5 Tips for Surviving the Holidays: Food Edition

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which is only the start of the holiday season. More often than not, this time of year is packed with holiday parties and celebrations where eating and drinking rich and fatty goodness take center stage. Most of us usually pack in as much sweet and fatty goodness as we can before making New Years' Resolutions (that are usually broken within a few days) to lose a few pounds out of guilt for the overindulgence of the holidays.


I'm not saying that I'm not guilty of this, either. And we shouldn't restrict ourselves too much over the holiday season--there's too much temptation, and that's just no fun! Everyone deserves to indulge themselves, but if you can be a little smarter about your indulgences, then maybe this holiday season will come and go with a little less guilt and a little less weight to lose afterwards.

It's nearly impossible to ignore all the sweet and delicious goodness at the holiday dinner table, but here's some tips for making smarter choices that will still allow you to enjoy the holiday season.

1. Be realistic about how much you should be eating

With sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, corn, squash, biscuits, veggies, and of course Turkey being passed around the Thanksgiving table, it's important to only take what you can eat. If you pile your plate high with hearty helpings of every side dish, plus a generous serving of Turkey, you're more likely to eat it just because it's there.

Be judicious about how much food you take! If you want to try all of the dishes, take tiny portions of each! It's always easier to go back for seconds rather than trying to finish the mountain of food on your plate.

If you're trying to be a little healthier, try to make better choices by putting more healthy options on your plate and small servings of your favorite indulgence. Pile your plate with veggies (and I'm not talking about fatty green bean casserole or marshmallow topped sweet potatoes) and some lean meat before helping yourself to a small serving of your favorite side or a slice of pumpkin pie. Or you could decide which dishes are more important to you, and eat those, but skip the rest. Maybe you love sweet potatoes, turkey, and green bean casserole, but skip the biscuits and stuffing.

No matter what choices you make, just make sure that you don't overstuff yourself. No one feels good after eating too much. Remember: it's always easier to go back for seconds if you're still hungry.

2. Stay away from the buffet

If you're at a holiday party with a buffet, it's always better to take the food you want on a plate and then move somewhere else to eat. Hovering over the buffet will, more than likely, will tempt you to overeat.

Either taking small portions of different foods periodically throughout the evening, or perhaps taking a larger plate and visiting the buffet only once will hopefully help to limit your intake so you don't feel stuffed.

If you are near a buffet, and just can't seem to move away, try eating some fruit or veggies instead of chips and dip or holiday cookies. If you know you're going to eat all night, you can feel a little bit better if most of your snacking was on healthier foods.

3. Listen to your body

Along with taking appropriate portion sizes and avoiding the buffet, this almost goes without saying: Listen to your body. If you're full, don't eat.

I know that sometimes this can be difficult, especially with some of your favorite sweets or appetizers floating around, but if you're not hungry, just don't do it.

And remember: It's not like that food is going anywhere...there's almost always leftovers. If you really want one of Aunt Marge's gingersnaps, but she's taking the leftovers with her, just ask if you can save one for yourself, and enjoy it at another time. It'll taste soooo much better when you're actually hungry.

Green bean casserole may be the most unhealthy way to get
your veggies, but it's definitely delicious! If this is one of your
favorites, have some! Just make sure you don't overdo it! 

4. Take a dish that you want to eat

If you're going to a potluck, and you don't know if there's going to be any healthy food available, you can bring the healthy food! If you prepare the dish, you have control over what goes into it, and therefore, you can feel good about eating it. At least if you know that your dish is healthy, and you eat that most of the evening, then you know that you at least got some good nutrients, even if the rest of the food at the party was full of fat and empty calories (even though it was probably delicious!).

5. If you break, sweat it...but after the New Year!

If have a bad food day, don't worry about it! You can always make a commitment to eat healthier after the holidays are over. Even one week of eating healthy and getting a little exercise can make a huge difference. If you're feeling a little down about yourself after the holidays, just make a goal for yourself for the first week in January--maybe go to the gym twice a week, or restock your fridge with only healthy foods. If the junk food isn't in your house, you won't be tempted to eat it!

So enjoy yourself during the holidays! Indulge in your favorite foods! Just be aware that everything is better in moderation!