Halloween was the warm up, and now it’s time for the main event of seasonal eating to begin. The pounds will start packing on pretty soon if you aren’t careful, but really what do the pounds matter? No one should be obsessing over their diets at this time of year. However, when you are eating lots of sugars and fats, you can feel sluggish and it can even put you in a bad mood. You want to feel good about yourself when you are visiting your friends and family for the first time in a while, and you want to enjoy the foods you do get to eat. Plus, you don’t want to regret every bite once New Year’s rolls around, so Her Campus wants to challenge you to the “Splurge, split, or skip?” diet. There are no nutritional values involved, just a good game plan for holiday eating. The only rule is to be honest with yourself when it comes to serving size, and use this as a guide to make through the season.
Splurge = Allow yourself to get seconds, or even thirds!
Split = half the sugars/fats, or share it with someone else.
Skip = Just don’t eat it, or eat only one bite.
Splurge on social hour. The reason for the season is not equal to eat every food put in front you. Keep your focus on friends and family, the food should just be a bonus. Every time you feel like getting another plate, talk to a new person at the party/get together. It will distract you from thinking about food, and isn’t a nice talk with grandma way better than her chocolate pie anyways?
Split the casserole. Casseroles do have some nutritional value since they are mostly vegetable based. But the toppings and fillings kind of kill it. Sweet potato casserole: Get a couple of bites of it with the marshmallow topping, and take the marshmallows off of the rest before you put it on your plate. Green bean casserole: Get a couple of bites with the cheese and fried onions, and take it off the rest before you put it on your plate.
Skip the bread. Unless it is Great-Aunt Wanda’s magic homemade super awesome biscuits, it is just a waste of calories. It has to be something special to fill up space in your tummy. Think of your body as a food sanctuary where only the food of queens is invited to the party. How many times of the year you can eat a pre-made processed preserved roll? I think you get the picture.
Splurge on turkey. Turkey is protein, which means it will fill you up. The fat is in the skin, so remember to take it off when you go back for seconds. If you love turkey and it happens to be baked, go back for thirds. I think that should get you your turkey fix for a while!
Split the pecan pie. Yes pecans are good for you, but the filling is straight up sugar. Eat a small slice of pecan pie and small slice of pumpkin pie. You won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything! Pumpkin pie is sweet, without all the calories.
Skip losing weight. Let’s be real. Losing weight is probably not going to happen over the holidays. And worrying about everything you eat will just make you retain stubborn belly fat (it’s caused by stress). Your goal should be to maintain the weight you are at now, and you will be ahead of everyone when it’s time to get skinny again for spring.
Splurge on leftovers. If you don’t make yourself feel sick the first go ‘round, leftovers will actually taste delicious, not disgusting! If your portion sizes stay reasonable, enjoy leftovers until you can’t enjoy them anymore.
Split everything sweet. I know it’s impossible to eat only one dessert, so have a little bite of everything. Pretend you and your friends are taste testers, where you only get a small portion of each dish to taste and think about each flavor. So everyone should pick their favorite dessert and get a bite of each. Enjoy the sweetness after each bite, talk about how amazing it is, take a sip of milk, and repeat. (Milk is perfect with almost every dessert, and it gets the taste out of your mouth so you can fully enjoy the next bite.) If you only have a few small bites, you can reward yourself by taking one more bite of your favorite dessert at the end of your “taste testing”.
Skip big sips. If there is apple cider, mocha punch, beer, or any other type of drink at the party that isn’t water, you can allow yourself about 4 oz. of it (about 3 shot glass equivalents). Or if you have a few favorites, have about a shot glass size sip of each. These types of drinks are heavy on sugars, fats, and calories without any real satisfaction even after a big glass.
Skip the starvation and indulge strategy. Don’t wait until the turkey is cut at dinner time to finally eat, because you will be out of control when its time to dig in. Start your day with some protein and fiber, like 2 egg whites and a piece of whole grain toast, to keep yourself full. You will make smarter choices when it comes time to eat the main meal. Also, you don’t have to eat everything at once. Try eating the main course, then wait until everyone is done eating and socializing to bring out the dessert. Then you can truly enjoy it while watching a movie with the rest of the family, or when sitting by the fire being lazy and taking in every bite.
Splurge on exercise. I don’t mean go to the gym for 3 hours the day before Thanksgiving. While your mom is cooking the turkey, keep yourself busy by helping out in the kitchen (without putting a spoon in the mashed potatoes). Or go for a walk with your sister for extra quality time. You won’t feel like a slob when it comes time to dig in, and that makes the season feel even more magical. And hey, if you wanna get away from all the crazies in the family, going for a run is a great excuse and the perfect de-stressor.
Split the ham. Basically every holiday ham is filled with sodium and sugar. Take a few bites, and stick with the turkey. You won’t feel like the main dish is just a crappy form of dessert.
What is your strategy for eating over the holidays? Let us know in the comment section below, and have an amazing time with your loved ones over the break!