Holiday Weight Loss Tips

Skipping lunch and your afternoon snack to save up calories for a night of feasting may seem like a smart move, but it almost always backfires. When you show up to a party ravenous, you're more likely to make unhealthy choices and wolf down your food. Eat a light lunch packed with protein and fiber. Then, about an hour before the event, take the edge off your hunger with a 100- to 150-calorie high protein and high fiber snack.

Holiday weight loss tip #2 Chew While You Chop

Those little bites and tastes you take while cooking can add up to hundreds of calories. To avoid nibbling, pop a piece of gum to occupy your mouth when you're in the kitchen so you can save those calories for the treats you'll really enjoy. Reach for spearmint or peppermint rather than a sweet or fruity flavor gum. The scent of mint may stimulate the area of the brain that registers fullness, helping you eat less.

Holiday weight loss tip # 3 Think Small, Eat Slow

Use the smallest plate you can find: Research shows people polish off nearly everything they're served, so you'll eat about 20 percent less if you use a salad plate rather than a dinner-size one or a cup instead of a bowl, a teaspoon or salad fork instead of a tablespoon or dinner fork. It takes at least 20 minutes for a feeling of fullness to set in, swap memories with family or slowly sip a glass of water before going back to the table for a second helping or dessert. Then consider having just a tiny taste or saving that second helping for another day. That second plate that you want can be saved for breakfast the next morning or you can even extend the season by stashing some use a salad plate rather than a dinner-size one or use a salad plate rather than a dinner-size one or a cup instead of a bowl, a teaspoon or salad fork a cup instead of a bowl, a teaspoon or salad fork instead of a tablespoon or dinner fork. It takes at instead of a tablespoon or dinner fork. It takes at least 20 minutes for a feeling of fullness to set in, least 20 minutes for a feeling of fullness to set in, swap memories with family or slowly sip a glass of swap memories with family or slowly sip a glass of water before going back to the table for a second water before going back to the table for a second helping or dessert. Then consider having just a helping or dessert. Then consider having just a tiny taste or saving that second helping for tiny taste or saving that second helping for another day. That second plate that you want can another day. That second plate that you want can be saved for breakfast the next morning or you be saved for breakfast the next morning or you can even extend the season by stashing some can even extend the season by stashing some treats in the freezer for a few months.

Holiday weight loss tip # 4 Stay on the Move

Working up a sweat is especially important during the holidays. Exercise burns calories boosts mood and tames stress. Hit the treadmill.  Cardio workouts vs weight lifting can decrease hunger.  Aerobic exercise boosts the production of peptide YY, a protein shown to suppress appetite. If time is a factor making it difficult to get to the gym, sneak in a little exercise by taking a fast-paced stroll around the neighborhood before work or on your lunch break,  pop in a dance DVD, or do one of the “Burn 100” videos (put out by Shape magazine found on you-tube).  After a big meal, go for a 30-minute walk. Your body will use more of  the energy you just consumed instead of storing it all as fat.

Even if you do fit in a good workout, don't use that as a free pass to overeat. One workout will not undo the hundreds of extra calories you consume.