Holidays = Party Time!
So. It’s the holidays, and odds are that you have at least one or five parties to go to in the next few weeks. I’m absolutely sure that unless you’re going to Jillian Michaels’ or Bob Harper’s house for a party, these parties are going to be full of high calorie food and drinks.
I know what you’re thinking. There goes my week, right?
Well, it doesn’t have to be. Here are some things that you can do to keep you from going calorie crazy at those parties:
- Don’t go to the party hungry; eat a healthy snack before the party! I do this often. I eat something healthy like my favorite oats and honey granola bars, or a piece of fruit, or half of a sandwich. This gets me full enough so that I don’t completely lose my mind and stuff myself full of buffalo dip.
- Don’t completely booze it up! Okay, so I know that for some of us, going to a party and not having some drinks is just not going to happen, but you can make better choices when it comes to what you drink. If you’re drinking beer, stick to light beer! Light beers have around 80-100 calories, regular beers are at least 120 calories. Most of the time, they have more. If liquor is your drink of choice, then you’re better off not going with the margarita or daiquiri. Do you know how many calories one margarita has in it? Just GUESS. (Christy, you’re not allowed to answer.) Drinks made with mixes are LOADED with calories. If you’re going with a liquor drink, stick with taking it straight, on the rocks, and sip it. If you absolutely cannot stand it that way, then mix it with diet soda! (I’ll let you drink soda just this ONCE, mkay?)
- Stand more than you sit! A lot of times at parties, I stand way more than I sit. That’s because you burn more calories this way. Did you know know that you can burn up to 30% more calories just by standing?
- If the party is a potluck, then make something you can eat! I modify recipes all the time to make them more healthy and party friendly for me. For example: one of my favorite things to make is spinach dip that has mayo and sour cream in it. I always, always use light mayo and non-fat sour cream, and no one has ever complained. In fact, they ask me to bring it. This is something I can eat without feeling guilty. For the other foods there, I try to stick with healthier foods, and maybe get ONE of my favorite foods.
- If you have several parties to go to, and you really want to cut loose just ONCE, then pick a party and say this is the one I’m just not going to worry about. BUT, make a promise and commitment to yourself to get to the gym and get your work out in the next day!! You gotta pay to play!
Look, I know that you may look at a list like this and say, well that’s no fun. I used to be the same way, but then I realized that eating until I was sick, drinking until I was sick (It has happened. I know you’re shocked.), and then gaining those 7-10lbs over the holidays was JUST NOT WORTH IT. (BTW, did you know that the average person gains 7-10lbs over the holidays?) I can go to a holiday party, make healthy choices, eat and drink some, and still have a fantastic time with my friends and family.
And isn’t that what the holidays are about anyway?
