Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery News and Info

Fresh tips to help you do just that.

Holiday Shopping

• Wear a pedometer and keep track of your steps. Shoot for at least 10,000 steps a day. Hit your goal by doing at least some of your shopping at stores rather than online.
• Don’t skip meals and take a healthy snack or two with you; being famished makes it harder to resist mall indulgences. A portion of almonds or a protein bar work great for this circumstance.
• Keep shopping stress to a minimum by making a list, keeping it simple, and buying items on sale. Set and stick to a budget. Talk to family about setting dollar limits on gifts, draw names to limit the number of gifts to buy, or cut back on who you purchase gifts for. The financial strain of overspending can derail your peace of mind and health.
• Consider gifts that help others to live a healthy lifestyle–a yoga mat, an olive oil sprayer or mister, a massage gift certificate, a fruit basket, a pedometer, a subscription to a health magazine, or other health-inspiring gifts.

Fresh tips to help you do just that.

At the Office

The office can be a toxic environment during the holidays—everywhere you turn, there are sugary treats. A little pre-planning can help you navigate office excesses with finesse.

• Take no-added-sugar treats to share with co-workers for cookie exchanges, pot luck luncheons, or just because.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand to enjoy when the break room fills up with the sugary stuff.
• Steer clear of where the goodies are kept. Out of sight is out of mind.
• Start “non-food” holiday activities like Friday trivia and the winner gets a lottery ticket.
• Volunteer as a group to “adopt” a family for the holiday. This common bond of focusing on someone else’s needs may help you to work together on other projects too.

Fresh tips to help you do just that.

You are in control of what you eat!

As you prepare for a healthy holiday season keep in mind that you are in control. Well-meaning family members, co-workers, spouses and children are not in control of what you eat or what you do. Avoid obligatory eating, you know, eating because someone made it for you, gave it to you; you paid a lot for it, it was free, or it was on your plate. If you can’t say no, then ask to take a small portion home. You will want to consider potential trouble spots ahead of time so you’re prepared and set for smooth sailing.

Gatherings can make it especially hard to treat yourself in healthy ways. If you take a little time to plan ahead, you’ll avoid being stuck in a tempting situation that you are not prepared to handle.

• Take a no-added-sugar treat to share. You’ll have something to enjoy that doesn’t blow your eating plan.
• Select a few of your favorite foods–fewer food items on your plate means you’ll eat less.
• Nourish throughout the day. Rather than skipping meals with the thought of saving up calories, keep to your typical eating schedule. Six small protein-rich meals will help you thrive during the holidays.
• Hydrate and balance if you are consuming alcohol–alternate with a glass of water to make sure you don’t overdo.
• Bring your own favorite low-calorie drink—maybe even enough to share.
• Sometimes just a bite is all you really need. Keep it to just a bite by snitching from someone else or take a bite and put your napkin over the rest.
• Focus on the people, not food. It’s nice to just sit back and watch the positive interactions as they take place.