Four Steps to Watch Your Weight During the Holidays

We are knee deep in to the holiday season, and for the next two weeks people will be solidly booked with work and family holiday parties as well as assorted lunches & dinners.  It can be overwhelming but you shouldn’t restrict yourself from things you enjoy.  Here are 4 ways to help keep a healthy diet.

– Be realistic about what you can and can’t tackle with your food.  For most of us it is unreasonable to say “I am going to avoid all sweets” while it is realistic to say “I am going to avoid sweets at work.”  If you know you have an upcoming event that is worth the splurge, plan for that event!  Once you have chosen the events you want to splurge at, forget about the stress of the diet so you can fully enjoy the event!

– You’ve decided on the events that are worth splurging on and which aren’t.  For those events that you don’t want to splurge, plan to prevent you from breaking the diet.  If you will be attending a cocktail party, eat at home beforehand so that unhealthy food isn’t the only option.  If your event is a longer dinner event, choose the healthy foods (vegetables) or foods that are more filling in smaller portions (proteins).

– Whether the event is a short cocktail hour or an hours long meal, be realistic when planning your diet.  Be smart and honest with yourself about your limitations since it is not healthy to just rely on calorie-less veggies.  Also, remember, it is easier to succeed with team work, use your best friend to keep you on track!

– As the holiday parties continue to stack up, adjust to the changing situations.  You will have set backs along the way, use those setbacks to learn from. On the converse, build on your victories!  Eating well and keeping a healthy diet is challenging, but every time you attend an event and maintain your diet, that is a victory to you and your body.

Maintaining a healthy diet during the holiday season is easier said than done, but when you are realistic, plan, at adapt it is much easier to maintain your healthy eating habits.

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Andrew Vertson

Andrew received his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from California State University, Fresno in 1991. He then earned his Master’s degree of Physical Therapy in 1996 and his Doctorate degree of Physical Therapy in 2002 from Loma Linda University. In 1996 he also earned his Certification as an Athletic Trainer. He has also completed extensive post-graduate course work in orthopedic manual therapy through Kaiser-West Los Angeles and the Ola Grimsby Institute.

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