should be checked with your physician or nutritionist.

Ten Practical Dieting Tips for the Holidays

1. Plan time to walk before and after meals.  Set up a pre-meal walk with family or friends.  With others joining you, walking and exercising is fun and doable.
2. Think about how much effort it will take to lose the extra calories ingested if you have an extra   helping.
3. If eating a piece of bread, eat it plain
4. Instead of mayo, use mustard.
5. Don’t snack during preparation of the meal.
6. Take only one helping.
7. Skip dessert
8. Drink lots of water.
9. Substitute light sour cream or low fat yogurt for butter in the mashed potatoes
10. When the first hunger pang hits, go look at that picture of yourself on the refrigerator that you put up last summer as a reminder of your weight and fitness goals.

Holiday Grocery Shopping Rules:

1.  Don’t buy chips, highly caloric snack foods, processed foods, sugary sodas or desserts.  Remember, you’ll probably often be tempted by high caloric goodies throughout the holidays.
2.  Avoid the candy/snack aisle completely.
3.  Shop for more vegetables, less starch for any meal.
4.  Avoid bread for the holiday’s altogether.  (It just packs on extra carbohydrates and sugar when you can get plenty full with protein and vegetables).
5.  Don’t shop when you’re hungry.
6.  Bring a grocery list with you to the market and don’t deviate.
7.  The produce aisle is your best friend.
8.  Park as far away as possible from the grocery store entrance.  You’ll walk more and buy less food.
9.  Set a time frame for grocery shopping with your cell phone alarm and limit yourself to 10 minutes less than your usual spree.
10.  Shop alone, you will be quicker and more efficient.

Bonus tip:  Skip elevators, take stairs whenever possible.