New Years

The New Year kicks off with parties presenting irresistible desserts, delicious eggnog, and those tasty little appetizers that are so hard to refuse! With the alcohol flowing and office or family gatherings happening all around you, temptation is at an all-time high.

While it may seem far too easy to fall off the health wagon and gain weight during times of celebration, there are certain steps that can prevent this from happening. With the right knowledge and plan of action, you can avoid weight gain and keep your waistline looking slim and trim all year round.

In order to achieve permanent success, a multifaceted method for losing weight that deals with both the mind and the body is optimum.

Weight Loss Tangibles
The physical part of weight loss deals specifically with the foods you eat. Specific food strategies will help you dampen your cravings but will also allow for the occasional indulgence at your family or work festivities. By simply planning ahead in this way, you will guard yourself against the urge to overindulge.

Seek Out Your Proteins
Proteins are essential for overall health and specifically for muscle repair, hormonal balance, immune system function, and weight loss. Protein also triggers the secretion of a hormone called glucagon that opposes insulin’s action and breaks down fat. In other words, the hormones glucagon and insulin are enemies and cannot stand being together. When one is present or up–the other chooses to be down.

Not only will protein sources drag down insulin levels and promote loss of fat, but they will also help to fill you up, cut cravings, and cause you to eat less. At parties, seek out protein options such as chicken, fish, egg, or low-fat dairy products to keep you satiated.

Nibble–don’t Gorge
Why are the French so thin? One of the main reasons is their portion sizes are significantly smaller. It is not realistic to think that you will never cheat or try a small amount of your aunt’s favourite homemade holiday pie.

However, it is good practice to be aware of the amount you eat. A food trick to help you eat less is to take your time chewing. It takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the stretch receptors in your stomach to say to your brain, “Hey, I am full!” Thus, take small bites, use your utensils, chew, slow down, and enjoy.

Watch the Booze
Although the occasional alcoholic beverage will not completely throw you off track, alcohol and weight loss do not normally go hand in hand. If you must drink, for every glass of alcohol you drink, be sure to have one glass of water. In addition, try to avoid alcoholic beverages made with sugary juices or sodas.
Having an alcoholic drink before or with a meal provides approximately 200 calories or more! Fat metabolism can decrease by as much as 73 percent for several hours after having a drink.

Drink Water
Lack of water can also slow the metabolic rate. This is, in part, due to the functioning of the liver: one of the liver’s many duties is to break down and metabolize fat.

However, if the liver receives a message that the kidneys are water deprived, it picks up the kidneys’ slack and turns its concentration to water retention instead of fat burning. In other words, in addition to being taxing to the liver, being in a state of dehydration will also promote fat storage.

Eat Breakfast
Do you remember when Mom told you that eating breakfast was the most important meal of the day? Well, it turns out Mom was right. In addition to picking the correct types of food, research shows that the timing and pacing of meals is also of the utmost importance.

In fact, a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that skipping meals and eating less frequently translated into weight gain, not weight loss. People who skipped breakfast were more than four times more likely to be obese than those who ate breakfast daily.