By Dalal Akoury, MD cortisol and weight management Fitness and Exercise Fitness programs Good weight management Group weight loss Healthy holiday food stuff Healthy lifestyle Healthy living March 2, 2017

Avoid weight gain during holiday: Enjoying without adding weight

You’ve been invited for a schedule big dinner and you’ve been waiting for it for weeks and the time has now come. And so in readiness for this, you chose skipping meals particularly breakfast as way of creating room for the dinner. This is a wrong concoction and must be discouraged. Instead you should start your day with a small but satisfying breakfast like a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk. This will prepare you for the dinner as you won’t be starving when you arrive at the dinner gathering. Remember that consumption of a nutritious meal rich in protein and fiber shortly before the planned dinner eliminates big appetite and allows you to be more discriminative in your food and beverage choices hence helping you in avoid weight gain during such events.

Besides that, experts at AWAREmed health and wellness resource center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD recommends that, if you’re hosting the party, lighten up by ensuring that the menu is rich with healthy food elements containing less fats, calories and sugar. The following can be very helpful for the occasion:

Reduce oil and butter wherever you can.
Use fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey and make gravy.
Try plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream in creamy dips, mashed potatoes, and casseroles.
Use sugar substitutes in place of sugar and/or fruit purees instead of oil in baked goods.

Avoid weight gain during holiday: Police your portions

The dressings of the celebration tables are magnanimous with beautiful displays of traditional family favorites. Take a moment before you fill your plate to survey the buffet table and decide what you’re going to choose. Then select reasonable-sized portions of foods you cannot live without. Fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year so you can enjoy desirable, traditional foods.

Choose the Best Bets on the Buffet. While appreciating that each person has their favorites, it is necessary that you keep in mind that some vacations are better choices than others. Like for instance white turkey meat, plain vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, defatted gravy, and pumpkin pie tend to be the best bets because they are lower in fat and calories.

Slowly savor – Eating slowly, putting your fork down between bites, and tasting each mouthful is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your meal and feel satisfied with one plate full of food. Choosing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, salads, and other foods with lots of water and fiber add to the feeling of fullness.

Finally, go easy on alcohol. When taking alcohol, remember those alcohol calories that can add up quickly. Chose to have a glass of wine or a wine spritzer and between alcoholic drinks, enjoy sparkling water. This way you stay hydrated, limit alcohol calories, and stay sober. And finally in all these remember that the focus is healthy living and avoiding weight gain during and after the holidays. Therefore, seeking for professional advice from doctor Akoury from time to time won’t be a bad idea.