Cheating on Your Diet During the Holidays? Do These 3 Things So You Don't Regret It!

The holiday season is upon us, and if your gift to yourself is to cheat a bit on your diet – [...]

The holiday season is upon us, and if your gift to yourself is to cheat a bit on your diet – you're not alone. Honestly, what fun would the holidays be if you didn't indulge in a few Christmas cookies, a glass of eggnog, or your family's traditional holiday feast? You work hard to stay healthy all year; you deserve a break during the most wonderful time of year. Just make sure you do these three things while you cheat on your diet, so you don't seriously regret it later:

Eat Only What You Love

Don't forbid yourself from having the foods you love, while everyone around you is gloriously chowing down. Be smart by choosing to cheat only with foods that are worth it. Do you really want to waste cheat calories on a boring old chocolate chip cookie? Or how about that extra slice of pizza? Would some extra salad satisfy you just as well? This idea of eating only what you love, can be used in several different ways, here are some examples of how to cheat, smart.

  • Choose one carb
  • Choose one dessert
  • Load up on protein (to fill you up)
  • Limit portion sizes

Stay Active

We're not saying you have to get out and run a marathon on Christmas morning (unless you want to), but staying active while you cheat on your diet during the holidays helps you out in several ways. Keeping up with your normal fitness routine might be the best piece of advice we have to get you through the tempting holiday season. Here's why...

  • You'll keep up your endurance.
  • You'll help burn those cheat calories.
  • Exercise curbs feelings of depression, which are common during the holidays.
  • It's an opportunity to encourage friends and family to exercise with you.

Make It Yourself

Want to indulge without wondering exactly what you are eating? Make cheat foods yourself, and don't forget to share! Nearly every recipe imaginable can be made healthier and with fewer carbs, calories, and fat. Try turkey instead of fatty ground beef, or trade heavy cream for evaporated skim milk. You'd be surprised at how satisfying healthier versions of your holiday favorites can taste.

Other Ways to Stay Fit & Healthy This Holiday Season

Besides substituting ingredients, there are plenty of other ways to seriously upgrade the health benefits while you cheat!

  • Use a probiotic yogurt or digestive enzyme to support overall gut health and so your digestive system doesn't get thrown off by cheat foods.
  • Drink ginger tea in the morning to warm up the digestive system.

Cheating on your diet during the holidays doesn't have to be the thing that completely derails you. It's important to indulge in the foods you love, but there's no reason to go overboard. Try not to overeat, but if you do, make sure you cut back to your normal calorie intake the next day.

Regular exercise is extremely important too. Getting out of your regular fitness routine is so easy, but getting back into it can be extremely hard. Even if you only have the time to complete half of your normal exercise routine during the holidays, it's still better than nothing.

Natural Healthy Concepts is vitamin and supplement website with a blog that features articles by a certified nutritionist on the most important topics in the natural health industry, such as shatavari.

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