The holiday season is in full effect, and you know what that means: vacation time and delicious food. Unfortunately, the latter can make you balloon up if you’re not careful; pumpkin pie, gingerbread men, candy canes… there’s no shortage of food that can make you tip the scales. The same holds true for other holidays as well.
Fortunately, all hope is not lost. There are certain ways you can indulge without hurting your waistline this year. Follow these holiday and vacation diet tips, and your weight should escape the season unscathed.
1. Pack healthy snacks. When hunger strikes, it’s easy to reach for the nearest sweet treat. One way to curb this practice is by having snacks handy. Some healthy snacks to consider include almonds, yogurt and even a men’s protein shake. All of these items can fill you up and keep hunger at bay; appetite control is critical to your success during your vacation or holiday.
2. Exercise caution at work. The office is one place that can ruin your diet if you’re not careful. If someone brings sweets to the break room, stay away and munch on some healthy snacks instead (see #1). The same holds true if your coworker has a candy bowl; email them or call them instead of swinging by their desk. Out of sight equals out of mind – especially when it comes to junk food.
3. Hit the gym harder. If you happen to give into your sweet tooth, spend some extra time at the gym to burn off the calories. Because a lot of holiday treats have hundreds of calories, you most likely won’t burn off all of the calories. However, any sort of physical activity will help limit the diet damage you just caused. For an extra metabolism boost at the gym, you should consider a thermogenic formula. This supplement can help increase calorie burn during workouts.
4. Practice moderation. You don’t have to avoid every treat thrown your way. After all, these are the holidays! If your diet has been good all week, it won’t hurt to bite into a sweet snack – but limit your intake to just one or two treats. Anything more than that and you risk ruining all your good progress.