Keep your line during this holiday season

Christmas is coming, and you're scared because you’ve kept your weight all year and do not want to gain more? Inevitably, we feel attracted to all food consumed on these dates: bread, biscuits, chocolates, cakes, alcohol, pasta, sweets, among others. But before you feel defeated, breathe deep and stay calm, there are ways to avoid gaining weight.

Christmas, it's time to share and celebrate a family time and food should not be a cause of isolation and stress, the good news is that we can enjoy all these foods; the secret is in how we eat. The first thing to be aware is that you probably are not going to lose weight at this time; however, you can keep the line.

Control your portions

An easy way to remember portion sizes:

• For pasta and rice, eat at every meal the amount of the size of your fist.
• For proteins, such as meat, poultry and fish, eat portions of the size of the palm of your hand, not counting fingers at each meal.
• For high-fat foods like cheese, eat barely the size of your thumb.
• As for vegetables, you can eat as many as you like. Except for potatoes, if you're eating a potato or mashed, follows the recommendation of pasta.

Thus, we know how much to eat, and it will be easier to eat in moderation.

Eat less without realizing

• Hide temptations. Keeping snacks covered or not in sight, will make you eat less.
• Do not take snacks in front of the television, it is estimated that we can eat up to 300 extra calories when we eat in front of the TV.
• Buy candles. An investigation suggested that we tend to eat less in dimly lit rooms with soft music, as this favors a relaxed ambient and therefore we eat slowly and enjoy every bite, contrary to what happens in fast food restaurants.
• In the toast, drink only one glass of wine, you will reduce significantly your calorie consumption.

Little tricks to cut calories

• Add a handful of ice in the glass before pouring wine: 80 calories less
• Remove the skin of your turkey or chicken serving: 50 calories less
• Take a baked potato less than usual: 100 calories
• Prepare your Christmas cake with Greek yogurt instead of cream: 310 calories

Get ready for the holidays

You have a Christmas event and you know that there will be many temptations to look at, before leaving to a party, there are some tips that you should consider to avoid overeating:

• If in your table there are nuts, seeds, peanuts, eat only a handful of them one by one, these are not bad, they will give satiety to avoid eating too much, however if we abuse consumption, we are ingesting too many calories.
• Drink water before you go to the party. You have to stay hydrated, as you often mistake thirst for hunger. In addition, this will also ensure that you drink no wine to quench your thirst.
• When you go to dinner, eat slowly, take time to enjoy the food, and you will feel satisfied with less food.

The perfect Christmas dinner

To make your Christmas dinner not based only on meat and flour, make sure you also include vegetables on the table, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, etc. If possible offer salads or steamed vegetables, add them to the menu.

When it’s ready to serve, begin with the vegetables, and fill half of your plate with them, serve smaller portions of pasta, and meat, and you can eat anything.

Avoid sweets at the beginning of dinner: let the cakes, cookies and chocolates to the end, so you will not eat twice.

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