Avoid Overeating during the Holidays

Easter Sunday is right upon us.

When you think of Easter, what is the first thing you think of?

I think of Easter eggs and chocolate.

As a child I always looked forward to Easter for one real reason; chocolate. 

What can I say? I was a Chocoholic. 

An Easter basket full of your favorite treats AND an egg hunt with more little treats inside?! I was sold.

But now as I'm growing older, I've come to realize that it really isn't socially acceptable to stuff myself with chocolate eggs like I did when I was 6 years old.

How does one resist those delicious candies? 

Or most importantly, how does one avoid over-eating at holiday family gatherings?

I've got some helpful tips for you, so that you can enjoy your Easter holiday feast but not feel like an Easter egg yourself at the end of the day.

How to Avoid Overeating during the Holidays

1. Eat Breakfast.

 I can NOT stress this enough. You need to have breakfast every day in order to kick start your metabolism. By avoiding breakfast, you're setting yourself up to over-eat the rest of the day. Most people skip breakfast knowing they will be eating a big holiday meal, and are saving their appetite for the amount of food they are planning to eat. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. If you eat breakfast, you won't snack and eat too much stuffing or bread, etc. You won't have to go back for that second serving of Lasagna if you eat a healthy breakfast. If you're not a breakfast person, or if you wake up late...take something to-go such as a granola bar or a piece of fruit. 

2. Go for a run.

Or do some sort of exercise. Jog a few miles around the block, go for a walk, take a nice bike ride, work-out to a fitness DVD, etc. You don't need a gym on the holidays to get some good exercise in. All you need is 30 minutes. Exercise in the morning is the best time because it sets up your metabolism for the rest of the day, and it actually helps you not over-eat. Short story: After long runs of over 2 hours, I'm actually never hungry. Most times, I'm starving the NEXT day. So exercise actually reduces your appetite which can be a good thing on the holiday.

3. Bring healthy alternatives.

If you know what is going to be served where you're going for the holidays, bring a healthy alternative. Offer to bring a healthy side dish or salad, or even dessert. You will be less likely to pick at the bad stuff if you fill up on more vegetables or salad. If you bring a salad, make sure to bring a dressing that isn't too high in calories or fat because that can rack up the calories even more. In addition, offer to bring some healthy snacks (or sneak in your own) such as vegetable platters, cheese and crackers, hummus, nuts and fruit, shrimp cocktail, etc. If you are waiting around for dinner and you are starving (most likely because you didn't eat breakfast!), don't snack too much because what most people don't realize is that before you know it, you're too full for dinner...but who could say no to Lasagna?

4. Do not sit by the food. 

It's very easy to eat more food when it's right in front of your face, right? Oh, that chip and dip is right there on the table in front of me...I'm not really hungry but it's right there, so why not? Sound familiar? Yeah, we are all guilty of if. So instead of taking a seat on the couch with the table of appetizers right in front of you....sit far away, or just walk out into another room. Take a small plate of a few sampling's of the appetizers, and WALK AWAY. Your welcome.

5. Enjoy yourself. 

This is the most important part everyone. It's the holidays, and your with family and friends, relax and have fun. It's okay to eat a little bit more on the holidays, but that doesn't mean you have to over-do it. Every Christmas, I treat myself to an extra helping of Lasagna because it's the only time of the year that I actually have it. I don't snack all day, and I eat a healthy breakfast. Then I treat myself to a few delicious desserts, and I am satisfied but not stuffed. If you gain a pound or two after the holidays, it's not the end of the world. You will lose that once you're back on track. But a little word of advice, don't get on the scale the next day ;)

Happy Easter everyone!