Control Your Intake of Holiday Treats

It’s that time of the year… the holiday chocolates and cookies are starting to appear in your office. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a delicious holiday sweet, some people experience trouble controlling their intake. Hmmm… if a box of chocolates or homemade cookies was sitting 10 feet from my desk, could I have just one? Highly doubtful! If you are a sugar craver and feel that eating one treat sets you off, you’ll need to come up with a strategy to help you feel more in control … and to avoid ringing in the New Year with a bloated belly!  (pic is of nutritionist Kerry, my colleague, eating some holiday chocolates)

Tips to control your intake of holiday goodies:
1. Holidays are not the time to diet! Depriving yourself will only set yourself up for overindulging later. So allow yourself a small portion of your favorite holiday treat.

2. For those people watching their weight, I might suggest you limit it to one sweet a day for approximately 100-150 calories. Examples: An individual chocolate, truffle or  holiday cookie has ~ 100 calories. Dark chocolate is preferable to milk chocolate as it contains antioxidants.

3. However, if eating one chocolate or other sweet leads to 8, you should probably avoid that food totally as it is likely a trigger for you.

4. Avoid the room where the goodies are kept. If they are kept within reach or sight, try to change the location where they are kept!

5. Keep reminding yourself how much exercise it takes to burn off the calories in a small treat: 40 minutes of brisk walking to burn off 200 calories and a spin class to burn off 350-400 calories. Is it worth it?

6. Make sure you have a good lunch that contains adequate protein and volume. This will help keep your blood sugar levels up and give you more willpower to fight off the urge to indulge later in the afternoon.

7. Plan a healthy afternoon snack – ideally one that includes protein and/or fat. This can help to control sugar cravings.

8. Try chewing gum. While this is obviously not comparable to a chocolate, studies have shown it can help to reduce food cravings.

9. If you do end up overindulging, don’t beat yourself up. Just learn from it – how can you prevent it from happening again? Try to get to the gym that night and eat a lighter dinner. But don’t start skipping meals. This will only lead to an unhealthy cycle.