Hello! Welcome to the Body by Patrick podcast. Today, I want to talk to you guys about how to avoid overeating and gaining weight during the holidays.
All year long, you’ve been working hard, trying to get in shape. You don’t want to ruin it all during your holidays. So, I came up with five strategies to help you guys minimize the damage.
You know, it’s highly unlikely most people during the holidays are going to get together with family and not almost overindulge. So, this is all about minimizing the damage that way when you come back from the holidays, you will not like blown away about how much additional pounds you have gained.
And it’s all about strategies guys. I mean, listen, whenever it comes to losing weight, it’s about having a plan of focus. They say if you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail. So, I’m hoping that these strategies will help you plan to, again, minimize the damage over the holidays.
The first tip I have for you guys is, do not leave the house hungry. As a matter of fact, my mom taught me this a long time ago. Do not leave your house hungry because what’s going to happen is when you get there, everything is going to look delicious because you’re famished, hungry, and starving.
Just like you’ve heard, do not go shopping while hungry. If you go shopping while hungry, guess what? You’re going to end up buying things you necessarily would not buy because you just are hungry. Same thing applies when you are going to hang out with friends for Thanksgiving, for example, for Thanksgiving meal, eat before you go.
Actually, this tip worked for me recently. I was invited to a wedding, and I said to my wife, I’ve got to make sure I eat before I go to this wedding because it was in the evening. So, I get to the wedding and the wedding was supposed to start at like 6:00 PM, but it didn’t start to closer to 8:00 PM and the food wasn’t being served.
But I wasn’t worried because I was not hungry. And guess what, when the food was finally served, it was a lot of deep-fried food that I knew was not good for me. And because I had gone to the wedding not feeling hungry, I was not tempted to eat anything on that menu.
Strategy number two is, avoid mindless eating. Now, what’s an example of this?
When you eat in front of the TV, you end up eating a whole lot more than normal because you’re not thinking about your eating, you’re focusing on the entertainment in front of you. And you just end up gorging down more food mindlessly without focusing on how much it is you’re eating. And, before you know it, you go back for seconds and thirds and you’re stuffing your stomach. How do I know? Been there, done that.
The third strategy I have for you guys is, use a smaller plate. This sounds so simple, but yet, so very effective. As a matter of fact, this is something that right now in my home, I’m trying to implement for myself.
I’m so used to using a bigger plate to serve my food that psychologically if I don’t fill up that plate, I feel like I don’t have enough food on my plate. So lately, I’ve been using a smaller plate that way it looks like I have more food. Same thing, when you get together with friends and family over the holidays, ask for a smaller plate that way you don’t have to worry so much about portion control. You automatically are watching your portion by using a smaller plate.
And guess what? Even if you are eating healthy food, but you’re using a much bigger plate, guess what, you still eating a lot of calories, right? So, but when you use a smaller plate, guess what, essentially you are watching the calories. You don’t end up eating way more than you should be eating.
The fourth strategy I have for you is that, try to fill up your plate first with veggies then with your fats, and then with your carbs. First, fill up your plate with those things that way it leaves less room for the not so good stuff. So, that’s how I would recommend that you fill up your plate that way, again, you are minimizing the damage.
Finally, guys, wait at least 30 minutes to an hour after you’ve had your meal before getting your second serving because it takes the brain at least 20 to 30 minutes to process that you are full.
Don’t try to get dessert and your meal at the same time; you’ll end up eating everything at the same time. So, you want to wait to the end after eating your meal before you get your dessert.
When it comes to alcohol, again, you want to have that after you’ve had your meal, when you feel more full. Because, if you try to eat and drink at the same time, you’re going to end up drinking way more alcohol than you should be drinking.
It is unrealistic to think that you’re not going to drink any alcohol during your holiday if you’re somebody that does drink alcohol.
These strategies are meant to help you minimize the damage that way you do not gain too much weight and ruin all the things you’ve worked for the entire year in a matter of days.
I hope these strategies will help you guys out as you prepare for the holidays to get together with family and friends. I hope you have a super fantastic time.
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