Thanksgiving Holiday Diet Survival Guide

Thanksgiving Feast!

With Thanksgiving less than 24 hours away and the holiday season around the corner, it's for people to resist all the eating and drink, and the weight gain that comes with it.

If you missed my last post on 4 Ways to Beat the Holiday Bulge, you can read the article in the following link.

http://www.beyondfitnesssolutions.com/beyondfitness/2011/11/weight-loss/4-ways-to-beat-the-holiday-bulge/

Here are 3 more tips to help you navigate the appetizers, buffet table, cocktail drinks, and dessert, and put some damage-control of your holiday weight gain.

1. Mindless eating. Notice that how much more you eat when you watch TV, read magazine or listen to a CD or tape than eating alone or in silence? When your mind is busy with something else while eating, you don't fully savor the taste and tend to overeat. So start practicing 'mindful' eating.
2. Winter domance or hibernation. The bitterly cold weather in winter makes many people become dormant or go into hibernation. They don't move much at all and certainly are less likely to burn enough calories to maintain their weight. Stay active. Do short 10 to 15 minutes of exercises using bodyweight or simple free weights at home even if you can't go to gym.
3. Lack of quality sleep and rest. We're already a sleep-deprived nation. The hustle and bustle over the holidays just make it worse for many people to get enough 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep. When you sleep less than 5 hours, your body produces lower level of leptin, a hormone that controls how full you feel. You also have higher level of ghrelin that stimulate appetite. In the end, you tend to eat more and gain weight.

One last word, I want to wish you and everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Drink responsbily and drive safe.

Thanksgiving Eating Do's and Don'ts

Happy Thanksgiving!

With Thanksgiving just 4 days away and the holiday season around the corner I know how hard it is to resist all the celebrative eating and drinking (and the weight gain that comes with it) so I put together an awesome guide to eating during the holidays.

You DON’T have to totally deprive yourself during the holidays but you DO have to have some willpower to say no!

DON’T try to convince yourself that you’re going to eat less after the holiday event therefore it’s ok to eat what you want during the event. You will not have as much motivation to diet once the event has passed.

DO eat less for the 3-5 days leading up to the event. When the event takes place, you’ll look and feel better than you originally expected and you will feel less guilty when you enjoy yourself at the celebration.

DO dress sexy. Wear something tight, do your hair up, put on your highest heels etc. This way you will feel less likely to indulge in a huge dinner.

DON”T drink wine or beer. Go for hard alcohol if you must have something. Why? Because you can nurse a hard drink all night, but with wine and beer there’s a higher chance you will want another.

DO position yourself as far away from the appetizer table as possible.

DON’T sit in front of the TV. What’s on TV this thanksgiving? An awesome football game. What’s in front of the TV? Most likely a table with snacks. If you really want to watch the game then do it standing up or follow the tips #here#

DO bring your own dish to the occasion. Nobody has to know that it’s healthy or low calorie but at least you’ll know how many calories it has and you will have something to snack on.

DO send people home with food if you are hosting a party.

DO sit at the table as far from the unhealthy food options as possible. If you have to keep standing up, putting your drink down and reaching across Aunt Margaret to grab a piece of bread you’re not going to have as many pieces as if it was right in front of you.

Stick to these guidelines and I promise you will keep the weight off while everyone around you gains another 4-8 pounds!

Source: Sam Bakhtiar