Lose the Holiday Gain: Healthy Eating Tips and Benefits

It was the season to be jolly and overeat. Well, another holiday season filled with parties, family, gifts, endless food, cookies, cakes, eggnog and alcoholic drinks has come and gone. What was the damage on your end? Most of us will gain 5 to 8 pounds during the season, and most of us will aim to take it off come New Year’s Day. It was sure easy to put it on, but it may not be so easy to take off. How can you lose the holiday gain? Follow our tips on healthy eating and weight loss benefits and you will be on your way to dropping the pounds, building muscle and getting healthy. That’s a great way to start 2009!

1. Set realistic weight loss goals. One or two pounds a week is average; don’t expect more than that.
2. Get back into the gym ASAP. If you don’t belong to a fitness club, now is the time to take advantage of the membership specials most run at this time of the year. Lady of America Fitness Centers for women and Ladies Workout Express centers are currently offering special discounts to make it easier to get started. Once you sign up, make a promise to yourself that you will go at least 3 times a week for an hour.
3. If not the gym, on your own. If you don’t want to join, or can’t join, a women’s fitness club, consider working out one-on-one with a personal trainer to get a sense of the best exercise routines for you. Keep yourself active through cardio, strength training and various sports. Change it up often and do what you enjoy.
4. Create a food and exercise plan. By writing out a weekly menu and workout schedule you are more apt to stay on track.
5. Stoke the metabolism. Eat breakfast, lunch, dinner plus 2 healthy snacks. Make wise food choices and take a lunch break everyday.
6. Know Your Calories. Know how many calories you need each day to lose. There are various websites online that can calculate your needs and get healthy eating tips.
7. Drink plenty of H20. It’s essential to keeping you full, flushing out toxins and waste.
8. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Experiment by trying a new fruit or vegetable each week.
9. Make wise food choices. Watch out for high sugar foods, saturated and trans fats, processed foods, deli meats, etc. Stick to the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils from fish, nuts, seeds and oils.
10. Cook more. Spend time in the kitchen cooking wholesome meals that focus on protein, vegetables and healthy carbs. Try stir-fries, roasted chicken, broiled fish and whole grain foods.
11. Experiment with spices. Spices like salsa actually make you feel full. Cinnamon is said to help curb appetite.
12. Weigh and measure your food. You’ve indulged for the past few weeks, now it’s time to get real about portions. Invest in a food scale and measuring cups/spoons. You’ll be glad you did.
13. Know your hunger signals. Pay attention to how your body communicates its satisfied.
14. Assess your hunger scale. Before you sit down to eat, assess how hungry and how full you feel on a scale of 0 to 5 – 0 being very hungry and 5 being stuffed. Your goal is to be anywhere from 1 to 4.
15. Sweet Tooth. When the urge to splurge comes on, try frozen grapes, low-sugar fruited yogurt, popsicles and air popped popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon. If you really need a sweet, opt for no-sugar added treats, fruits and sugar-free puddings.