How to not get fat this holiday season. (part 1 of 2)

It was the best of eating times, it was the worst of eating times…the holiday season that is.

The best of times due to the out-of-the-ordinary, over-the-top desserts that accompany this time of year. The worst of times due to the RESULTS of these out-of-the-ordinary, over-the-top desserts that accompany this time of year.

This topic is a great struggle for me personally, as I have a sweet tooth; a few to be exact. So I have spent a lot of time chewing on the subject. May I share a few of the tips that have curbed my over-eating enthusiasm?

Tip #1 Fill up on Water

Drink water before you leave the house to go to a party, drink water when you get to that party, drink water with your meal at that party and drink water when you are finished eating your meal at that party. Are you catching on to my subtle hint?

The majority of the time when you think you’re hungry, you’re really just thirsty, or dehydrated. Want to test this hypothesis? Next time you think you’re “hungry” go and drink 15-20 oz of water and then ask yourself if you’re still hungry. When I ask myself this question (post large glass of water) the answer is always, “I’m full.”

Your stomach has only a finite amount of space in it, and if it’s full of water, you will simply not have enough room to fill it up with decadent items from the dessert table.

Think of the lap band or bariatric procedures you see advertised everywhere. These procedures, in one form or another, tie off a portion of your stomach so you literally cannot hold as much food as you once could. You begin to feel fuller faster and therefore lose weight.

The water technique accomplishes the same goal. It shrinks your usable stomach space by filling it with water which causes you to feel fuller faster.

Tip #2 Fill up on Fiber

Fiber is like a sponge that, when wet, doubles or triples in size. Literally, imagine a sponge sitting in your stomach, about to slide down your digestive track, clearing out all the toxins and waste in it’s path. That’s what fiber does for you.

Fiber is not digestible by your body, which means you can eat as much fiber as you want and as long as you heed my advice on tip #1 (and drink enough water) the fiber will expand and pass right through you escorting out all types of unwanted guests on it’s way out.

So when filling your holiday plate, make sure that fiber covers at least half your culinary real estate and make sure to eat the fiber first, so you have less room for trouble.

Examples of fiber: Anything Guiltless Superfoods, seeds, veggie platters, green leafy vegetables, green salads, etc

I’m going to let the fiber analogy digest for the time being, but make sure to continue reading part 2 of “How to not get fat this holiday season.”