7 Diet Hacks to Help Keep You on Track During the Holidays

I know, I know. It’s the holidays. Lots of us are overeating or eating the wrong things and feeling a little guilty. Right? Well, the good news is there are plenty of ways to enjoy seasonal treats without all the guilt. Here are my top 7 diet hacks for staying on track with your nutrition goals:

1. Save room for dessert! I know it sounds crazy, but if you purposely eat a little less at that holiday luncheon or dinner party and save room for a small portion of your favorite dessert, you might not feel like you’ve deprived yourself and may have an easier time avoiding the inevitable binge to makeup for what you missed. That said, try to choose a sugar free, lower fat, or reduced sugar option to your favorite treats. These foods aren’t “healthy” or calorie free by any means, so you’ll still want to moderate.

2. Stay active. Find ways to incorporate more movement during your holiday time. Park further from the store, walk up and down the escalators, make a consistent effort to perform some sort of exercise everyday at home or at the gym if your schedule allows.

3. Portion control. Become aware of the serving sizes for the foods you eat and do not exceed one serving size for each food per meal. This will help you control calories and practice more mindful eating.

4. Savor your food. Eating too fast delays your sense of feeling full. If you eat slowly and chew each bite thoroughly, you can more easily avoid excess caloric intake and feeling overstuffed. And it’s okay to take time to savor and enjoy your meals!! The more satisfied you are with each eating occasion , the more likely you are to stay on track with your dietary goals!

5. Track your food intake: even if you don’t know exact values or portion sizes, do your best to track your food in an app. Apps are usually very flexible and will have a food/meal in the database that is comparable to what you ate. Having an estimate of your intake helps you stick with your caloric and macronutrient goals and guides your food choices throughout the day. An app will also help you become aware when you are exceeding your caloric or macronutrient goals and this is much more persuasive in causing someone to scale back as opposed to not seeing any consequences for their actions.

6. Don’t graze on empty calories: schedule your meals and snacks throughout the day for times that you are actually hungry. Snacking when you aren’t really hungry or indulging in foods that don’t fill you up makes it much easier to overeat. Not only do “junk” foods often trigger overeating specifically, but they are typically higher in calories and some will not replace your desire to have your regular meals/calories. Thus, easily leading to an excess in caloric intake. Instead, make that little treat the dessert you are saving room for (diet hack #1😊).

7. Support satiety. At each meal , try to balance your plate so that you have a serving of protein and at least one good source of fiber (3g or more). Protein and fiber help you feel fuller and help curb appetite, partially because each helps to stabilize blood sugar.