How to Lose Weight During the Holidays

During holidays most of us prepare a lot of foods to eat for the party or get together and we cannot resist the temptation to eat those delicious and yummy foods on the table. Even myself lose my temperance when we talk foods. But you can lose weight even it's holidays. How read what I discover from beliefnet.com.

Tip #1: Eat Slowly and Savor the Flavor
*** Research shows that those who slow down while eating eat less than those who gulp and stuff.

Tip #2: Kill the Sugar Craving in 5 Steps
* 5 quick ways to make peace with (or kill) your cravings:

1. Plan Ahead: If you are a chocoholic, pull out your weekly food plan/calendar right now and schedule in 3 chocolate snacks that you love.

2. Enjoy It: When "Chocolate Hour" is before you, stretch that one ounce piece for an hour! Well, that may be a stretch. Nevertheless, take the time to be one with your chocolate.

3. Find Alternative Sweets: People generally tend to crave sweets after a meal or when they hit that late afternoon slump. You might enjoy some peppermint tea, a one- ounce box of raisins, a piece of fruit.

4. Wait it Out: Cravings are like clouds. They roll in with the winds and out, too. Generally, the 'crave' cycle is ten minutes long. As soon as you see a 'crave cloud' rolling in, call a friend, take a walk, get busy and distract yourself for a mere ten minutes.

5. Give Yourself A Star: Whether you wait out a craving or sit and be one with your chocolate, you have changed a behavior. Seriously, that's bigger than losing a pound and harder to do! So, give yourself a star. Buy a packet of sticky stars and put one on your food journal page every time you do something that shows that your thinking and behavior are beginning to shift.

Tip #3: Choose a Food Plan

Before settling on a food plan, ask yourself:

* Do I like the foods on this food plan? If you do not, you will not stick with it.

* How long can I live with this food plan? If you say for a week or even a month, you are doomed to fail. This is about making a healthy lifestyle change for life!

* Is this diet too restrictive? If your food plan is based on too few calories (1200 to 1500 is the suggested range), or if your food plan omits certain food groups, you are likely to binge and have uncontrollable cravings.

Tip #4: Know Your Trigger Foods
* Trigger foods are foods that get the better of us; that set off some sort of irrational chain reaction that causes us to over-eat, binge - go crazy!

Tip #5: Eat More!

Yep, you heard me right! Eat more…fruits and vegetables, that is.

Here are 6 ways to add veggies to your daily food plan:

1. Try a V8 for your 3 p.m. afternoon snack.

2. Toss extra veggies into your soups, stews, and salads.

3. Use pre-bagged baby spinach just like you would lettuce, toss it into your soups, or wilt it on top of pasta.

4. Buy vegetables that are already cut up. I know it costs more, but if that's the only way you are going to eat more veggies, it's worth it. (Skip the $4 cup of coffee!)

5. Did you know that vegetable soup counts as a serving of vegetables?

6. Lettuce, tomato and sprouts--oh my! Pile up layers and layers on your sandwiches. You can add a layer of cucumber, too.

Tip #6: Create the Perfect Plate

Want to eat healthfully? Then you've got to create the perfect plate! And who better knows what a healthy plate looks like than the American Diabetes Association. They suggest we divide our plate into three sections:

1. 1/2 of your plate: non-starch veggies (broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, cauliflower, all the leafy greens)

2. 1/4 of your plate: starches (rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, couscous, peas, or any whole grains)

3. 1/4 of your plate: protein (chicken, fish, meat, or tofu)

Finishing touch: a glass of milk, a peace of fruit OR a small roll (and they mean small).

Tip #7: Before and After Photos

Tip #8: Show Your Family How to Eat

Tip #9: Think About Life, Not Fat

Tip #10: Own Your Power

According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, those who “owned” their power over what they ate lose more weight than those who don’t.

How do you "own your power," you ask?

1. THINK about all that you’ve learned from past weight loss attempts. These attempts are a part of your path. It’s okay that you didn’t drop those pounds the first time around. People rarely do (I sure didn’t).

2. THINK about how you see yourself, and create a positive mental picture. How do you want to look? See it; believe it!

3. THINK about your goals. Are you going for fast weight loss or permanently lifestyle change? Are your goals SMART (specific – measurable – accountable – realistic -timely)?