9 Weight Loss Tips During Thanksgiving
You’re looking for weight loss tips because you want to do Thanksgiving differently this year, right? Usually, you eat until you’re stuffed, fall asleep on the couch, and wake up in the 4th quarter of some football game. If this is you, we promise you, you’re not alone. If football’s not your jam, you might retreat to a bedroom and pass out in a food coma on a proper bed. You tell yourself it was all that tryptophan from the turkey. But does the tryptophan in turkey really make you feel tired? Not really. Turkey contains an essential amino acid called L-tryptophan, which the body uses to produce the brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin can help us sleep by improving our mood and promoting relaxation. As it turns out, turkey contains almost the same amount of tryptophan as chicken, pork, and beef. What’s more, egg whites, soybeans and cheddar cheese have even more tryptophan than turkey. So, what are the real culprits behind your post-Thanksgiving marathon nap? Aside from typical overconsumption of food and alcohol, it’s usually just the result of too many carb-heavy foods and throwing your healthy diet out the window. Mashed potatoes, corn bread, stuffing, and apple pie—oh my! All of those starchy carbs can quickly raise blood sugar and may encourage sleep. This year, begin a new tradition. Eat a little less, drink a little more (water!), feel a lot better, and maybe you won’t even need the nap. You’ll be ready to show Black Friday who’s boss. 9 Weight Loss Tips During Thanksgiving 1. Begin with breakfast. Eat consistently throughout the day beginning with a well-balanced, healthy breakfast. 2. Eat before you party. Choose from your arsenal of healthy snacks before you go to a holiday dinner. To control hunger, try eating two high-fiber crackers with 2 teaspoons of natural nut butter or a hard-boiled egg as a pre-party snack. 3. Offer to bring a dish. There may not be many healthy foods offered at your party, but that’s OK. By bringing your own healthy dish, at least you’ll have one go-to—and you’ll know exactly what’s in it. 4. Turn on your healthy food radar. Load up on lighter and cleaner appetizers with healthy fats, such as crudité with a portion of hummus. 5. Set your sip limit. Give yourself a drink maximum before the meal begins. Remember to sip slowly and choose lower-calorie and low-sugar options such as vodka and seltzer or wine spritzers. 6. Exercise! An hour spent burning calories will also motivate you to make healthier choices later in the day. 7. Control your portions. This includes veggies. Unless you’ve prepared them, they could be loaded with sneaky ingredients such as margarine or sugary sauces. (Here’s a handy portion control hack for you to try.) Don’t let desserts derail your healthy lifestyle either. Slice your own pie so you can control the size. And skip that crust. 8. Listen to your body. Stop eating once you’re slightly satisfied. Period. You’ll have much better memories of a meal enjoyed than a meal overindulged in. Focus on your family and friends, not food. 9. Drink plenty of water. Drinking adequate water promotes what’s known as a thermogenic state, which increases your metabolic rate. This will help to keep you from overeating and help you feel full, so you don’t actually stuff yourself full. 10. Enjoy your day. And here’s a bonus tip for you. When it comes to Thanksgiving or any gathering of family and friends, don’t forget to enjoy your day. Consciously and wisely (with the tips here) indulge in your favorite foods and have a very happy Thanksgiving. Take Your Hunger for Nutrition and Wellness Knowledge to the Next Level If you love learning about the best foods, drinks, and lifestyle habits for total wellness, think of how awesome it would be to learn and share this life-changing info as a side hustle… or even your full-time job. Our Become a Nutrition Coach certification course gives you a solid foundation in nutrition science, plus techniques for coaching clients and growing your new business—all within a community of passionate, like-minded friends. It’s the perfect way to inspire the next generation of healthier people all across the globe. Request a sneak peek of the Become a Nutrition Coach program here and see how you can put your passion for wellness to work. (Images: Shutterstock)
How to Be Healthy On a 3 Day Weekend
