Which club do you belong to: those who live it up over the holidays and recommit on January 1 or those who maintain (or lose!) weight throughout the season? I flip flop back and forth, but in general the squiggly line effect keeps me in the maintenance group (so I hope!)
I’m partnering with Celestial Seasonings today (makers of some amazing holiday teas!) to share the ways I stay healthy over the holiday season.
Pre-Game For The Party
On healthy food – not booze! Have a salad or a hearty, nutritious snack before you head to a holiday party. You don’t want to have to rely on cheese and crackers to satisfy your hunger, and crudités alone do not a dinner make. A simple salad before you go will help fill you up. And once you’ve met your veggie quota, you can sample some of the very best hors d’oeuvres.
Sip Don’t Gulp
Drink what you will savor. Instead of going with something light that you will guzzle down and need replenished, drink what you want most and what you will savor. My drink of choice – juicy red wine divided into a few small pours. I’m more likely to wash it down with dinner, so I prefer to have a little before and after and stick to water during the meal.
Drink More Tea
Drink more tea! Not only does a steamy mug of tea warm you up on cold afternoons, but tea counts toward your daily hydration needs. There are so many amazing holiday flavors like Celestial Seasonings’ Sweet Harvest Pumpkin, Caramel Apple Dream, and Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland, and they have aromas that will satisfy your sweet tooth after lunch instead of reaching for the cookie tin. Add a teaspoon of honey for a little natural sweetener if you need a little bit more – it’s still way lighter than a Pumpkin Spice Latte! And if you have overindulged, tea can help with digestion.
Think Ahead
Make a mental plan for the night (or season!) Whether you balance your nights out with home cooked meals the next day or you simply map out a party plan in your head before you go, the more mindfulness you can practice the better. Think about the events ahead: you’ll have your mom’s famous pumpkin pie on Christmas and will save the eggnog for next week’s party.
“Taste everything, eat nothing”
This is one of my favorite party mantras. Of course you want to experience all that the dessert buffet has to offer, but you don’t need to eat a huge slice of every cake there to taste them. Tiny portions of rich foods allow you to enjoy them without leaving you full and lethargic. Focus on how you want to feel at the end of the night.
Thanks to Celestial Seasonings for sponsoring this post!
Great tips! What perfect timing too; last night I was invited to 3 different holiday parties!
“Taste everything, eat nothing”–that’s a good one!
Ali the winner from the Biggest Loser always says this. 🙂
Great tips! I especially like the last one! This way you get to enjoy a bit of everything without getting too full or going overboard!
Helpful tips, especially the last one.
Wonderful tips! I’ll definitely put them into practice this season as last season left me feeling a little ‘doughy!’
The taste everything, eat nothing tip is one I follow too! My husband and I also share desserts sometimes.
I’m a big fan of pre-gaming. I actually often have to do this because of the lack of GF items available at most parties.
I need to drink more tea at night. I get a hankering for some hot chocolate on these cold nights, and that’s fine every once in a while, but not every single night (otherwise that squiggly line will become more of a straight line up and to the right). I drink tea in the morning, but not as much at night and that’s also when I also tend to drink fewer liquids in general, so it would be good to increase my daily amount. Something interesting I learned in Anatomy & Physiology: we tend to get more dehydrated in the winter than in the summer. Who knew?!
Thanks for sharing your tips-it’s always good to have reminders!
Ever since my trip to Celestial Seasonings I have become completely addicted to a mug of Sleepytime at night!! I look forward to it all day – and I definitely think it helps hydrate me before bed.
love a cup of sleepy time tea.
I am definitely more dehydrated in the winter. I have to actively remember to drink water in the winter vs the summer where I’m usually thirsty and will drink it anyway. I was reminded of that this week when the temps dropped and I only had one liter of water instead of my usual gallon. Whoops.
Love your suggestion to “pre-game” before the party. Although there are so many delicious foods at holiday parties, sometes they rarely make a well balanced dinner. Love your simple salad suggestion to amp your veggies and fill your belly a little more adequately before heading off to the party. By the way, beautiful photos!!!
I also find that a bowl of soup does the same thing. I tend to “go off” salads in cold weather, so a nice bowl of veggie soup works for me.
