Holidays bring a gaggle of parties, kids school festivities, work banquets and religious events. Don’t derail all of your hard work with a few careless celebrations. Read these tips and plan ahead for success! See the visual portion cues at the bottom of this article.
EAT BEFORE YOU GO
Always eat before you leave for a social event. Take the edge off your appetite with a bowl of low carb soup, a Kimkins muffin or small mixed salad. Before eating at the event, sip a large glass of iced water to help tame your tummy.
AVOID TEMPTATIONS
When you first enter the room notice the location of the “red zones”: the buffet table, bar and desserts. Sit as far away from them as possible for the first 10 minutes so you can plan your choices. Be a thoughtful guest and bring a diet friendly dish to the party! Every hostess can use an extra crudite platter. Try a unique Italian antipasto arrangement with marinated mushrooms, quartered artichoke hearts, pepperoni spirals and spicy mini peppers would be colorful and low carb!
BE ASSERTIVE
It’s a dog eat dog world out there! You owe it to yourself and your family to be the healthiest “you” possible. Food pushers come in all shapes and sizes from a well meaning coworker to Aunt Sally, who wants you to “try just one”. Be firm. “Thank you, but not right now,” is a good non-confrontational answer. So is, “That really looks delicious, maybe later.” At restaurants ask your waiter to pack half your super sized platter in a doggy bag for lunch the next day. You just cut your dinner calories by 50%! It’s your body, your blood sugar and your health. Don’t be guilt-tripped into overeating.
OUTSMARTING BUFFET LINES
Walk around the buffet slowly two times before getting in line. See all of the offering so you can choose only those dishes that are part of your diet plan. Stand behind a thin person for a visual reminder as you choose your foods from the buffet. Fill half your plate with mixed salad and low calorie dressing. Fill 1/4 of your plate with lean protein and the other 1/4 with a cooked vegetable. Oops! No room for high carb dessert or starches! Watch out for low carb foods with high calorie punch including dips, nuts and cheeses.
BALANCE YOUR SOCIAL CALENDAR
Trying to balance your diet plan with your family, social and work obligations can be a part time job in itself! Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. You are in charge of which invitations you accept and those which you decline. Sure, you have work events, Christmas parties, birthdays and church potlucks, but they’re always going to be around. You need to nail down a firm way to handle life situations, or you’re doomed to the vicious restarting/regaining cycle. Attend functions that are important to you and politely turn down the rest.
KEEP YOUR FOOD PERSPECTIVE
Don’t attack a social event with the same vengeance as a starving wolf! Knock food off of its perch. There will always be more. It’s not the last time you’ll ever have a bite of Aunt Rita’s triple cheese sausage lasagna. You’re taking a break — for now — to practice making better choices and gaining more control. When you receive good news like a job promotion, celebrate in a non-food way. Buy a new work outfit or tech gadget to help make you more efficient.
Make the social event SOCIAL! Chat with old friends, introduce yourself to someone new, help the hostess clear tables, and stay busy! If you do cave in and eat food not on your diet plan, keep it in perspective. Eating one thing doesn’t mean you’ve ruined the whole day, week or month so don’t dive head first into the triple chocolate mousse!
PORTION DISTORTION
Controlling portions and calories at home is easier because you’re in charge. But when you facing a buffet table laden with goodies, a bar of free alcoholic drinks and silver trays of cheese stuffed mushrooms, then trouble is just waiting around the corner. Use portion control dishes. Set up your kitchen with new smaller plates, bowls and glassware in and measure them so you know what they hold. If that bowl you think is 8 oz turns out to be 16 oz, then you’ve been eating twice as much as you thought. Add cream to the mug before you pour coffee so you have a better idea of how much you’re drinking.
Learn how to do eyeball estimates for foods. This only works if you’re honest with yourself and don’t pretend an 8 oz steak is a 4 oz portion.
.
.
2 cups= 16 oz Dixie cup
.
.
.
.
1 cup = yogurt cup
.
.
.
.
1/2 cup= Jello cup
.
.
.
1/4 cup = fast food dressing container
.
.
.
.
3 oz cooked protein= deck of cards
.
.
.
2 tablespoons = salad bar ladle
.
.
.
1 tablespoon= large marshmallow
.
.
.
1 teaspoon = 1/2 of a large gumball
.
..
Knowing you have control over your diet is important, especially at a social event. Just remember that what you eat before you go and the activities you choose at the event, could make the difference between weight loss and diet disaster.
