MODERATION and Holiday Eating

Moderation is the key to successful holiday eating but it may be the key to successful dieting too. The best tip I've heard for keeping on track with your fitness goal during the holidays is rating your food. If its not a 9 or a 10 walk away. Don't waste your calories and fat consumption on cheesecake if you really love pumpkin pie. Don't eat it just because its there. Chances are if you have some body fat to lose a lot of it is from eating things just because they are there.

How living without MODERATION impacts your fitness goal (weight loss)

1) Start Saying No More Often. If you take on too much and say "yes" to friends and family when you really mean "no, I can't I have too much on my plate to do that", you are negatively impacting your health. Stress increases hormones that are fat storing.

2) Sleep.Stop burning the candle at both ends. We know that lack of sleep lowers our fullness hormone and increases our hungry hormone. Sleep more.

3) Stop Overeating. Its not a contest, you don't have to eat more than everyone else in the room. Is happiness really linked to fullness? Become aware of when you are full and STOP. Really, being a slave to food is ridiculous when you think about it!

4) Limit Drinking. Drinking 2 drinks can be as fun as drinking 5, especially if you don't usually drink 5+ drinks. Just as your stomach expands and your sense of how much food you need to eat to make you "happy" grows with your waistline, the more you drink the more tolerance you have for drinking. If drinking is a part of your normal social scene, start to reduce your social drinking over time. Slow down your pace and alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

5) Purchase in Moderation. Drive by the donut shop 4 times and stop on the 5th. Pick one splurge family snack per week to enjoy, make the rest of the snacks fruits and veggies.

Nothing is off limits if you eat/drink it in MODERATION. If you can't work more Moderation into your life you are going to be on the YO-YO for a lifetime.