Overeating at Christmas - Tips to Avoid It

Overeating at Christmas – Tips and Tricks to Avoid Doing It.

When Christmas is approaching, you might be concerned about overeating and gaining weight. If you are trying to maintain your weight at this time of year, these tips are very helpful.

Eat Something Beforehand

A common trick that many people use when they don’t’ want to overeat is to eat beforehand. This may seem silly since you are heading to Christmas dinner. The point however, isn’t to eat an entire meal, then eat a second meal when you arrive. What you are trying to do is eat a small healthy meal or snack instead. Not only you will be full, but you know you had something good. When you arrive for Christmas dinner, you will only eat a small amount because you are slightly full. Therefore your cravings won’t be as bad, and you won’t overindulge. With a plan, overeating at Christmas can be avoided.

Count Plates, Not Calories

Instead of trying to count the calories, grams of fat, or carbohydrates of each food item you choose, just count the number of plates. Give yourself just one plate to enjoy Christmas dinner on, including the dessert. That means only a certain amount of the plate should be filled up with food, leaving an empty portion for the dessert that will come later. Fill the rest of the plate with anything you want, and don’t go for seconds. Be prepared so overeating at Christmas doesn’t happen.

Go For the Healthy Stuff First

Whether you are enjoying appetizers at a buffet table or choosing food at Christmas dinner, try to fill up your plate with the healthier food options first. Get a portion size of ham or turkey, then make up the rest of the plate with the healthier veggies. If there is any more room on your plate, you can then add the less healthy options like mashed potatoes or stuffing, but these should only be a very small portion of what you will be eating.

When you are trying not to overeat, denying yourself something rarely works. A better method is to use these tips, and have a bite of everything. If you want to try everything, don’t pile up your plate, but add a bite of two of each food item, enjoy them, and then don’t let yourself have seconds.