Holiday weight: Eating slowly can help you eat less and reduce your calorie intake
Highlights
- Drink hydrating drinks like coconut water or lemon water
- Include more protein-rich foods in your diet
- Make sure you exercise regularly
Holiday means indulgent food, parties, and times when you can finally catch up with your friends, places, and hobbies. Hence, keeping up with your fitness goals can be a little tricky. Moreover, according to research, it is during holidays that most of the weight is gained. But just by taking some mindful steps, you can actually prevent the 'holiday weight gain'. To know more, read on.
Effective tips that can help in preventing holiday weight
1. Say yes to natural detox
You need not have to control your wish to eat or drink something. But flushing it out of your system is important. When you detox, you help the vital organs cleanse themselves of the toxins, and enable the liver and kidneys to function appropriately in excreting them. Try to have more coconut water, infused water made of cucumber, lemon, and mint leaves, or apple cinnamon, green tea, and herbal decoctions like- turmeric and black peppercorns, ginger and mint, or basil, honey, and lemon.
Also read: Weight Loss: This Is How You Should Plan Your Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner, If You Don't Want To Gain Weight
2. Pickup protein
A meal higher in protein can make you feel satisfied for a longer period of time. Hence, keeping your weight in check. The best time to have protein is in your breakfast. This is because it will help in keeping up with your metabolism, and the feeling of stuffing up on sugar-laden, refined, and processed foods will reduce. Choose hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese toast, tofu scramble, or avocado hummus to pick up on protein.
A meal higher in protein can make you feel satisfied for a longer period of time
Photo Credit: iStock
3. Eat slowly
Eating slowly may not be easy when you have a plethora of appetizer options. But, the quicker you eat the lesser time your body has to administer fullness. When you eat slowly, you eat less. Your appetite and calorie intake are largely controlled by your hormones. These hormones tell your brain that you have eaten enough, making you feel full, and aiding you to eat less. This process takes about 20 minutes. So if you eat too quickly, you will probably end up eating more than what's required.
Also read: This Festive Season, Stay Free Of Acidity, Bloating And Weight Gain With These Tricks From Nutritionist
4. Up on your feet
Sedentary activities dominate the holidays. But when you keep yourself active during a vacation, you reduce the chances of gaining weight. Try to walk as much as you can, cycle, go for a run in the morning, or just explore the place on your feet as much as you can. This will help in digesting the food better, and keeping your weight in check too.
5. Portion control
People are often in a rush to eat everything that they can on holiday. Overloading the plate can make you gain those extra kilos easily. The best to defeat this is portion control. Also, fill your plate up with colorful vegetables and fruits. This will also help you keep up with antioxidants and fiber, which is much required by your digestive system and to excrete waste properly. So, instead of overloading, try to have small portions of food every 2-3 hours.
Also read: Portion Size Guide: Learn How To Divide Your Meals Into Protein, Carbs And Fats For Weight Loss
6. Pack healthy snacks
Holiday expeditions can be tiring and lengthy and while you may find various options to gob during your way, not everything you can buy off may be healthy. Keep a stock of healthy snacks with you handy to limit junkies as much as you can. Pack a nutty trail mix of nuts and seeds or roasted makhana with some fresh fruits and lemonade for a perfect holiday snack platter.
Point to note
While staying on top of your weight goals can feel daunting during holidays, multiple tips and tricks can help keep yourself healthy, happy, and fit at this time. What's most important is that you ensure to enjoy your holidays and don't punish yourself for indulging once in a while.
(Nmami Agarwal is nutritionist at Nmami Life)
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