If your workplace and friends and neighbors are anything like mine, there are an abundance of treats around to resist for the entire month of December. Clients bring tins of cookies and candies and popcorn to the office; acquaintances drop by with plates of baked goods; parties abound with sweets and fancy desserts that are so tempting. What can we do to keep from overindulging on these? Here are a few tips to help you through the part of the holidays that can be trying if you’re watching your weight:
1) Try to keep snack foods out of sight: store them in a cupboard or in a room that’s specifically intended for food; don’t keep them around your desk where they are constantly a glance away.
2) Declare a ‘no eating zone’ in places where you tend to snack. Make a little sign for your desk, your car, or your living room to remind you that’s not a place you eat.
3) Decide that eating will be a single activity: Do not eat while you’re doing another task, such as talking on the phone, working at your computer, or watching television.
4) Keep low calorie snacks easily accessible. Have 100 calorie snack bags where you can get to them quickly when the fat-laden cookies come into view.
5) Start your diet diary this month: Thinking for a moment before you eat something can help you delay the decision which in turn can end up changing your mind about it!
If you’re trying to improve your eating habits, choose one goal at a time. Start doing the right things now and you can ring in the new year a few pounds lighter!
E-mail me for a free “no eating zone” placard you can put on your desk, side table, or nightstand at laurie@mycoachlaurie.com.
Original image by: Artgeek3K, sxc.hu
Laurie Beebe is a registered dietitian with over 25 years of experience. She assists people from all walks of life in changing their diet for better health. Certified in Adult Weight Management, Laurie has transitioned into life coaching to better implement changes in people’s environments. No matter how much people know about what they ‘should’ be doing differently, they don’t alter their habits without making adjustments in their surroundings and their awareness. Coaching helps lead people to permanent changes by helping them set their own goals and design their own action plans. Please visit Laurie’s website for more free nutrition tips, a free monthly newsletter, or more information on coaching, at www.mycoachlaurie.com.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!