Category: Healthy Diet

10 Ways to Enjoy The Holidays Without the Weight Gain

It’s that time of year again! The Christmas decorations are going up and the parties have already begun.

Personally, I am so excited we are entering this time of year! However, from years of experience in the fitness industry, I know some of you are already thinking about how to enjoy the holidays without the weight gain. You might even be a bit nervous about succeeding.

The good news is it is totally possible  to enjoy the holidays without the weight gain!  All you need to do is follow some easy tips:

1) If you are currently losing weight congratulations! During the holidays, I recommend you set a very vital yet realistic goal. Maintain your weight. If you maintain your weight, you are already ahead when January comes! Keep it simple and realistic.

2) Now is not the time to stop exercising. As tempting as it is to skip exercise and snuggle on the couch with a glass of wine or cup of your favorite hot beverage, you want to get your calories burned so you can enjoy the special treats without the unwanted pounds.

3) Plan ahead. Schedule all your commitments for the season on your calendar. Schedule exercise time too. You may decide to exercise at home rather than drive to a gym. Try a mini-trampoline or an exercise video.

On days that are tightly scheduled, do your best to commit to a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise to keep your momentum and your metabolism boosted. Take advantage of every opportunity to be active that comes up.  Something is always better than nothing. Every minute of exercise counts!

4)  Do some off line shopping. You can get in your exercise while supporting your local businesses and salespeople. Win-win.

5)  Pay attention to portion sizes. Scan the table before serving yourself to help you plan your meal. Take larger portions of the fruits and veggies and smaller than normal portions of the richer fare like scalloped potatoes, prime rib, desserts, etc. Watch the dressings on the salad– put it on yourself and be conservative. Go for the dressings that will drip to the bottom of the bowl.

6)  If you do not already track your daily calorie intake, consider keeping track for the next 37 days to catch any potential weight gain before it happens.

Remember, it boils down to calories burned versus calories consumed, so choose treats wisely. Most of us only need about 1500-2000 calories daily, depending on the type of exercise we do and how much “lifestyle” activity we do each day. Save the higher calories for super special treats. Trade-offs work well. For example, if I have a glass of champagne, I will probably have only a bite of dessert.

7)  Wear form fitting clothes. This is a great way to keep weight from piling on. You will know if your weight is out of whack if those jeans feel a bit snug. You can take action to prevent further gain. – Courtesy of InStyle magazine

8)  Lighten up traditional recipes. Got to have your pumpkin pie? That’s okay! Choose lighter recipes than the more traditional fare. Cooking Light is one of my favorite magazines; however, there are many recipes on the web that have been modified to reduce calories and taste delicious.

9)  Avoid showing up to a party hungry. Keep low calorie snacks like fruit with you.  Eating something before you arrive will keep you from eating mindlessly. When you are starving, the tiny quiches look much more appealing than the fruit and veggie platters.

10) There are only a few days that are actual holidays–eat normally the rest of the days. Allow yourself to indulge on the actual holidays themselves — like Christmas Day, the 8 days of Hanukkah, or New Year’s Eve.

On the rest of the days, stick as close to your normal healthy eating plan as possible. If you allow yourself a daily treat, that’s the time to work in a small piece of peppermint bark, or a small cookie.

Use these tips and you can enjoy the holidays without stressing out about the weight gain

If you have any personal secrets to keep you from gaining weight during the holidays, I’d love to hear about them.  You can share them by leaving a comment below!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

Nine Ways To Avoid Workplace Weight Gain This Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us! And, that usually means parties and tempting goodies in the workplace. So be careful! Munching on too many goodies at your workplace combined with other personal festivities can lead to weight gain.

Here are nine tips to help you avoid workplace weight gain traps!

 

1) Put a lid on it! Cover goodies with foil or a lid to avoid mindless munching.

2)  Show off the veggies! Leave the veggies uncovered to encourage lower calorie choices when grazing.

3)  Share! When dining with a coworker, consider splitting larger portions when it’s appropriate.

4)  Be different! Try socializing and celebrating without food.

5)  Limit Liquid Calories. Keep cocktails and liquid calories to a minimum at the workplace.  Saving these types of drinks for your personal time can cut down greatly on calorie consumption during the holidays.

6)  Avoid eating at your desk. Unless it’s the lunch you brought from home with planned portion sizes, eating at your desk can cause you to overeat. It’s similar to eating in front of the TV.  If you’re not careful, you’ll eat a larger portion than you need without noticing it.

If you’re going to eat one of the office goodies, eat it in the break room. Taking it back to your desk will make it too easy to repeat the process throughout the day.

7)  Limit the “office feeder” influence. Every workplace has people that “love” to feed everyone. It’s in their nature!

Have a quick department or office pow-wow and agree to only have extra goodies one day of the week during the holiday season. This will minimize hurt feelings and can help you and your coworkers watch your waist lines as well!

8)  Set the example! Bring in healthier snacks and replace candy with dried fruit or nuts.

9)  Support each other! If you know someone is trying to lose weight, you may not want to advertise the awesome fudge that showed up mysteriously in the break room or give them a huge box of chocolates for a gift.

These tips can be used in your volunteer workplace as well. Try using them at your local church, your kid’s school, and various other non-profit environments.

It is totally possible to enjoy the festivities of the season without the weight gain!

Cheers!

Jennifer

 

How to Limit Consuming Pesticides From Produce

Concerned about pesticides on your produce? You’re not alone! Buying organic fruits and vegetables is a great way to limit pesticides in your body. However, cost and/or availability can be a barrier to eating 100% organic. Here are some facts that will help when you’re faced with the choice of conventional (non-organic) or organic.

Three Simple Tips to Limit Pesticides From Produce

 

1. Remember that eating conventional produce is still better for you than not eating it at all. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet and should be consumed daily.

2. Whether you shop completely organic for your home or not, you don’t always have control over the choices when you are out and about. This is when it’s helpful to know which conventional produce is considered “cleaner” than others.

Use this helpful guide! The Environmental Working  Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce has recently updated information on 45 popular fruits and vegetables and their total pesticide loads. This guide can help you choose from what’s available in your local market.

Highlights from the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce:

 

The Dirty Dozen are the highest offenders in conventional produce per the EWG.

Here they are:

apples

celery

sweet bell peppers

peaches

strawberries

nectarines, imported

grapes

spinach

lettuce

cucumbers

blueberries, domestic

potatoes

Good news!  These yummy 15 were found to be the cleanest!

onions

sweet corn

pineapples

avocado

cabbage

sweet peas

asparagus

mangos

eggplant

kiwi

cantaloupe, domestic

sweet potatoes

grapefruit

watermelon

mushrooms

See any of your favorites on the dirty list? You may want to consider switching anything considered high in pesticide loads to organic — or ask your local produce provider how the produce was grown. Some smaller growers will go pesticide free without applying for an expensive organic label in order to keep the cost of the food down. For access to the complete “Shopper’s Guide,” go to the EWG website. 

3. Another option is to use a wash for fruits and vegetables to remove residue. These washes can be found in most grocery stores.

Good Reasons to Limit Pesticides

 

While it’s impossible to get through life without being exposed to toxins from time to time, my gut says it’s a good idea to avoid them as much as possible. Current research is linking certain pesticide residues to cancer and damage to the nervous system in humans. I think it’s important to keep these studies in mind when developing your healthy eating plan.

Have a question or something you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below. I enjoy hearing from you.

To your health!

Jennifer