Are you making them? The holidays are often busy, a little stressful, and it’s easy to fall into the habit of making these common mistakes.  Plus all kinds of tasty temptations seem be every where.  But keep in mind if you are not careful, you could be consuming 100, 200, 300 or even more of unnecessary calories without even thinking, which can lead to weight gain or sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Here are a few of the most common mistakes:

Leaving bowls of snacks around - these are just open invitations to mindlessly stick your hand in and help yourself. If there is one at the office - avoid it! If you must keep something out at home (because company is coming over), try a bowl of apples or clementines or nuts in their shell or even a big bowl of the small 100 calorie snack bags (this way you have variety, stays fresh, and there isn’t open food out).

 Large serving bowls on the dinner table - why tempt yourself to have seconds. Instead leave all the food in the kitchen and dish out your servings on your plate once. A big fresh salad bowl can be left on the table to munch on if you are still hungry (with low fat dressing of course).

Big plates and bowls for meals - all that space is so empty, so the natural habit is to fill it with food which may mean bigger portions then you actually need. Use a big bowl only for salad, for your meals and snacks use small plates and bowls that will only hold the servings sizes you need.

 

Virtuous eating- do you feel so good about making healthy choices that you eat more because you “think” you ate less calories by choosing a healthier menu option (i.e. Subway instead of McDonalds)? Feeling like you saved on calories you can end up eating more then you need if you add a side dish, nibble on your friend’s french fries, have an extra large serving of the healthy option. One good way to keep track is by keeping a food journal.

Enjoy the holidays, have an occasional treat and indulgence - just be aware and eat consciously, making good choices 90% of them time.

Our surroundings, our thoughts and emotions all contribute to “conditioning” us to overeat. I’ve found by making small changes over time I can create an environment that promotes my goal of eating for fuel (healthy choices, smaller portions) instead of just mindlessly grazing or over stuffing my tummy.

What are some common mistakes you’ve made? What changes did you make to create a more positive environment or promote healthier choices?

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