By Dr. Jon
Thomas, DC, Board Certified Chiropractic Physician.
Overcoming
Negativity
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The holiday
season is supposed to be a happy time, and for many people it is. However, for
some people, the holiday season can be a challenging time. Some people even go
into various levels of depression during the holiday season. One of the most
common coping mechanisms for dealing with sadness is to eat.
It’s easy
to over-indulge during the holiday season when food is everywhere, and
everybody seems to be eating and enjoying themselves. You really have to watch
out for negative trains of thought that seem to keep running and running. When
you get stuck in a rut mentally, it’s easy to turn to unhealthy behaviors like
over-indulging. Keep yourself around positive people as much as possible. And
don’t forget to do some of the things that are good for you, like taking a walk
or reading a book.
One of the
challenges many people face when they begin to lose weight is the negativity of
family or friends. Sometimes people are familiar with a person being a certain
way, and they’re comfortable with that. When someone begins to lose weight and
change in other positive ways, it can take others out of their comfort zone.
It’s surprising, but people who aren’t making positive changes in their own
lives aren’t always supportive of people who are.
Feed the
Flattery
Once people
start losing weight and feeling better about themselves, others begin to notice
and make compliments. Most people like to receive those kinds of compliments.
That’s especially true if the way you look is the result of the positive
changes you have been making, like losing weight and working out. Those
compliments can even provide motivation to continue moving in the right
direction with fitness and wellbeing. If you have just begun your weight loss
journey keep it quiet until you have some victories to share, this will build
your excitement as a great reveal of the new you is ahead and stop the
potential of being derailed by friends and family.
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Eating
Traps to Avoid During the Holiday Season
There are
lots of ways to go wrong with food during the holiday season. Here are some of
the things you should watch out for.
Overindulging
simply because it’s the holiday season: Lots of people
rationalize that it’s OK to “eat the whole thing” because the holiday season
only comes once a year. That’s true, but if you overdo it at six, or eight, or
ten-holiday gatherings, you could easily put on five or ten pounds before the
clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. In fact, research shows that those
who add pounds during the holidays rarely take it off, especially in the long
term!
Staying too
close to the food: If you sit or stand near a buffet table, it will
start to mess with your mind. After a few minutes, you might feel like some of
those delectable foods are calling out to you. Or you might look over and see that
there’s not much left of something you’d like to get a second serving of. It’s
best just to get your food and move away from the buffet table, preferably far
enough so you can’t see it.
Enormous
Portions: Just because there’s plenty of food and most of
its delicious doesn’t mean you have to eat all of it. Eat normal portions and
then give your body a chance to digest everything. If you go back for seconds,
keep it light. Do not go back for thirds because you will certainly regret
that. Another thing to keep in mind is that some hosts put out their biggest
plates for the big day. Normal portions will look smaller on big plates.
There’s no harm in leaving a little empty space on the plate.
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Trigger
Foods: We all have foods that make us a little crazy.
It could be Oreo cookies, apple pie with ice cream, macaroni, and cheese, or
something else. Once we get started on our particular food, it can be very hard
to stop, especially when there’s plenty of it right there in front of us. Be
aware of what your problem foods are and simply avoid them.
Someone
insists that you try something: Sometimes when
people eat food they really like, they urge everyone else to try it too.
However, just because someone wants you to try something doesn’t mean that you
have to try it. It’s not impolite to tell someone you’d prefer not to have
something, even though it does look incredibly delicious.
Avoiding
Fiber: When there are lots of good foods to pick from,
it may be easier to turn away from some of the foods that you really know you
should have. Don’t forget the fiber because it will help to fill you up. If you
can, get a serving of baked sweet potatoes or lentils or something else with
fiber on your plate.
Allowing
dishes with vegetables and fruits to fool you: Sometimes when you see a veggie dish, you think, “Oh, that’s healthy.”
That’s not necessarily true. Yams are one thing. Candied yams with little
marshmallows on top are something else entirely. Don’t be fooled by those
foods.
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Feasting on
Dessert: So, you’ve nearly finished your Thanksgiving
dinner, and you feel like you’ve done well. You kept your portions within
reason, and you only went back for seconds on a few items. Now, it’s time to
move on to the dessert table. There are four different pies and two kinds of
ice cream to go with them. You feel like you deserve it, so you let yourself
go. After all, two or three slices of pie with a few scoops of ice cream never
hurt anyone. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for that kind of binging.
Grazing on
Leftovers: After the dinner when things have settled down,
it’s easy to wander into the kitchen and take a look in the fridge. Sometimes
the leftovers are as good as the dinner was when it was hot. A turkey sandwich
with some of that gravy can seem like a fine idea at that point. Don’t do it.
Just say no. Better yet, don’t even look in the fridge till you have had a
suitable cooling off period.
Lose weight
by January?
If you get
started soon, you can weigh substantially less by January. On New Year’s Eve,
while other people look with regret at their expanding waistlines due to
overindulging through the holiday season, you’ll be able to reflect on a season
during which you truly did give yourself a gift that will keep on giving.
Wouldn’t that be a great feeling?
NutriMost
has worked for many people. There are lots of before and after pictures of
Vibrant Life Health Center’s NutriMost patients on our website. There’s still
time to lose ten pounds or more by January and to start the New Year a bit
slimmer. If you’d like to learn more about the NutriMost Weight Loss program,
call us at the Vibrant Life Health Center to set up an appointment.
In this
article, I have discussed many of the traps that people fall into when it comes
to dining during the holidays. From enormous portions to trying a little bit of
everything, sometimes the best thing to do is to just say “No.” I’ve also given
some effective strategies for not over-indulging when the opportunity to do so
arises.
If you have
a comment about this article, please leave it in the comments section below. If
you know of someone who might benefit from the information in this blog, please
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At Vibrant
Life, we address all the key elements to add vibrance and vitality to your
life. This includes nutrition, Chiropractic care, and fitness. If you need to
consult with a chiropractor about your neck, back, or any other health concern,
please contact our office to set up an appointment.
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| Courtesy of Vibrant Life |
Dr. Jon
Thomas is a Board Certified Chiropractic Physician. His practice, The Vibrant
Life Health Center is located in the Mandarin section of Jacksonville. His
interest in health and fitness started early, and his athletic pursuits have
included BMX racing, Professional Snow Skiing, Water Skiing, Baseball,
Weightlifting, and Martial Arts. After studying and learning from some of the
top health experts throughout the world, Dr. Thomas dedicated his life to
helping people of all ages to transform their lives. The objective for each
patient is to initiate the body’s healing and to work progressively toward a
body that functions optimally. Dr. Thomas is regularly seen on TV where he
discusses the transformations of his patients. He also has several videos on the
Vibrant Life
YouTube channel and a regular show on Blog Talk Radio. He also
speaks at events throughout the community and writes informative articles to
improve the health of residents throughout Northeast Florida
So many cookies. So little time. The holidays are like a minefield to your diet. The trick is to have a plan to avoid the mines.
ReplyDeleteThese are some really great tips. I have tried several of them and boy do they work! :D
ReplyDelete