This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at George Mason University chapter.
Halloween is right around the corner and we all know that means candy, candy, and more candy. It also means the start to the holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and more. All of this leading to festive holiday parties and excessive eating of our favorite foods. Have your heart set on wearing that awesome dress for New Years? It won’t be so easy to zip up if you gain 7-10 pounds. It is important to enjoy yourself over the holidays, but you also want to fit into all of you new winter clothes.
- Don’t stop working out. You have worked hard all semester juggling classes, social events, and gym time. Just because you go home and lose some of the stresses of school doesn’t mean that the weight is going to magically stay off. If anything you should up your workouts, add 15-30 min to combat the second serving of stuffing you had.
- With Pumpkin pie and Christmas cookies being made everyday it is easy to want to stuff your face with your favorite holiday treats. Telling yourself that its okay because you only get them once a year is not an excuse (besides the holidays always come and go before we know it). An easy way to avoid this is to pick one treat a day. Having the serving of Grandma’s pie today, and the cobbler at your best friends party tomorrow will help you prevent eating too many unneeded fats and sugar.
- With a social calender packed full of parties you always know you are going to get a free homemade holiday meal. This isn’t always a good thing. Try to eat before you go to a party so all of the finger foods don’t look as tempting. Even better, bring a veggie tray with hummus and low fat Ranch so you know you will have a healthy option as well as providing one for other guests.
- When it comes to appetizers, never overload your plate (even though the deviled eggs look amazing). If there are different plate sizes always grab the smaller plate and avoid the cheese and crackers. If you must absolutely have the fried shrimp only grab one, or use it as your treat for the day.
- Avoid creamy sauces and dressings. Dressings and dipping sauce will quickly allow calories to add up. For salads try to use oils and vinaigrette
- Choose your deserts wisely. That triple chocolate cake may look awesome, but there is probably a better option on the dessert table. The “better for you” desserts include chocolate dipped fruit, angel food cake, shortbread cookies, and gingersnaps.
- Drinks have calories too. From champagne to sparkling cider, it is easy to forget that fancy drinks are full of sugar. Limit yourself to one or two glasses a day then switch to ice tea or other zero calorie drinks.
- When your at a party, stay away from the kitchen! All of the food is laid out here and it will be easy to grab a new appetizer and keep eating. By the time you realize it, you have already eaten 5 cheese kabobs. Concentrate less on the food and more on getting that cute guys number.
- Bake cookies until you have flour all over but whatever you do, don’t lick the spoon. Doing so is almost 300 calories!
The holidays are meant to be enjoyed. So have fun and be merry, enjoy it with family and friends. Even following all of the tips it is normal to gain a pound or two– don’t freak out once you get back to the swing of things it will fall off in no time!