Three day weekends. They’re all about your favorite F words: friends, family, food, and fun. You know the drill. But it’s amazing how an extra 24 hours makes it so easy to overdo everything and turn what could’ve been a chance to press the reset button on your life into a hangover-filled, sleep-deprived, food-coma weekend. I always talk to my clients about changing their mindset about what weekends mean, especially those clients who tend to eat well all week long and then go bonkers come Friday night, undoing all the “good” work they did since Monday. This weekend, break the cycle. Flip the switch. Redefine what a weekend means. Learn how to be even healthier during a time you normally reserve for your most unhealthy habits. Instead of thinking it’s time to go “off” your diet, skip your workout, and binge watch Netflix, use this 72 hour break to be kind to your body. Approach this weekend as a kickstart to good health and a little more happiness. Today I’m teaching you how to be healthy on a 3 day weekend, and I’m not even gonna talk about food. How to Be Healthy On a 3 Day Weekend Sleep Deep: Allowing yourself to become sleep deprived can leave you feeling lethargic, dull, cloudy, and can even worsen your metabolism and interfere with proper decision making. I want you to tuck yourself in a little bit earlier and aim for a minimum of 7 hours with the Sandman, sans electronics! Winding down before bed is important for setting yourself up for a good night of sleep. Chamomile tea, a little lavender oil, some deep breaths can go a long way. Figure out a routine you can stick with even if just on the weekend, and treat your body to some much needed downtime. Love More: While I have you thinking about your time between the sheets, go ahead and stimulate the release of those feel good hormones by creating a little extra time to connect. Intimacy and sex flood the body with oxytocin, and I’ve never heard anybody say they are getting too much oxytocin in their, er, diet. And did you know that research shows oxytocin lowers stress, which also helps lower your weight? Wham bam thank you ma’am. Sometimes a busy schedule can leave the importance of intimacy on the back burner, so use the extra time this weekend to light that fire again. Nurture Yourself: Sometimes being passionate in our lives is easier when we take a moment to love ourselves a little more. There are endless benefits to feeling your best, and most of them happen on their own. Your posture will straighten, your face will soften and brighten, you’ll naturally be exuding the best version of yourself. Think about what makes you feel pampered and do it. It might be a massage after work or a mani pedi tomorrow with your morning coffee or even just taking time to use that delicious moisturizer you normally skip after a shower because you’re running out the door. Whatever it is, remember that it’s not selfish to use time for yourself. I hope this long weekend you enjoy a lot of your favorite f words, and that you do it in a way that is kind to yourself. Learning how to be healthy doesn’t have to start on a Monday. It can start on a Friday and continue all weekend long.
3 of the Worst Traditional Holiday Dishes
If the holidays were meant to be healthy, you’d eat the gravy every day of the year. Thank the heavens above that holiday dishes are not in your daily rotation, or you’d wind up with mashed potatoes in your veins and stuffing under your skin. Today we’re focusing on three of the worst of the worst of the worst traditional holiday dishes for your waistline. It’s not meant to be a trash your feast sesh, I’m just shedding some light and promise you tips you can really dig in to! 3 of the Worst Traditional Holiday Dishes Eggnog is made with whipping cream, sugar, eggs and bourbon. What’s not to love? Ummmm the nearly 400 calories in a cup, all that saturated fat and the impending food coma that comes after the third sip. Nobody needs to chase their prime rib feast with a glass full of food porn. If you’re a lover of this thick and decadent holiday treat, why not place it center stage in your holiday repertoire and make a healthful version and meal out of it? I’m loving the idea of a healthy eggnog with all the flavor you love, plus a boost of nutrition with coconut milk and avocado undertones. With a splash of spirits or without, this drink is a total holiday DO. Green Bean Casserole takes healthful, fiber rich, low calorie, crispy, crunchy and satisfying green beans and ups the calories from 31 calories a cup and no fat to a whopping 230 calories plus 10 grams of fat. I guess that’s what happens when you add a can of creamed mushroom soup and fried onions. Sigh. Try green beans with lemon and garlic and save the creamyliciousness for dessert time. You’ll love the modern take on the classic. So will your abs. Pecan Pie is full of pecans, corn syrup and butter and then surrounded by a crispy, crumbly crust of flour and butter. Pecans are absolutely healthful and should be in your munching routine, but ten halves are roughly 100 calories, so a little goes a long way. An average piece of pecan pie runs you roughly 500 calories and nearly 30 grams of fat. Rather than all of that fat and sugar surrounding your precious pecans, center stage these nuts with a spiced pecan recipe (swap the walnuts for pecans) that will wow your guests and you’ll feel great about eating. They’re versatile little suckers and work on both your appetizer tray as well as the dessert table. So, there you have it. Tweak your holiday dishes into healthy foods, and sticking to your healthy eating plan during the holidays will be a piece of cake pie.
