The holidays are some of the most wonderful days of the year. The season is full of life and love …and food. Lots of food.
Often, the holidays are some of the hardest times to stay on diet. Overeating is particularly easy to slip into as you move from one party and event to the next.
If you struggle with overeating during the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas, here are a few tips to help you stay on track this holiday season.
1. Eat on Schedule
Start the holidays with a clear eating schedule in place. Aim for at least three and ideally more reasonably portioned meals throughout the day. In other words, don’t starve yourself before a party, or you’ll be tempted to overeat.
It’s also a good idea to get a good digestional supplement to keep your digestion strong. DIGESTÍSSIMOH! is a great option that uses ginger as well as probiotics and digestive enzymes to support gut health around mealtime.
2. Stick to Portions and Eat Slowly
Portions are a powerful tool to combat overeating. It helps you naturally curb the amount of food you consume on a regular basis — whether you’re eating a salad or facing down a plate of Christmas cookies.
The amount each person should eat depends on things like their age, weight, height, gender, and metabolism. Health organization NIDDK recommends several resources to figure out what portion is right for you. The important thing is to stick to whatever makes sense, eat slowly, and listen to your body when you’re full.
3. Look at All of Your Options First
When you’re at a party, don’t fill up your plate with the first thing you see. Take the time to peruse your eating options. Take in all of your choices and consider how you should proceed before you start serving yourself.
This helps you avoid overfilling your plate. It also ensures that you have the best chance of getting a reasonable amount of different food types to make each meal as balanced as possible.
4. Consider Intermittent Fasting
Yes, we already said to stick to a healthy eating flow. But intermittent fasting doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive with that eating schedule.
On the contrary, not eating from 7 in the evening until 11 in the morning (typical intermittent fasting is around 16 hours) can get you in the habit of stopping eating at a reasonable time every day. At the same time, it allows you to eat again early enough to consume a healthy meal at home before you’re around junk food and holiday feasts.
Avoiding Overeating During the Holidays
Overeating is easy to do during the holidays. The busy time of the year makes it tempting to skip meals, stress eat, and binge on your favorite seasonal snacks.
Use the tips above to help you navigate each party, gathering, and meal time with care this season. That way, you can avoid feeling stuffed (and guilty). It empowers you to confidently enjoy each eating opportunity that arises.