By Rita R. Robison
If you’re like me, you’ve put on a few too many pounds recently and you’re worried about additional weight you could gain during the holiday season.
Parties abound and fabulous meals will confront you, with tasty wines, eggnog, and special liquors to tempt you. Holiday cookies, fruitcake, pies, and other delightful desserts also are a problem.
What can you do to keep from gaining weight? Here are some tips from the University of Illinois Extension’s DeWitt.jpgatt-Macon Extension Unit to help get you through the maze of wonderful holiday food:
1. Be realistic about the holidays and don't try to lose weight. Instead, concentrate on having a good time with family and friends.
2. Eat before you eat. Try not to wait until time for that special meal to eat. Skipping breakfast and lunch can cause you to overeat. Have a bowl of cereal, a piece of fruit, some vegetable sticks, or handful of nuts before arriving for the meal.
3. Bring your own healthy dish. The host may appreciate it, and it can provide at least one healthy item for you to eat.
4. Use pasteurized eggs for recipes that require raw egg with no additional cooking such as eggnog.
5. Avoid excessive snacking. Save your calories for the big meal.
6. Be aware of beverages. Alcoholic beverages, soda pop, punches, and other sweet drinks provide a lot of calories and almost no nutritional value. In addition, alcohol can lessen inhibitions that may result in overeating.
7. Eat slowly and savor your food. Take time to enjoy your meal. It usually takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full. Eating slowly may prevent overeating.
8. Eat lightly during the next meal if you’ve overeaten. It takes about 500 calories per day above your normal calorie intake to gain one pound during one week.
9. Make dishes you’re preparing "healthier" by reducing the salt, fat, and sugar content.
10. Keep food safety in mind when preparing turkey, stuffing, and food items if you’re hosting the meal.
11. Find time to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days, including the holidays. Physical activity can help offset some of the calories from holiday eating.
Good luck with your healthy eating holiday plan. We all need it because there are so many wonderful temptations during the holidays.
My name is Tom Matt, I host a radio talk show called “Boomers Rock” on the all fitness network FTNS (www.ftns.co) where my show is heard daily from 6-7pm est (live M-W-F) and I was wondering if you would like to discuss a telephone interview.
I am in the genre of motivation and inspiration on our network, (which means I try to pump up boomers about health and wellness and cover a lot of ground doing that), I have interviewed Physicians, Neuroscientists, Psychologists, coaches, trainers, nutritionists, financial experts, authors and travel experts, you name it, if I find good articles and ideas I come after you and want to talk turkey about the issues faces boomers.
I do not do negative talk radio, hardly, there is plenty of that around, however I don’t candy coat it either.
I try and encourage people to think about being healthier, living longer and how to do it, plus having the QOL they deserve, however, it is about accountability not entitlements, stay in shape, share education and motivation and get off the couch and put down the chips.
We have plenty to offer!
My personal bio is on the links below, that will give you an idea of my passion and what I am going to do, and that is outreach to 79 million boomers, if it is one at a time, no problem, I love challenges.
http://ftns.co/boomers-rock
http://www.grtfitness.com/about/tom-matt/
http://www.grtfitness.com/about/tom-matt-bio/
http://www.grtfitness.com/about/toms-thoughts-on-health-and-fitness/
If you are interested, please drop my producer Sandy a note at tom@ftns.co and she will send you our pre-production letter which covers show logistics and covers background issues as far as our show is concerned.
You have a strong message and I love promoting and sharing positives!
I bring high energy and enthusiasm for life to the fitness world and the Internet, what else is there,
Thomas F. Matt BA/MA
FTNS Radio-
http://www.ftns.co
Host- “Boomers Rock”
Sandra B. Matt BA
Talk show coordinator & Producer
“Get Up, Get Out, Keep Rockin, Life Starts at 50”
Certified Personal Trainer & Life Coach
National Academy of Sports Medicine
Michigan State University-Telecom Systems
GRT Fitness and Wellness
http://www.GRTFitness.com
2231 Beechnut Trail
Holt, Michigan 48842
Home-517-694-5292
Cell-517-256-2288
“Invest in your health and well being”
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