Traditionally Thanksgiving and Christmas is when just about everyone tends to pause from their regular healthy diets so they could enjoy holiday meals with friends and families. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with indulging in the holiday festivities, we should try our very best not to overindulge. This idea of eating in moderation should be especially appealing to those people who have a hard time losing weight after the holidays. Sure, the holidays are all about having a good time eating and drinking with friends and family. But then there is always that dreadful feeling when all the festivity is over and you realized that all the dieting and exercising you have been doing for the past year has now gone down the drain. And the main reason this happened was mainly because you weren’t exercising self control or eating in moderation.
The key is not to try and avoid any particular food unless of course you were told to do so by your doctor. But try to eat small potions instead, this will lesson your chances of over eating and as a result give you less calories to burn off after the holidays. However eating is not the only thing we should avoid overindulging in, we should also consume alcoholic beverages in moderation. Aside from the fact that alcohol is addictive, alcohol in excess is also not good for the body. To better understand why alcohol should be consumed moderately, take a brief look at this article. If some how you've carefully followed these considerations, consumed alcohol in moderation and ate small portions, but still woke up after the holidays and realized you’ve gained a few pounds. Don’t beat yourself up too much, instead go back to exercising regularly and eventually you’ll be back to your normal size.
Andy,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about not over indulging during the holidays. However its so hard not to do. I disagree on one point, I feel we work hard all year just so we can induldge during the holidays. I think you did a great job educating us on the alcohol consumption as well. Many people don't consider drinking to affect their diets or exercising regiment.
I have been doing this for the last few years. I eat smaller portions instead of trying to shove everything on my plate in one serving. This keeps my metabolism at a good, steady rate,and I find that I am not as tired and sleepy after I eat. This allows me to enjoy everything that was prepared, just at different times. It also allows me to enjoy the entire day with friends and family, instead of falling asleep on the couch.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your point of overindulging and trying not to do it with the upcoming holiday season. When I was younger, I wouldn't stop eating until I felt "full" and I later found out this was not the way to go about my eating habits. Now I know just how much I can eat and I stop eating once I've reached that point. Most of the time, since it takes the body time to digest and process all the food you've taken in, you don't start feeling full until a little bit later.
ReplyDeleteNot only is excess alcohol consumption dangerous, but it's also unhealthy. I like that you mentioned the over indulgence of liquids and not only food because the holidays do seem to be an excuse for people to drink more often than other times. Thanks for mentioning that.
This is a good, timely post. You mention here that alcohol is addictive, and I'd agree with you. But the bigger point here is that food is addictive, too, right? I mean, you're writing to remind people to eat in moderation. Why do people overindulge, especially over the holidays? What do they get out of it?
ReplyDeleteAnd how can we teach people to eat in moderation? What's a smaller portion size that's reasonable? (Details!)