Leave your hunger at home Don't head out to your holiday party hungry. Start with a full stomach. Eat something healthy and substantial before you head out. For example - Oatmeal, mixed nuts and seeds, vegetable juice with some fiber powder (psyllium husk is my choice), boiled egg whites with hummus, canned meat such as tuna, or salmon with some hummus mixed in, Mark's mush(or your own concoction), or a veggie smoothie for you "Platinum Member" Eat Like Mark'ers and anyone who is up for it.
Lemon water - Lemon is a natural appetite suppressant. Bring a glass of lemon water with you in the car on the way to the Christmas party. Get a glass of lemon water as soon as you arrive at the party. Keep drinking lemon water all evening. It will suppress your appetite making it easier to avoid the "table-of- yummies"! If you are drinking lemon water, you are drinking less alcohol. Less alcohol means less sugar calories and less of its' appetite enhancing effects (a.k.a. "The Munchies").
Lemon water is also touted to have other benefits such as improved digestion and absorption of important nutrients. Lemon water helps to alkalinize our bodies which offsets the unhealthy acidic environment created by all the crappy foods we eat. By alkalinizing our system, we are less susceptible to infections and can better fight off the ones we get(colds, flu, etc)
The Good with the Bad - Just another revision of an old Eat Like Mark theme..that is BALANCE. For every piece of a cookie, cracker, cake, candy, and other holiday crap you know is bad (but tastes ohh so go good), have 2 or 3 portions of something nutritious and healthy. Be honest, even though most holiday parties/gatherings are laden with unhealthy stuff, there is usually a lonely, underutilized veggie tray somewhere to be found.
Use a Plate - Holiday parties typically have food scattered all over, and usually a central table full of irresistible treats. You tell yourself that you will just "cheat a little" tonight. However, it is impossible to have an accurate assessment of quantities when you are simply picking from the goodie table every time you pass by. Instead, put all your food on to a plate, look at it and take mental note. If you go for seconds/thirds/etc., do the same. To take it a step further, after you are done looking at your full plate, put some back!
Water, Water Everywhere - In general, I am not a fan of "overhydration" but these holiday parties can be full of disastrous temptations so it is time to pull out all the tricks. Drink a full glass of lemon water before you leave your house, as soon as you arrive at the party and match each portion of illegal yummies with another full glass... The water will keep you feeling full and decrease your appetite. The simple act of drinking(and then peeing every 20 minutes) may be time consuming enough to distract you from the "table of temptations". You will feel great in the morning!!
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