2 Simple Tricks To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain This Year

Every year during the holiday season, we tend to gain weight especially when it’s cold, you just can’t resist a good hot meal no matter how much you regret it later. Science Insider spoke to a nutritionist and weight loss expert, Dr. Jonny Bowden and she has given two easy steps to avoid gaining excess weight this holiday season. Don’t worry, no one’s stopping you from eating that delicious Thanksgiving food!

Step One – Food Diary

This might be a little hard to do especially if you’re not the kind to maintain a journal but you could use your planner apps on your phone to do this. Bowden tells the publication that meals should be planned beforehand and one should plan the food for the day once they wake up. This he says is effective because in the mornings, our blood sugar levels are stable and there is no cravings happening this early in the day. He further adds following the diary religiously will give you an increased discipline in food habits.

Step Two – Eat Before You Dine

No, no this is not Joey Tribbiani’s stomach warm-up with chips, this is having two foods before you are about to head out or stay home for a lavish meal. Eat a small green salad or have a nice bowl of warm soup before your big meal. The soup should be more of a broth based and not cream based and these two dishes will help you keep from overeating.

Why these two low profile dishes and not a snack? Bowden told Science Insider that salads and soups are low on the glycemic index and thus causes a less spike in blood sugar levels which in turn leads to a higher fat storage.