8 Tips for Feeling Guilt Free at Holiday Meals!
1. Drink a glass of water before your meal. Then drink another glass of water with your meal.
2. Stay present. Focus on tasting each bite of food. Put your fork down while listening to someone speak.
3. Eat dinner on your smaller salad plate. If you go back for seconds take a small amount. Be extra conscious of high calorie foods and have a small amount.
4. Track it. Look up how many calories are in each item. Even getting an idea can be enough to help you put on the breaks.
5. Remember how you want to look and feel. Overeating is just as hard as having portion control but in a different way. Overeating results in us feeling bloated and tired. Sure, holding off on that extra bite and exercising our self control will feel tough but it will enhance our self-esteem in the end.
6. Move it! The average Thanksgiving meal including desert is well over 3,000 calories. After dinner, put on some music and dance, play football or go for a walk and stretch. Aim for 30-90 minutes of mild to moderate movement.
7. Let go of perfection. If you do overeat, let it go and make sure to get back on track with your healthy eating plan tomorrow!
8. Get off the exit. We love this analogy: If you missed your exit on the highway, you would get right off the next exit, turn around and find your exit. You wouldn’t say, “Oh well, I guess I will just drive 40 more miles then turn around.” Behavior change is the same way — get off the next exit if you mess up and you will be on the road to success!