9 Tips to Stick To Your Diet through the Holidays

Dec 20, 2021 · 4

For many, one thing that marks the holidays is plenty of food to go around for everyone. Tasty treats, delicious desserts, and family members and friends want you to try all kinds of wonderful homemade holiday dishes. This cheerful time of the year can be filled with excellent meals and delicacies. Unfortunately, this can make sticking to a diet particularly challenging for people of all ages.

Often, we have sentimental attachments to delicacies that mark our holiday traditions. As such, missing out on them is harder than the pressure of sticking to your diet. So, if you are in this position, here are helpful tips for sticking to your diet through the holidays!

Tips for Dieting Through the Holidays

Drink Water

Drinking water helps with reducing caloric concentration in the body. Like consuming fiber, it also promotes fullness and helps with reducing cravings for more food. During the holiday season, the chances of consuming excess calories are higher. While you can try to limit your food intake, most people forget that some beverages and even tiny treats can be rich in calories. Since water has zero calories, it's the best beverage to help you with limiting calorie intake.
Use a Smaller Plate

It's hard to limit how much food you are taking with a large plate. Using a smaller plate will limit how much food you can serve yourself. Remember, there is a level of satisfaction when you see your plate full, even if it's small. Psychologically, humans are more likely to eat more if they use a larger plate. So take a smaller plate, fill it as much as you like, and rest for a while to determine if you really want more food before getting seconds.
Watch Out for Salt

During your regular routine, eating the same food daily means your body is used to a certain salt intake. But during holidays, the cooks are different, whether you are having the meal at home or in a restaurant. Also, the foods you'll be consuming will be more diverse than usual.

As such, the salt concentration in these foods can vary greatly. If possible, you can ask about the salt concentration in every meal, especially restaurant meals. At home, you can politely ask the cook to limit the salt application in items you are interested in. Please note, excessive salt in the body can trigger heart-related health conditions, and it's important to monitor your intake appropriately.
Don't Hide It

It is harder to stick to a diet if you are doing it on your own. Share your goals and focus on success. If you are eating with others, don't be afraid to mention you are monitoring your diet. They'll understand! And when you are about to go overboard, they'll be there to guide you back to your routine.

According to findings, enlisting support is among the effective ways of maintaining a weight loss routine. When choosing your support buddy, ensure it's somebody who will be close to you throughout the holiday. Their role is to keep you in check when it comes to the foods you're taking.
Never Forget the Why

Sticking to a diet is not easy. And if you have an established routine, spoiling it can set you back. Therefore, the best way to ensure this routine doesn't change is to remember why you started it. Well, is it a must to maintain this diet perfectly? Definitely not. What's important is to avoid going overboard when enjoying the holiday treats.

Often, we get on a diet because we are inspired to obtain a particular result. But, in some cases, we just need a change in how we run our lifestyle. Even so, a change is not something you can achieve overnight. It takes focus, dedication, and a little discomfort. Therefore, losing the progress you've achieved so far because of holiday treats can be pretty devastating. As such, it pays to remain focused during holidays and still enjoy the seasons with a few cheat days.
Start with Vegetables

While avoiding holiday treats entirely might be impossible, especially if they are a family tradition, starting with vegetables will help. Vegetables are rich in fiber. Therefore, when you eat them first, you will feel full faster. There will then be less room left for other treats that may ruin your diet routine.

Also, veggies have few calories, making them great for maintaining or reducing body weight. Finally, and most importantly, vegetables and fruits together can lighten up your holiday mood and energy, making every moment more enjoyable. So, if you are attending a holiday party, focus on veggies first as your starting meal before exploring other treats.
Keep Track of Your Calorie Intake

Besides being accountable to someone, you also need to be accountable to yourself. This means tracking your calories throughout the season to ensure you are within the limit. Tracking your calories means monitoring how much food you are consuming and how it affects your calories. And if you overeat in one sitting, ensure you compensate in another by reducing your intake.
Avoid Stress

While holidays are meant for celebration, they can also be stressful. Therefore, avoid any stressful situation since it can affect your dieting routine. More often, higher stress can trigger cravings and promote unhealthy consumption of foods.
Remain Active

Physical activity contributes to the burning of calories and helps with losing the excess you've gained during cheat days. While hopping on a treadmill or going for a walk can help, it doesn't mean you should excuse frequent unregulated eating. Note that gaining more calories through eating is easier than losing them. So stay motivated and active, and regulate your caloric consumption throughout the season.

What's your holiday plan? Are meals going to be available in plenty? Well, these tips for sticking to your diet through the holiday will help. However, it doesn't mean you should embrace this holiday with a strict mentality of adhering to your diet.

Holidays are best celebrated with various delicacies. Therefore, leave some room to treat yourself once in a while. But the most important thing is to ensure you don't go overboard. As you accommodate cheat days, ensure there's a limit for each. Have a happy and healthy holiday season!