How NOT to Overeat this Holiday Season

 Want to avoid a massive overeat this holiday season? Read on!

 I adore Christmas. I adore lights, presents, friends, family, trees, elves, and most of all, I adore food. Yes, I know - I know I am supposed to be a beacon of radiant good health and moderation. This is a health blog after all. And as important as my health is, and as important as healthy eating is to a healthy body and mind, sometimes a gal enjoys a feast.

That being said, there are ways to enjoy your cupcakes without getting a muffin top.

This is a muffin top!

1. Before you go to a party or a big feast where you know you will be tempted, drink a protein shake with added fiber. I love a product from RenewLife called FiberSmart. This will do a couple of good things. It will help fill you up a bit so you make decisions based on what you actually want, rather than random shoveling of food into your open mouth (oh, come on, I know I am not the only one!). It will also help to regulate the rush of sugar you are going to unleash on your unsuspecting system. This is critical not only to your health, but to your weight. The slower the sugar rushes through your system, the better. So fiber it up before hand!


2. Choose only your favourites. If you are going to cheat and eat from the naughty list, then at least make sure it is the very best of the naughty. If you want chocolate, have chocolate, but make it the stuff you really love. High quality food, ate with enjoyment and savoured, is instantly removed from your thighs by elves...true story! Ok, maybe not, but if you truly savour and enjoy food, a few beneficial things happen. First, you tend to eat slower and therefore eat less. Second, up to 20% of digestion happens before you  ever put food in your mouth. It starts with enjoying the colour, the smell, and the anticipation. Your body, acting like a little Pavlovian dog, starts releasing anticipatory chemicals, juices and enzymes, so that the delicious treats you consume can be digested. And the better you digest, the healthier you are, the stronger your immune system and the easier your weight management will be.

3. Move away from the food! I don't know about you, but as long as I stand by the food table at a party, or as long as I sit at the dinner table with all of the leftover turkey and stuffing, I tend to keep eating. And I do it rather mindlessly. So once you ate your fill, back away from the food before it lures you back in for seconds (thirds and fourths). Simple, but effective.

I wish you a remarkably enjoyable and healthy holiday season. I know I will enjoy mine!

Kristi Shmyr