I always have homemade soup in the fridge. I am diabetic and allergic to wheat. Every Sunday I make a big pot of veggie soup and keep it in the fridge to have as a snack during the week. Its so easy to make and I get to use up all my leftover veggies from the week, and by making it myself I know that it doesn’t contain wheat. I have a mug of soup each night before bedtime and it keeps my blood sugar stable over night.
I love that you encourage tasting everything and still having your favorite juicy glass of wine – that is the best way to celebrate with friends and family instead of trying to restrict yourself and worry the entire night about what you’ve eaten.
Thanks for the healthy living tips, Kath – I’m hoping to maintain/maybe even lose if possible, but since the average person might gain 5 lbs, we’re all in a good spot by just maintaining!
Great tips Kath! I am so bummed but I cannot find any of the Holiday teas at Wal- Mart. I will have to do some detective work because I love those flavors!
Great tips! I am definitely known for going overboard at parties. Hoping to reign some of that excess eating in this year!
I love, love, love the tea trick. Ginger tea is my go-to when I overindulge. It helps calm everything down and I always feel much better after. Mint tea is another great stomach soother.
Taste everything, eat nothing is a tip that I in theory would like to follow, but haven’t had much success with. Once I get started, it’s hard to stop!
I thought only herbal tea counted toward hydration. Caffeinated drinks are dehydrating, aren’t they? Can you touch on this?
You are getting more water overall than they cancel out, so you net out positive for hydration. Most people say coffee + tea can count towards a daily fluid goal.
tea, tea, and more tea! all the festive/holiday flavours are coming out and i really find that they help curb a craving or keep my mouth and hands busy when im bored, instead of reaching for snacks. i hope i see the Celestial Seasonings seasonal teas on shelves soon (in Ontario) since i’ve never tried them!! hoping for Candy Cane Lane and Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride
Alexa, I totally agree on this, tea helps me avoid unnecessary snacking.
You always have really great, applicable ideas. Appreciate that you pass them along!
Thank you!
The thinking ahead and eating nutritiously ahead of time are both clutch! Also, the squiggly line effect concept – I’m right there w ya. 🙂
A tip I try to remind myself of, which is kind of like your “Think Ahead” tip, is to only take truly special items to nibble on at parties. Like, I may like cheese and crackers, but is there a special appetizer that only comes out at Christmas? Then I try to eat that instead. This especially applies to me for desserts. I would love to try EVERRRRYYYYTHING, and I could, but I try to just stick with those truly special things you don’t see at every party all year. (I often forget about my own little trick until I’m halfway through a chocolate chip cookies and then realize I could have that any time of year!)
A great tip!! I am the worst with cheese and crackers, which are at every.party.ever (rightfully so!) They are so delicious, but I need to remember this!
One of my favorite things to do over the holidays is to keep up my exercise routine as best as I can. Though I might be indulging a little more than usual, I feel like I’m not neglecting my whole routine. My favorite thing is Vanilla Spice tea with a few drops of liquid stevia. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness after dinner 🙂
I def need to remember to eat a bit before going to parties- I always show up starved and eat the worst types of food, hahah!
Thank you for these suggestions! My family is trying to eat healthier, and we recently found many food allergies between myself and my husband.
I am eager to try these tips during the (busy) Holiday season!
Perfect! Thanks for the tips, I try to only eat sitting down. No drink and appetizer together.
That’s great advice!
I always go crazy for tea as soon as the weather starts to turn chilly. It’s just so comforting!
I love tea so much and I’m sad that it is one of my pregnancy aversions. I’m so ready to be able to enjoy tea again, especially Celestial Seasonings. Sleepytime is my fav!
“Focus on how you want to feel at the end of the night.”
This really struck a chord with me! In the moment at a party it’s so easy and fun to have a second (or, letsbereal, a third) glass of wine, or second helping of dessert… but then once I’m home, with a headache or unsettled stomach, I invariably pay the price. So I think I will make this quote my mantra for the holiday season! Thanks for the balanced and thoughtful tips 🙂
GREAT suggestions!
I absolutely love tea, but I’m more of an iced tea person, even in winter. Some of my favorite teas are made by Yogi brand teas. Some of my favorites are Green Tea Kombucha (immune health), Joint Comfort (has turmeric for inflammation), Detox, and Lipton makes Vanilla Caramel black tea that tastes as good as it smells!!