Five tips to beat the holiday bulge
It’s now two weeks before Christmas. I’m sure everyone’s starting to pile on the food with all the family and company gatherings. I know I have, and it’s a struggle but there are also ways that you can enjoy the holidays without packing on the additional weight or feeling guilty about it. Here are 5 simple tips for enjoying the holidays without packing on the holiday bulge.
On buffets. Choose 1 carb, 1 protein, and complete with fruits and vegetables. Buffets are meant to give you choices, not to stuff you silly. One of the dangers of buffets, especially the “eat all you can” version, is the natural need of most people to try everything being served. Even if you try small servings of each dish, you will still end up eating more than you need. Of course when you find the dish you like the most, you’ll want more. Before you know it, you’re slumped in your chair getting “meat sweats” and you don’t know what happened. Try this: survey the scene before lining up and don’t bring a plate. Look at the dishes being served and choose one carb (that means either rice, pasta or bread. Not pasta AND bread), one protein (beef, pork, chicken, fish, etc) and then have at least a serving each of healthy fruits and vegetables. Stick to this formula and eat slowly. Enjoy your food, and enjoy the fact that you won’t be feeling guilty tomorrow.
Before anything else, have fruits. Talking about fruits, have some before a meal. Fruits have tons of fiber and and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals which most adults lack. Eating some healthy fruits before a meal not only fills you up with the healthy stuff first, but will also mean that you will also eat less of the bad stuff. I know fruit has been having some bad press lately because of fructose and how excess levels can lead to weight gain. Just remember the word EXCESS, and still eat some fruit. Just 1 serving before a meal should be fine. And please, fruit salad with syrup doesn’t count.
Exercise for 30 minutes each day. No getting around this. Stop making the excuse that you’re too busy to exercise. Here’s the truth: your body doesn’t care whether it’s December or March, especially here in Manila where it doesn’t really get too cold. It will get fatter if you overeat, regardless of the date. So don’t wait until January to use your gym membership, and remember, not all types of exercise needs a gym.
Dessert is an optional course. Say sorry to your sweet tooth because this one’s gonna hurt. Dessert should always be an optional part of the meal, especially when it comes to the holidays. Imagine, there’s leche flan, cakes and pastries, ice cream and our national dessert which is probably one of the worst things you can eat: halo halo. I love halo halo as much as the next pinoy, but look what goes in it: you’ve got beans, macapuno, leche flan, nata de coco, langka, and anything else you can think of, and they’re all covered in syrup. Then add the scoop of ice cream and milk on top and you’ve got a cocktail for weight gain and adult onset diabetes right there. I'm not saying you can't have dessert, I'm just saying that if you filled yourself up already with the main course, then you are not obligated to take that leche flan that the party's host is offering you. Like in illegal substances: Just say no. That being said, if you were good and followed tips 1 through 3, then that means you saved some space for dessert. Feel free to have some in moderation.
Remember, what goes in, must go out. If you just keep this tip in mind, then you’ll be golden. It’s the simple law of the body. Everything that goes in, must come out. Whether it be in the form of energy or waste, it has to come out, otherwise, it will be deposited in the body, usually in the form of fat. Subcutaneous fat, or the fat that just underneath your skin which you can feel and touch is bad enough, but what’s worse is the fat around your internal organs which is known as visceral fat. That kind of fat is literally a killer and you won’t always know it’s there because even thin people can have high levels of visceral fat. You can have your visceral fat levels checked in gyms like 360 fitness club which have specialized scales which can measure this. Some hospitals can also offer this service for a higher price but with a clearer picture of what’s inside. This kind of fat increases with bad eating habits, sure this should make you rethink that second serving of lechon.
Visit my blog: chappycallanta.wordpress.com
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
