How to Stick to Your Diet during the Holidays

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With all the parties and dinners during the holidays, sticking to your diet can be a daunting challenge. It is possible to survive the holidays without starving yourself.

Step 1: Snack
Snack on healthy foods before a holiday meal. Starving yourself before a meal will make it more likely you binge at the table. Eat three smaller meals a day with snacks before each meal to help you eat less.

Step 2: Limit variety
Shrink your portion sizes and limit the variety of food on your plate. Limiting choices makes food consumption easier to control.

Tip
At every holiday gathering you attend, allow yourself a small portion of one of your favorite holiday treats. Decide ahead of time which one it'll be and how much of it you will eat, and stick to that amount when the time comes.

Step 3: Eat uncooked foods
Eat plenty of raw greens and fruits during the main meals. At parties, stick to the veggie platter, which will help fill you up without hurting your diet.

Step 4: Adjust ratio
Adjust your ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat based on the diet phase you are in.

Step 5: Alternate beverages
Decide ahead of time how many drinks you'll have during a holiday gathering, and alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages if you are drinking during the holidays. Alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories, and can impair your judgment on what foods to eat.

Step 6: Schedule workout time with friends
Schedule workout and exercise time with your friends during the holidays to help keep each other in shape.

Did You Know?
In 2006, a Wall Street Journal poll found that about a quarter of adults who make a New Year's resolution pledge to lose weight, exercise more, and eat better.