PARTY TIPS for HOLIDAY SELF CONTROL
1) Eat a little bit before you go out to a holiday party (some fruit, a large slice of cheese, yogurt, and/or a glass of milk) so you are not ravenous when you arrive.
2) Use a smaller plate to put food on. Take very small tasting portions.
3) Be careful with the high sugar and high starch goodies. Try to choose fresh cut vegetables with a minimum of dip, fruits, shrimp (low calorie, but high in cholesterol), whole grain crackers and harder cheeses.
4) Be picky about the food—I avoid anything that isn’t homemade from scratch and this “snobbery” helps keep me in line. Some people avoid white sugar and white flour items. Some people just avoid soda pop or sweets altogether.
5) Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. All alcohol calories are empty calories (7 cal per gram of alcohol as opposed to 4 cal/g of carbohydrates, 5 cal/g of protein and 9 cal/g of fat). Many mixed drinks often contain sweeteners and fats such as cream or coconut cream and can run in the hundreds of calories.
6) Drink at least one glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume. The water helps you flush out the byproduct of alcohol from your liver so you won’t feel as lousy the next day.
7) Eat slowly and wait at least 20 minutes before going for seconds. That’s the amount of time it takes for some of the food in your stomach to be absorbed and register in your brain satiety center.
8 ) Avoid standing by the food and drink tables.
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