ANCHORAGE BARIATRICS

FOR A NEW BEGINNING

3 Tips for Thanksgiving eating

November 21, 2017
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It is Thanksgiving week and that does NOT mean your healthy eating practices have to go down the drain. Here are three tips to help keep you on track this week and throughout the upcoming holiday season!

Choose appetizers that provide visual clues:

If you tend to inhale your food without realizing how much you consumed, opt for nibbles like in-shell nuts, tail-on shrimp, or appetizers on skewers. Those visual reminders of how much you have eaten will help you to be more mindful and potentially eat less. For those who have read the book, Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink, remember the chicken wing experiment!

Stop eating when you’re satisfied, not stuffed:

While this may seem pretty obvious, during holiday meals people tend to eat until they are stuffed to the brim. Instead of seeing how much you can eat, serve yourself a small, golf-ball-sized serving of everything you want—no restrictions—but have only enough to satisfy your stomach without overdoing it; the goal is to avoid a food coma. Remember, this is just one day, so take time to savor and enjoy the food.

Beware of beverages:

It is very easy to overindulge in calories on just beverages alone, because, unless they provide some fat and protein, they do not satisfy. That means it’s very easy to eat a meal on top of those liquid calories. Also, drinking alcohol can decrease our inhibitions and “help” us forget our good intentions for the evening. Also, bear in mind that alcohol has almost as many calories per gram as fat, so 12 ounces of beer can have around 150 calories and 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits have 100 calories. So, you can see where “a couple of drinks” can add up quickly.

Enjoy your holiday and have fun while doing your best to maintain your healthy habits!

If you would like more information about how Anchorage Bariatrics can help you with a customized weight loss solution, or would like to attend a free informational seminar, please call us at 907-644-THIN.


Get Motivated

The first thing you need to do in order to lose weight is to have the motivation to make lifestyle changes. Just saying “I want to lose weight” is not enough. Really think about your reasons – whether you got a bad health report from a doctor, suffered an injury, or are just tired of not feeling like your optimal self. Once you identify what motivates you, write it down. Then, make a plan of attack – schedule your exercise time and do it. Make a meal plan and eat it. If your goals and plans are too difficult, adjust them as needed, but don’t throw in the towel. No plan is perfect, it is all a work in progress. Keep looking back at your motivating factors to stay in a positive frame of mind. You CAN do this!

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil is a building block of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet; high in monounsaturated fats, it helps lower cholesterol. Because extra-virgin versions aren’t overly refined, they maintain more antioxidants, not to mention vitamin E and oleocanthal, which can reduce inflammation. A little goes a long way, so use sparingly to saute.