Healthy eating during the holidays is definitely a challenge. However, you can maintain your fat loss results with some healthy holiday eating strategies.
Awareness, conscious eating, and self-discipline all play a role in staying on even-keel during the holidays. Because everything tastes so good, and there is a festive mood connected with the special meals and baked goods, it is easy to begin the mindless munching that contributes to adding belly fat.
* The best thing to do, is to maintain your same approach of consciously making good food choices during each meal and snack.
* I am NOT a fan of hardly eating before attending a big holiday function...nor starving yourself and going overboard on cardio after you've overeaten at one. Both of these strategies wreck havoc with your metabolism.
*Eating healthy at work during the holidays definitely requires more vigilance. It is way too easy to "just sample" all of the stuff in the Break Room...for two weeks. Self-discipline is a key, here.
* Prior to attending a holiday party, you can eat an apple before leaving...or put some peanut butter on a couple sticks of celery. This will satiate your hunger and also make you feel full.
* At the party, go ahead and take a few samples, but split them with someone else. Always pick from the trays with fresh fruits and vegetables before you head to the table with the baked goods and sweets.
* At parties, or at the office, keep a glass of cold water in hand and drink freely. Try to choose solid protein foods (turkey, grilled chicken tenders, grilled chicken breasts) as opposed to calorie-gorged baked foods.
Healthy eating during the holidays does not have to be drudgery or a chore. If you are truly intent about maintaining the fat loss results you've worked so hard for, your awareness to situations that will sabotage them should be enough.
One last little strategy: Before you select a piece of food to put on your plate, ask yourself, "Will what I'm choosing directly help me increase my lean muscle tissue, or will it be stored as a slab of fat on my body?"