HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDEWritten by Aimee Deak
The Holiday season has officially begun and Christmas is almost here. This is time of year when most Americans are NOT beginning a new diet, rather ending their old one. The Holidays bring family, friends, and … food. Lots of food. SO, PLEASE…Don’t fight it. Don’t be a "food martyr". The Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays are times of year where food not only “keeps us going”, but is a social event. If you avoid everything, you won’t feel like you are a "part of things." Avoiding food this Christmas will leave you with a sense of having missed out on something good. Something that brings us closer to people with whom we celebrate this special time of year. Not eating will leave you feeling deprived. Feeling deprived ultimately sets you up for failure in your diet, and your goal for a lean body. So go ahead and eat. Enjoy yourself. But let’s make a deal! As soon as Christmas Day is done, it’s back to your healthy eating program. The last thing you want to do is make Holiday season last from Halloween to Valentines Day. Here are some suggestions: • On Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, eat whatever you like until you are “not quite full”. Then stop for at least 30 minutes to give your stomach a chance to send "fullness signals" to your brain. If you are still hungry at that point, then eat a little more. Remember: Allow yourself some slack but DO NOT abandon your sensible eating plan to irresponsible excess! • Be sensible and really plan ahead. Slightly reduce your caloric (and carbohydrate) intake before and after your biggest eating days. Be strong and show some restraint. Do not gulp your food, nor over-stuff yourself, and whatever you do, NO hyperventilating! Do not stay and sit with those who continue to eat even though they are full BEYOND capacity. Walk away from table! Remember: Find A Happy Balance Between Indulgence & Moderation!
| | What would you do for a Klondike Bar?Written by Aimee Deak
Unfortunately, words “diet” and “cheating” go hand in hand. When you say, “I’m on a DIET”, it usually means you are depriving yourself of something. Diets do not work; they are restrictive and can become exceedingly frustrating, leading you to “cheat”. The more you restrict calories and tempting treats you love, more likely you are to binge eat. This is counterproductive in a fat loss program and will prevent you from becoming lean.I’m sure you know scenario; you embark on a weight loss plan (a.k.a. A Very Low Calorie Diet) fully confident and filled with motivation and willpower. You go out to eat and turn down dessert you desperately want and then have to sit at table and watch EVERYONE else gobble down their brownie ala- mode or a slice of Death by Chocolate cake. As days of deprivation go on you suddenly find yourself thinking about food more and more. You dream about pint of ice cream that’s calling your name. You begin to bargain with yourself, promising to do extra cardio or to fast in exchange for a cheat day. This, of course, never comes to pass and you find yourself “starting over” on your DIET once a week. Worse yet, you have made no progress and have slowed your metabolism to a grinding halt by eat too few calories. The best way to lose weight is to adopt a balanced meal plan you can stick to for life! This means you can still enjoy so-called “forbidden foods” you love, only less often and in moderation. If you consistently eat “clean” and “balanced” your desire for “bad stuff” will eventually disappear. If you have SEVERE difficulty resisting sugar and constantly have a high sugar craving, this may indicate that your diet is substantially low in “beneficial” fat and it is likely that you have an intestinal flora imbalance. Beneficial fats regulate mood, taste and fulfillment hormones that help you feel satisfied and reduce cravings. An intestinal flora imbalance means certain “shut off” nutrients that reduce need for sugars are not fully synthesized into your blood stream. Combined, both of these problems cause you to hold onto fat and create cravings for simple sugars.
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