5 Tips to Avoid Overeating During the Holidays

With the holidays upon us there are plenty of temptations and opportunities to overeat. Before you derail your diet and exercise routine and reverse the progress you've made, follow these tips to avoid overeating during the holidays.

1. Eat a snack before you go to the party. This will help you not to eat so much and to not have that first drink on an empty stomach.

2. Watch Drinking your Calories. For instance--Eggnog may be a holiday favorite but one tasty cup contains about 257 calories and 14 grams of fat -- and that's not including the distilled spirits. Instead of throwing away calories on a cocktail, enjoy a sparkling glass of champagne, which weighs in at a more reasonable 100 calories.

3. Desserts will Surprise You. One slice of pecan pie has about 400 calories. That's more than your average candy bar. A lighter dessert option is pumpkin pie, which has 200 calories. Just be sure to limit yourself to one slice and skip the whipped topping and ice cream on the side.

4. Seconds & Thirds! Food is abundant. Watch for the party server coming around 2 or 3 times or reaching for the bowl of mashed potatoes the 2nd time. Also watch for the multi-dessert portions at parties.

5. During & Post Holiday Blues & Stress Eating. We all are under time constraints and emotional stress during the holidays. Watch eating when you are not hungry, at night and reaching for food that makes you "feel good."

At BodyByGeoff, nutrition assessments come with our personal training at no extra charge. We provide weekly weigh-ins, food logs & reports, personal maintenance calorie levels as well as a personal recommended diet. We also Diet-to-Go meal plans. Book an appointment with our registered Dietitian, Susan Moore for more in-depth help and Chef Sandy for meal planning.

Coordinating Health & Fitness Services

Do you Feel you Run all over Town trying to stay healthy, fit, trim and pain free? Do you worry that what a provider tells you may be in conflict or be based on incomplete information?

Our concept has always been to offer complete health & fitness services under one roof, with professionals communicating & coordinating together in your best interest.

Personal Training
an individually-based service that provides you exercise programs that are the safest, most effective and motivating for your goals, lifestyle and overall health. Age-appropriate programs including Active 65 for Seniors, Performance Club for Youth and Take Control for Women.

Diet and Nutrition
custom-order supplements, cost effective plans like Diet-toGo, Free ongoing nutrition analysis with personal training, and Dietitians to provide in-depth nutrition guidance. Coordination with your training goals.

Massage Therapy
pre- and post-event muscle massage. Complement to chiropracticf or spinal adjustments. Complement to physical therapy. And, just relaxing...

Physical Therapy
to regain movement, strength and range post surgery or injury. Re-learn normal movement.

Acupuncture
an alternative to medication to treating ongoing pain such as arthritis. Can complement massage therapy and chiropractic.

Chiropractic
an alternative to pain relievers for spinal & neck pain caused by trauma or injury. Complements personal training, acupuncture, and physical therapy. Back pain is the number one ongoing reported pain.

Training & Tracking

How often should you train? How important is it to track your training, fitness and nutrition results? These are two of the most common questions we are asked by clients.

How often should I train?

* Your training frequency should depend on your goals, but normally 2-3 times per week for 1 hour will obtain the best results for strength, toning and weight loss.

* If you are trying to lose weight, you will want to add in 15-20 minutes of cardio 5-6 times per week.

* Athletic training for marathons, triathlons, etc. require more frequent, specific training up to the event.

* Seniors and those with health limitations are probably best with 30-minute sessions.

* If you are trying to lose weight, you first want to know how many calories you need to maintain. Then log your food and adjust your diet based on exercise and weight-loss goals.

At BodyByGeoff we measure where you are starting from a health, fitness, nutrition and body image perspective. Our Personal Trainers record each training session so you can see your progress.

Our exclusive Personal Fitness Diary allows you to track your diet and nutrition, your training sessions and your cardio workouts.

We schedule regular weekly and 30-day re-assessments of your progress.

