7 tips to get through a foody month
September is a holiday-packed month. This means one of many things: FOOD EVERYWHERE!
Around this time of the year we start to get panicked calls and messages from people: “how do I not undo my hard work?”
While it might be difficult to lose weight with so many holidays around, this doesn’t mean that you have to go completely off track for 3 weeks.
So here are our top tips to enjoy your holidays while still feeling in control of your nutrition.
1 Avoid relying on ready-made food:
Restaurants’ and ready-made food generally use more fat, sugar and sauces than homemade. So they will be more calorific and will taste so good that we eat more than when we or our friends and family cook.
2 Try and stick to one large meal a day:
and one or two smaller ones with a few small snacks in between if you need them. Don’t get to that large meal completely starving or you’ll end up stuffing your face!
3 Keep drinking:
no, not wine! Of course have some, but try and stick to calorie-free drinks most of the time so water, fizzy sugar-free drinks, herbal teas and sugar-free squash. If drinking alcohol, try and opt for a single spirit shot with a calorie-free mixer – you’ll save more calories than you think!
4 Make sure your meals are high in protein and fibre:
Protein and fibre help you stay full and satisfied for longer, so make sure you eat plenty with each meal! Opt for lean protein sources, like chicken/turkey breast, eggs and egg whites, tofu, fat-free cottage cheese, fat-free Greek yoghurt/skyr, protein powder. Fibre comes mostly from fruit and veg (skin on is best!) and wholegrain/wholewheat carbs like brown rice and pasta. When having larger meals, try to eat protein and vegetables first so that you fill up and won’t need as many extras.
5 If you decide you are going to bake, try and bake something that you can pre-portion,
like small muffins, cupcakes, biscuits or meringues. That way it’s easier to stick to an actual portion instead of continuing to cut really thin cake slices fooling yourself that you won’t end up eating lots of it.
6 Move!
Take the opportunity to go for a long walk each day, discover all the nearby parks and paths, play with your kids in the garden… Being active will not only help you burn calories, but it will also boost your mood!
7 When breaking your fast, try and keep it light and high in water:
opt for something like a soup with some lean protein on a side. You might find that having a large meal might feel uncomfortable and make you more bloated than usual.
The last year and a half have been so tough and many things have felt out of our control, but these tips can help you feel in control of your nutrition (holidays or not).
If you feel like you need some guidance and want to lose some weight, then our 12-week fat loss programme aceTRANSFORM is what you need. Drop us an email on transform@ace-lifestyle.com to join our next intake!
