Best of the Best Christmas Weight Loss Tips - Part II

In the first part of this article, we offered some helpful Christmas weight loss tips to help you stay on track with your eating during the holiday season.  We covered the importance of eating a healthy breakfast, adding more fiber to your diet, staying hydrated, avoiding “pig out syndrome”, and eating smaller portions.

Below are 5 more power tips:

Christmas Weight Loss Tip #6 - Skip Second Helpings

Whether you are eating at home, in a restaurant, or at a party, make a commitment that you will not go back for seconds at any time.  People rarely take second helpings because they are still hungry.  More often than not it’s because the food tastes so good that they don’t want to stop eating yet.  Needless to say, this practice is a good way to ingest many more calories than you actually need.

Christmas Weight Loss Tip #7 - Treat Yourself

Don’t try to be “perfect” with your eating habits during the holidays - that always backfires and leads to a binge!  Instead, strive to do your best by eating healthy but also allow yourself a few treats here and there.  Eating one small slice of pie is not going to ruin your weight loss goals.  Be responsible about the choices you make, but don’t expect yourself to shun all of the goodies, either.

See: 7 Healthy Snacks to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth on a Diet

Christmas Weight Loss Tip #8 - Work It Off

When you do indulge a little bit, do what you can to minimize the impact of the extra calories.  Spend a little extra time in the gym or working out at home for the next several days.  Either extend the length of your workout or the level of intensity, or both.  It’s an easy way to help burn off the extra calories.  You can even do this in advance - for example, if you have a company Christmas party on Friday night and you know you’ll want to enjoy some of your favorite holiday foods, ramp up your workout routine during the preceding week, as well as the week after the party.

Christmas Weight Loss Tip #9 - Healthy Potluck

Rather than relying on others to prepare healthier holiday meals, why not contribute your own?  Whip up some low calorie, low fat dishes and bring them to family dinners, parties, and other gatherings.  When it’s time to eat, be sure to have a generous helping of your own dish, and then sample small amounts of the others with more calories.

Christmas Weight Loss Tip #10 - Be in High Spirits

Do the holidays often get you down?  If you have a tendency to be depressed or irritable during the Christmas season, you’ll be much more likely to overeat to try and comfort yourself.  Instead, make time for self-care as often as possible.  Nurture yourself from within and you’ll find that you are much less interested in self-medicating with food.

Must Read
Attack Fat During the Holidays
Portion Sizes - How Much is Enough?
Curb Cravings With 5 Little Words