Surviving the Silly Season

A couple of tips to help keep you on track with your goals over the Christmas and January holidays.

1. Eat something before going out – many social events may include appetizers, buffets, BBQ spreads, nibbles. Eating before can help you avoid those tempting hi calorie foods loaded with fat and sugar.
2. If you are planning to eat, try and stick with every second nibble or Tapas going around on platters.
3. Stay well hydrated with water. We are often thirsty when we think we are hungry.
4. Try and have 8 glasses of water during the day (more if exercising). Australians enjoy a summer Christmas and New Year period and dehydration can occur. The more dehydrated you are, the more your brain will encourage you to reach for high calorie treats for energy. (ref 2)
5. Xmas giving – try and give “nonfood” presents. If you receive food as gifts, be the person that opens these gifts and shares them around with guests. That way your tempting gifts are soon gone.
6. What food or beverage are you holding? – if you have a glass of water in your hand, you can’t suffer from the empty hand syndrome where you are open to being asked for an alcoholic beverage, or enticed to reach for the snack table. (ref 1)

References:

1. Chawla, G (2018) Boosting mental health through dietary intake. Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol 9, issue 2; pages 312-313
2. Mattes, Richard (2010) Hunger and Thirst: Issues in measurement and prediction of eating and drinking. Physiological behavior,100(1), pages 22-23