Holiday Binge

Sunday, January 07, 2007

The average American eats, on average, about 60,000 calories during the entire festivities of the year (Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, New Years', etc). That's a total of 30 days, as the festivities always start early. All those extra calories translate into a total gain of over 17 pounds of fat (1lb of fat = 3500 calories). It takes from 8 to 16 weeks to lose the weight. So why not be a little more aware?

Mindful Wisdom
When the next holiday approaches, make yourself a promise to indulge in a mindful fashion. Respect your hard work: don't destroy what you've achieved the rest of the year. If you have to go full-blown into the celebrations, do it the day of the celebration, not an entire week before.

Mindful Action
Eat mindfully by chewing each bite 20 to 30 times. Drink a glass of water prior to each meal, eat the protein portion first, pause for a few minutes, eat the carbs (leave the sweets for the end of the meal), pause, then if you still have room get to the dessert. I doubt you'll have any room left. A meal should last 30 to 45 minutes. In France, where I come from, we take about an hour to eat a full course meal. Do you see a lot of overweight people in France?

To control Holiday Binge and preserve your hard work: click on the title of this article.

Labels: diet, mindful fitness

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