Holiday Party Eating Tips

Photo by Dano via Flickr

The holiday season is in full swing. Indulging in your favorite treats at holiday parties can be enough to add a few pounds and/or undo much of the weight loss progress you've made in recent months. Don't let that happen to you.

I'm not suggesting that you completely avoid that beloved pumpkin pie, egg nog or cookies. Have some. Just don't overdo it -- and have a plan.

Check out my tips below on how you can have enjoy holiday goodies with minimal damage.

Plan your treats. If you have holiday party scheduled, use that party as your weekly cheat meal.

Eat as clean as possible. In the case that you have multiple holiday parties in a week, make sure all of your other meals are as healthy as you can make them. This will give you an allowance to indulge without hurting your weight too much.

Set a limit. Before attending a party, set a limit as to how much you're going to have. For instance, if you want to have pie, plan to have one slice. Or plan to have a half of a slice of two varieties. Also, plan your alcohol allowance. If you know you'll only have one glass of wine beforehand, you'll be less likely to multiple glasses.

Get in an extra workout. Putting in some additional time at the gym will give some room to have a few extra treats. Either schedule extra days at the gym or increase the duration of your planned workouts. For example, if you typically do 20 minutes of cardio, increase to 30-40 minutes. Or if you typically get in three workouts in a week, get in four.

Don't feel pressure to indulge. If you find yourself at a party and you don't want anything, don't eat it. Instead, grab some water to sip and focus on enjoying the people you are with.

Don't feel guilty about treats. The holidays should be enjoyed and if that means having some pecan pie, you should enjoy it without feeling terrible about it. Just follow the tips above to minimize the effects.

This time period should be focused on maintaining your current weight. It will be very difficult to make any big strides toward reducing bodyfat if you're continuously having treats. But getting through the holidays with minimal damage can absolutely be done.

Happy holidays!