5 Tricks to Enjoying the Holidays without Sabotaging Your Waistline

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had a great time with your family enjoying your holiday favorites!

I’m sure many of you have seen articles lately touting healthy alternatives to traditional holiday dishes. For example, sautéed green beans with almond slivers are lower in sodium, fat, and calories than the typical green bean casserole. Similarly, using a lower fat sour cream in the mashed potatoes or using sweetener instead of sugar in the pumpkin pie can be great ways to make it through the holidays without throwing your healthy lifestyle out the window.

It’s great if you’re willing to switch to these healthier spins to your favorite foods, but who wants to miss out on the family recipes that we look forward to all year long?

Maybe it seems a little extreme to ask your grandmother to use tub margarine instead of butter in her famous yams, or to refuse a slice of the pecan pie that your Aunt Kathy makes from scratch every year. But this doesn’t mean that you have to accept that 10 pound weight gain that comes around every holiday season.

Here are 5 tricks to enjoy every bite without having to pay a tailor to let out your clothes this January.

1.   Prioritize. What is really important to you? Scope out the table at the start of the meal and decide what dishes are your very favorites. If rolls aren’t particularly vital to the overall meal, for example, skip them – it’s an easy way to save at least 100 calories. Or, if the rolls are a must-have, then try leaving the crust to your slice of pie or leave off the whipped cream to save 100 instead. Little omissions like these can add up easily without feeling like you're sacrificing anything at all.

2.   Watch your portion sizes. I’m not suggesting you only have 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, but there’s no reason you need a separate plate to fit the standard volcano of spuds and gravy. If you want to try all three pies, why not have only a third of a slice of each?

3.   Slow down. Eating more slowly can drastically cut the amount of food you eat, since it gives your stomach a chance to realize it’s getting full. Listening to these hunger cues will alleviate that “I-ate-so-much-I-could-die” feeling that we have all come to know at one point or another.

4.   Send the least healthy leftovers home with friends and family. Turkey breast makes great sandwiches, corn is a good side dish for dinner, and fried apples can make a tasty dessert the next day, but leave the gravy, stuffing, candied yams, and apple pie for just the day itself.

5.   Remember it’s a holi-DAY, not a holi-MONTH. The trick to avoiding holiday weight gain is to see holidays as specific days out of the year instead of a caloric free-for-all that lasts from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Go ahead and enjoy those favorite dishes (in moderation!), and then get back on the wagon the very next day.

Holidays mean different things to different people, but many holidays this time of year are centered on meals with family. Be realistic with your expectations, and don’t get down on yourself if you ate a little more than you planned on eating.

One day is not going to ruin your health or expand your waistline, so keep it in perspective, and enjoy this time with your family and friends.

Any other suggestions for keeping the holidays healthy without forgoing your favorites? Please share with us!

Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!

Anna