Tips for Successful Dieting During the Holidays

If you're overweight, changing your diet and lifestyle is essential to improving your health and physique. At no time of year are diets put to the test more than around the holidays, when comfort foods loaded with butter, sugar, and salt abound. With everyone around you indulging, it can be hard to resist temptation. Here are a few tips to help you make it through the holidays with your weight loss goals still intact. First, don’t starve or deny yourself the privilege of enjoying some of these foods. You’ll just wind up feeling hungrier than ever and obsessing over all the great dishes you missed out on. Such behavior can backfire and cause you to renege on your dieting. It can also leave you feeling more lethargic and cranky than you would otherwise be, and it reduces your capacity for exercise.  That said, you should limit your caloric intake by eating reasonably and enjoying meals in moderation. Come up with a meal plan and a "calorie budget" ahead of time—that may include skipping bread and starches (or limiting yourself to just a taste of mashed potatoes), drinking water instead of soda, and sticking to skinless white meat. Drinking water before a meal can help make you feel full as well.Snack on healthy items like fruit and dietary supplements before big meals. Or enjoy a series of smaller meals throughout the day rather than one big one. Either way, you’ll be less hungry when you arrive at the dinner table. We also recommend using smaller plates to eat off of, taking smaller bites than you’re used to, and taking your time to chew your food thoroughly—this aids digestion and gives your stomach a chance to signal that it’s full. And if you’re helping organize the festivities, make sure that healthy, low-calorie items are included on the menu. When cooking, replace saturated fats like butter with unsaturated fats like olive oil, which are much healthier. Make lots of salad as well. Afterwards, use leftovers in weight-conscious ways. For example, add turkey to green salads, rather than sandwiches. Finding time to exercise will also help keep the calories off. Light exercise is recommended—too much can be detrimental, if you’re not accustomed to it, and you’ll experience increased hunger.Finally, remember to make the holiday season more about spending time with loved ones than about eating. When you shift your perspective a little, things get easier and you’re less likely to fall back into bad habits. And if you overindulge at some point, be forgiving towards yourself and resume moving forward the next day.