Holiday party survival tips
Holiday Party Survival Tips
Don’t alter your eating habits all day so you can eat anything that night. Instead, have a normal day of food, such as 3 meals plus the afternoon snack. Have a protein shake before a party, so you’re not too hungry! When you are full, you will be less likely to indulge.
What if I said you could eat anything at the party as long as it was one serving? So, one appetizer (and only one serving of it), one serving of an entrée, one serving of a side dish and one serving of dessert. Yes, this may still be more food than you normally eat; however, if you did not play by the “One Serving” it’s possible you would eat multiple servings of all those foods! Also, if the party is at someone’s house, bring a healthy appetizer, that way you know for sure you will have at least one healthy option to snack on.
At a PARTY, it could be hard to stick to one drink only. But if you don’t want to gain weight this season, sticking to that one glass of wine might be the trick. High calorie drinks do not take up much room in the stomach (slider food) therefore you can consume more for less nutrition. The more you drink, the more you lose your inhibitions and that’s when its easy to overindulge with food and see your efforts go out the door. Try and nurse that one glass of wine throughout the evening and then have water in a wine glass if you feel the need to hold a drink. It will be worth it!
If you have a party to go to, do NOT make that your day off from working out. You are more likely to eat healthy if you work out that day! Make it a killer cardio session. Just because you may be eating differently that day does not mean all of your weight loss efforts have to be altered that day as well.
Tell a friend, husband, partner or coworker that you are only going to have one drink, one serving of certain foods and a small sliver of dessert. If you put that out there to your friends and family, you are more likely to stay on track, as you know they are watching. Having an accountability partner there with you will help keep you BOTH on track.
There are always going to be people who want you to eat and drink with them at these parties. They might say things like “have a little fun, enjoy the food.” But that is not a reason to over eat and drink – especially since you’ll probably be attending more than just one holiday party this season. A true friend will understand your choices and support you during this time.
Make this the year you are present with your friends and family. Don’t worry so much about the food, but rather focus on the conversation and joy of being with everyone. The holidays are a time to enjoy life, not stuff yourself so full of food that you sabotage your goals.
