Avoiding Overeating

7 Tips to Avoid Gluttony During the Holidays

The holiday season is that one time of the year when a wide variety of tempting food is placed on dining tables and brought out at festive parties. Often, elaborate desserts are the centerpieces of these temptations into gluttony, but unfortunately, most people don’t have iron will to keep them from over-indulging. So, we have put together a list of 7 tips to help you keep from over-eating for the next month.

1. Have a small meal before a holiday party or meal. An empty stomach is a sure way of overeating, like shopping for food on an empty stomach. Eating a small meal beforehand ensures you don’t gorge yourself at a holiday party.
2. Move away from the food. The most dangerous place to stand at a party is right next to the buffet table. Fill up your plate and walk away. Do not head back for at least 20 minutes after finishing to allow your brain to receive the chemical messages that you’re full.
3. Take smaller portions.There may be one dish you really love, but rarely get to eat. Start putting other healthy food on our plate before taking your dream dish, which will make sure you can’t fill up your plate with it.
4. Try to find a smaller plate. Psychologists have proved that plate size matters. If you grab the largest plate offered, you’ll more than likely put on more food than you would have if you had selected a smaller plate. Look for a salad or dessert table for plates, as these are always smaller than dinner plates.
5. Sit down to eat.Not only does this give you a chance to take a load off, but you may be less likely to drift back to the buffet table to help yourself to seconds or thirds.
6. Take a chill.Cold winter weather can be really helpful when seasonal anxiety sets in. Take a step outside, letting yourself feel the cold air and take some deep breaths until you feel more in control. It might even require a walk around the neighborhood. Not only will it help you clear your head, but those extra steps will use up at least some of the extra calories.
7. Don’t starve yourself. The holidays are the best eating time of the year. Let yourself off the leash a bit, but don’t beat yourself up over it!

These 7 tips should be enough to help you cope with holiday eating and keeping you from feeling stuffed and bloated. Extra pounds put on during the holiday usually leads to insecure thoughts, so following these tips will have extra benefits leading into the start of 2016. FirstMed encourages everyone to eat a healthy balance of food and exercise regularly. With the start of the New Year, there is no better time to meet with your medical professional for your annual physical and see how healthy you are for the coming year. Please check our site for special offers made during January for your annual health maintenance exam.