Summertime Recipes

Summer grilled recipes can be spiced up without adding a lot of fat or calories. Sandy Amato, Personal Chef and Private Cooking Instructor has provided a great summer recipe for Pineapple-Lime Salsa and Pumped Up Salsa.

Summertime Pineapple-Lime Salsa
1/3 cup pineapple (or apricot) preserves
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp. seeded, finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. dried mint flakes (or 2 tsp. fresh, torn)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
8 oz. fresh pineapple, diced

Place the preserves in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium power for about 30 seconds to loosen it up a bit.

Combine the preserves and the remaining ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

Serve with grilled fish or pork.

Pumped-up Salsa
1 container of fresh salsa (Giant and Whole Foods both care good ones)
1 can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained well
1 cup fresh corn (boiled or grilled and removed from the cob) or frozen sweet corn (defrosted)

The beans and corn make this a substantial and healthful salad or a refreshing side dish with grilled steak.

Can Water Weigh You Down?

Water is essential for hydration, skin, joints, can help reduce body fat and curb your appetite, but it might also weigh you down. How? Read your Health & Fitness Tip to find out!

Take a Test:
1) Weigh yourself at the beginning of the day, before drinking water or weigh yourself before strenuous exercise.
2) Weigh yourself about mid-day, after drinking about 8 oz of water hourly or after the exercise.
3) Weight gain may show you are over-hydrating. Weight loss may show you are under-hydrating. This assumes you keep your food intake normal, that you don't introduce new meds, etc. A loss of about 1 pound = 16 oz. of water.

When you are jogging and sweating in the hot sun, weigh yourself before & after exercise. 1 pint of sweat = 1 pound lost. Aim to replace only the fluids you have lost.

Drinking too much water will make you dizzy and disoriented. Self-monitor by how much you sweat and urinate. If it is extremely hot and you are exerting yourself, tie a cold, wet bandanna around your neck or head.

Health & Fitness Tip: Healthy Food Habits #2

Balanced Eating

What you eat is as important as wehn you eat. At each meal and snack you should consume a combination of carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates give you a quick source of energy while protein maintains blood sugar for a longer duration.

Adding protein to meals and snacks reduces sugar cravings, promotes energy and reduces the desire to binge eat.

Health & Fitness Tip: Healthy Food Habits #1

Most people who lose weight on a diet usually gain it back within a couple of weeks or months. The more you diet, the more your body tends to hold on to weight, preparing for the next period of deprivation. This is the "yo-yo effect" you may have heard of.

So what is the secret about permanent weight loss? People who loose weight and keep if off are successful in changing their habits around food. For the next three weeks we will bring you tips to change your food habits. Read your Health & Fitness Tip below to get started on your way to healthy eating!

Eat Small, Frequent Meals & Snacks

Dieters often try to save calories by cutting out meals. This leads to a feeling of deprivation and leads to overeating and binging later on.

Small, frequent meals will help keep your blood sugar levels constant. This will enhance your energy: you will beat fatigue, headaches and food cravings.

Eat every 3-4 hours; focus on a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. You will feel less hungry around lunch and dinner and find it easier to balance your calories.

Diet-to-Go Healthy Meal Plans are a great way to regulate your portion size and ensure that you're eating healthy meals throughout the day. Save 15% if you order through BodyByGeoff. Click HERE for more information and to order.

BodyByGeoff is pleased to announce a key service partner: Total Health Concepts. We feel confident that a coordinated combination of personal training, cardio, monitored diet and nutrition and rest will help get you to your desired weight and maintain it for the long term.

A dietitian or nutritionist can help you analyze your patterns around food, address your barriers to change, and help you come up with a longtime success plan.

Virginia Inglese, MA, RD, LCSW; Sabine Boots, MS, MA; and Carly Blackstone, PsyD are registered dietitians and certified nutritionists who also hold advanced degrees in psychotherapy. For the last 20 years the staff at Total Health has helped clients achieve balance in their lives and make peace with their weight and food habits.