Your Thanksgiving Guide to Not Gaining Weight
Thanksgiving is probably the biggest day of eating in the USA. No shocker there, right? With all that ridiculously yummy food on the table, it’s hard to figure out what to do with your hands besides, well, eat. Good thing you’re here now, because I’m sharing 5 tried and true weight loss tips that are sure to get you through Thanksgiving without stuffing yourself like that bird. Tip #1: Feast on good company I always encourage my clients to make the company the focus of the day, rather than the food. For real this time. Be in the moment. Laugh. Really listen to your cousin’s story about his recent trip. Ask your grandma about what Thanksgiving was like 50 years ago. Challenge your nephew to spell cornucopia. Challenge your niece to say it three times fast. Make eye contact, connect and engage with every person who is special to you in the room and make sure that you leave the day full of love, rather than mashed potatoes. You don’t have to treat the meal like your last supper to be satisfied, nourished and giving thanks. Tip #2: Have a plan (and share it with Aunt Millie) I can’t tell you what to eat, how much to eat or what it will take for you to feel successful on Thanksgiving. I customize that work for each and every one of my clients individually (though I do have some go-to Thanksgiving recipes that I recycle each year). I will tell you that going into Thanksgiving with a plan of attack for what goes into your mouth will give you the opportunity to be successful. Without a plan, you cannot set yourself up for success or stay on track with your healthy diet. You can be the Thanksgivophile (just made that word up, permish to use granted) who plans to eat a small serving of all of the offerings. You can be the parade watcher who plans to eat only the healthy snacks, crudites and desserts. You can even be the marathon football watching fan who snacks from morning to night in planned combinations of portion-controlled holiday favorites. Make a plan so you can stick to it. Tell this plan to someone who will be celebrating the holiday with you. It will keep you accountable and on your healthy eating task. Tip #3: Use your hands for something besides eating Eeeeek. Turkey’s resting for 30 minutes. It smells soooooo good. You’re surrounded by snacks: nuts, cheese, something puffy that’s oozing parm and pancetta. Code red. Remember your plan! Rather than eating whatever’s nearby, keep a glass in your dominant hand (preferably seltzer with a few pomegranate seeds tossed in, a little wine spritzer or an herbal tea). It will keep you from munching mindlessly. Other ideas to keep your fingers from putting unwanted items between your lips: take holiday wish lists from your friends and relatives to make your shopping easier; help the host; bring your knitting, a puzzle, craft or an origami activity to do with the kids; pull out old board games; or look at old photographs. Thanksgiving is a good day to go old school here. Tip #4: Fab your gorgeous self out Take a few minutes before the company arrives, or you head out into the world to your turkey soiree and make sure you feel good about how you look. Celebrating your Thanksgiving in sweats and bed head isn’t going to inspire you to feel your best, make good food choices and propel you into anything other than a food coma. Think about someone you admire who exudes health, confidence and positivity (with a little sex appeal thrown in) and take a little inspiration. Why not feel amazing on the outside?! You’re amazing on the inside! Keeping your appearance on the forefront of your brain may help you make good food choices. Tip #5: Take a nap There are many reasons I recommend a little mid-day shut eye on Thanksgiving. Yes, obvi you cannot eat and sleep at the same time. A little siesta also honors that you’re taking a day off for enjoyment, and quiets the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to holding on to extra belly fat in your bod. Rested bodies are also better able to fight off germs and keep you well as cold and flu season starts knockin’ on the door. You don’t have to be anti-social — a 30 minute break from the festivities should be enough to refresh you (and maybe help get you out of doing some of those dishes). Happy Thanksgiving, friends. You can celebrate this one without a souvenir extra pound or two to remember it with. Cheers to you — you can practice these tips for all of the holidays to come!
