Instead of Gaining Weight over the Holidays, how about LOSING 10 Pounds by December 31st?
Every year it seems that as soon as the last trick-or-treater leaves, the holiday season begins. Already I’ve had several patients express concern that between family visits and holiday parties they might spiral out of control between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. So I thought I might offer some helpful tips to make it through the next few weeks without going off the rails.
First, I can’t stress enough how important it is to follow a low-glycemic diet on a day-to-day basis. Every time you eat sugar, you spark new sugar cravings. Avoid sugar and refined processed grains as much as possible. Even if you know that you will be eating “off the plan” on the Thursday of thanksgiving and over Christmas, make those exceptions to the rule. Allow yourself to indulge (within reason!) on those days, and the next day get right back on track. If you are hosting, send most of the leftovers home with your guests.
Load up on potassium! Potassium is your ally against sugar cravings! Eat greens, broccoli, avocados, brussel sprouts, pumpkin seeds, and nuts as they are great sources of potassium with low sugar content.
Avoid additives like MSG, aspartame, modified food starch, yeast extract, and any kind of “hydrolyzed protein”. All of these, besides being fairly toxic, cause an increase in insulin and will spark sugar cravings.
Make friends with stevia. This natural plant is 300 times sweeter than sugar with no known side effects and no effect on insulin. It is available in powder or liquid form. I recommend trying stevia extract since it is less likely to have a bitter aftertaste. Try this “cocktail” to curb sugar cravings and as a digestive tonic before eating:
1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar, 5-7 drops of Vanilla Crème stevia, squeeze of lemon, and 8 oz. sparkling mineral water. My daughter calls this “Mommy’s Soda” and drinks it with me. The apple cider vinegar is helpful in lowering blood sugar as well as weight loss.
Need extra help? The herb Gymnema has been used by Ayurvedic medicine in India for hundreds of years. It can help lower blood sugar levels but also changes your taste perception of sugary foods. I like the Standard Process Gymnema supplement which has 4 grams of the gymnema leaf per tablet. Another great supplement is inositol, a B vitamin. Deficiency of this vitamin causes sugar cravings, so sucking on a tablet of inositol may be just what your body needs to bypass dessert.
Make your family time more active! Instead of letting the holidays revolve around food, plan activities that the whole family can do together. Get everyone out for a walk after dinner instead of letting the whole family snooze in front of the T.V.
Too often November and December become a blur of mindless eating and running around that results with you starting January feeling bloated, guilty, and exhausted. Keep yourself on track so you start 2012 feeling fantastic!