On Christmas Eve, there was a huge buffet, highlighted by ice sculptures. It took many man-hours to set up, and it was beautiful. They set aside about an hour for people to take photos. Then the food was available for eating! I was still getting used to the new camera, and the flash setting was not correct. The light was way too narrow. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tis the season for everyone to be talking and fretting about “Holiday Weight Gain.”
I don’t get it.
You are cleaning, shopping, wrapping, and running around. Parking spots are farther away, so you’re probably walking more. Then you walk the mall. Then you lug everything to the car. Then you lug everything into the house and try to hide it.
“Oh, but there’s all this great food this time of year!”
OK, we have a Christmas party, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day. What the heck are you eating the rest of the month? To gain 10 pounds, you have to eat an extra 35,000 calories. That’s an awful lot of cookies, don’t you think?
The truth is, people are drinking more, eating more, and sleeping less. We forget about planning meals and eat junk on the run.
And let’s face it, its a lot harder to eat 35,000 less calories the next month. Here are a few tips that will help you minimize the damage –
Figure there are 20 days this month when you could eat a healthier dinner, if only you plan ahead.Know what you are going to have for dinner before you leave for work.
Make sure to get plenty of vegetables in whenever you can.
Try to limit yourself to 2 drinks a day.
If you have Christmas goodies in the house – take 2 or 3 and put them on a plate. Put the rest away. You can freeze cookies. Don’t feel like you have to eat them all in the next few days.
Really try to get 7 hours of sleep a night. I know its hard, but try.
Try starting your day with a green protein smoothie. Make a whey protein smoothie with a banana, some berries, and a cup of spinach. You’ll get a fast nutrient blast that tastes great.
Drink plenty of water. Heat and alcohol are both very drying.
All in all, just use some common sense and you’ll be fine.
Related articles
