Top 7 Ways to Enjoy Holiday Celebrations Without Overeating

During the holiday season, delicious high calorie food is everywhere. From Thanksgiving to office parties, church celebrations, and family gatherings we\'re bombarded with temptations. Research confirms that the more food choices and opportunities we have to eat the more we consume. All too often we eat simply because it\'s there.

However, there are ways to combat this tendency. Here are 7 things you can do to be prepared:

1. Make or purchase low calorie foods for celebrations when you are asked to bring a dish.

If you are asked to contribute, it is the perfect opportunity to prepare a healthy low calorie item. Make up a dish of sliced fresh fruit or veggies. Or bring a low cal tossed salad made with spinach or mixed leafy greens. By providing a low calorie healthy choice you know will have at least one food you can fill up on to limit how much you eat of higher calorie food.

2. Eat less the day before and the day after.

Do eat healthy meals and snacks the day before and after, just eat a little less. Having a slight calorie deficit on these days will allow you to indulge some on the day of a big meal or other celebration.

Skipping meals is not good for your health and can set you up for other problems. If your body experiences what it senses to be a \"feast or famine\" kind of situation it might respond by slowing down your metabolism. Also, allowing yourself to get overly hungry can easily set the stage for overeating later.

3. Fill up on water the day of a celebration.

You can choose to drink lots of water or other low calorie beverages to fill up and reduce the amount you eat. Or you can follow the advice of Barbara Rolls, a satiety expert and researcher with Pennsylvania State University and do even better by filling up with foods that have high water content. Foods such as broth-based soup and sliced veggies or tossed salads made with mixed greens can not only fill you up but also provide you with greater satisfaction than beverages. What may work best for you is getting plenty of water from both food and beverages.

4. Visualize in advance how you might avoid overeating.

In your mind\'s eye see yourself selecting healthier low calorie choices first. This might be food with high water or fiber content. Feel yourself filling up on these foods. Imagine serving yourself small portions of anything else and limiting the total amount you have on your plate. Then picture yourself choosing only one dessert or treat or maybe a small piece of two or three different treats. You sense that you are satisfied because you have selected only the best and you feel you are just about full from what you have already eaten.

5. Allow yourself to have some treats.

Depriving yourself of your favorite treats can set yourself up for overeating later. It\'s far better to allow yourself to have some. What matters most is keeping the portion small. If you have prepared by following some of the other suggested tips you will be less likely to overindulge.

At the same time, be aware of your \"trigger\" foods. These are the foods that may be very difficult to stop eating once you start. You need to decide if there are certain foods you may be better off avoiding.

6. Eat slowly and mindfully.

One of the best ways to limit what you eat is to eat slowly with complete sensory awareness of the food you are eating. Doing so gives you an opportunity to more fully enjoy your food and to get as much satisfaction from a small portion as you might get from eating a larger portion fast. It also gives your body the time it needs to register when you have eaten enough.

7. Limit how much you drink of alcoholic beverages.

Alcoholic beverages can be a significant source of calories! In addition, alcohol can depress your metabolic rate while at the same time stimulate your appetite.

Having a plan will give you an opportunity to enjoy the holidays and all the food choices that come along with it without weight gain.

For hundreds of specific tips on choosing healthy low calorie foods and snacks and how to plan your strategy for weight loss or maintenance, visit the Women and Weight Website http://www.womenandweight.com Lori Pirog, M.S., the Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Expert.

Christmas Celebrations
It is the festive season and we all are in a mood to enjoy the occasion of Christmas in a very special way. Every festival has it's own charm that enc...

7 Tips for Holiday Harmony With Your Step-Family
Developing closeness and cohesiveness in a step-family is an ongoing challenge forr many people throughout the year. The holidays present a precious o...

Staying Busy and Celebrating During Your Fast with Crafts for Yom Kippur
For Jewish people, there is perhaps no more solemn holiday than Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. This special day, one of the High Holy Days, is ...

Don’t Let the Holidays Weigh You Down
It's that time of year again! Right after Halloween, speckles of snowflakes and holiday cheer appear around every corner. Each store decorates to ou...

Enjoy the Christmas Holidays With Little Stress
Christmas gives people chances to unwind, relax with family and rejoice with friends. Christmas holidays should be wonderful but they make many peop...

Family Cruises - A Perfect Holiday Destination to Enjoy
Cruise holidays, once said to be reserved for the rich and super rich people are now accessible and affordable by everyone. Family cruise holidays are...

Showing Your Love for Your Country and Protectors with Crafts on Veterans Day
Veterans Day often feels like a heavy holiday, thick with the air of loss and sadness felt for those who have given their lives to protect and serve t...

Spread Some Cheer With Christmas E Greetings
The Christmas holiday celebrations are a fun and festive time of year for many people. Giving thanks and love to those that mean so much to us, as wel...

Christmas Quotes
Christmas quotes can best be described as the beautiful creation of words that bring out the true spirit of Christmas. When some learned ones or philo...

Victorian Christmas Traditions - How the Victorians Celebrated Christmas
Many of the Christmas traditions and practices we enjoy the most can be traced back to the Victorian era, which covers the duration of Queen Victoria'...

Simplified Christmastime - Part 2
If you decide to have a tree, why not make it a family or friend event to decorate it? Choose well in advance an afternoon when you and others can get...

What Types of Holiday Flowers Are Best?
At holiday time, many of us spend a lot of time, money, and effort, to clean and decorate our house. We throw parties, go to family get-togethers, and...

Hottest Holiday Destinations - Christmas Getaway Ideas
Whether you enjoy a more traditional holiday, or are more apt to want to experience something completely new and different, you certainly don't have t...

A Parenting Tip - Holiday Manners That Will Help Your Kids Sparkle
If you are like most moms and dads, you could use a parenting tip on how to improve the holiday manners of your children. Manners are important in any...

Home Decorating Ideas to Use to Create Christmas Holiday Traditions
Do you want to start Christmas holiday traditions in your family? You can begin with these home decorating ideas that you will be able to use each ye...