The holiday season is a time for festivity and social gatherings. If you are watching your weight, or even trying to lose weight, beware of snacking! When others around you are indulging, it may seem like you are using great control by having just one or two snacks compared to others. But, the truth is that just one brownie, one cookie, one alcoholic beverage, and a handful of nuts can add over 700 calories to your day. Or, maybe you “throw in the towel” for just one holiday event, and enjoy a few drinks and several “small” snacks throughout the evening… yikes! This can easily lead to consuming 2000 extra calories in just one day!
What can you do to keep from packing on the pounds?
- Never skip meals to save calories for parties and get-togethers. This will only leave you extra hungry and may increase food cravings.
- Eat your regularly scheduled meal before attending an event so that you are not hungry and have no reason to participate in “empty snacking”.
- Keep a food record of what you eat and monitor your calorie intake so you will be aware of just how much you really are eating.
- Drink 64-80 oz. of water every day.
- Commit to exercise every day during the month of December. If there are 25 days left in the month, and you burn 300 calories each day, this will total 7500 extra calories burned during the month of December.
Carolyn Bell, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
www.carolynbelldiet.com
