You don’t need to give up all your favorite foods during holidays if you keep in mind portion control. By downsizing your portions, you’ll be able to enjoy your holiday favorites. Using these simple tips, the holidays will still be enjoyable:
- When you attend a holiday buffet, remember to fill two-thirds of your plate with fruits, vegetables or whole grains. The final third should be meat, fish or poultry. This will leave less room for the higher-calorie items and will add bulk to your meal, helping you fill up more quickly.
- Skipping meals before a holiday feast sounds like a good idea in theory. You might try to use the justification that if you don’t eat any calories all day, you can really splurge on a holiday spread. However, following this practice could lead to weight gain during the holidays.
- Use familiar items to gauge your portion sizes. A deck of cards, for example, is about the same size as a 3-ounce piece of meat. A tennis ball is about the same size as a sensible serving of mashed potatoes.
- Pace yourself through your meal. Eat slowly and participate in the conversation to give yourself a chance to enjoy the meal and feel full. Pay attention to your body’s cues. If you feel full, it is time to stop.
It may be difficult to lose weight during the holidays, but it’s not difficult to maintain weight. Portion control really is the key to control splurging on holiday foods you love without the extra weight gain.
