Chinese New Year is just days away and most probably you and your family are going all out to ensure that the kitchen cabinet, refrigerator, dining table etc. are fully stocked with food items.
In hind sight, one may easily get carried away by the festive ambiance of the holiday season, and end up regretting and lamenting the excess weight that was gained in a considerably short span of time.
Truth be told, you may not realize this until the celebration has come to an end and it’s time to go resume your normal life. This is when you hyperventilate as you find that most of your clothes fail to fit anymore, and even if they do, they no longer look as flattering as just weeks before. It is safe to say that many view this scenario as a foretoken of the very unpleasant months to follow where they would struggle with never-ending exercises and diets to resume their figure, not to mention constantly being teased by their friends and colleagues for the extra pounds.
Pamper.My is here to share with you a few tips on how to avoid such unpleasant experience, and ensure that you would still have a figure worth celebrating after the celebration!
- Have Regular Meals.
As tempting as that steamboat dinner or barbecue lunch may seem, you should not go all out on that one meal on that one particular day, then starve yourself when it’s time for the other meals of the day. Some might even think that they could get away with it by simply “saving” their calories for that one enormous feast of the day. Always bear in mind that your body is not capable of processing and digesting too much food at one, so think twice before you chow down that overflowing plate of Chinese New Year delicacies in front of you. Instead, always practice moderation by keeping your calories intake as normal as possible.
- Practice Selective Indulgence.
Choose what you indulge on carefully. With that being said, do not munch on things that are basically coronary thrombosis on a plate or binge eat on those dishes that only appear on the dining table once a year. Pick and choose what you eat and always go for the healthier option. Cut down on things that are deep-fried and greasy and go for the greens instead, as well as never forget to keep track of your sugar intake and never substitute water with can after can of carbonated drinks. Also remember that although there might be tens of dishes being served right in front of you, you don’t have to eat them all. As the saying goes, don’t bite off more than you can chew, as in this case, you need to take this in the literal sense. You can still try a bit of everything, but refrain yourself from a full serving of everything. Doesn’t matter how tempting the foods may seem, always remember that it’s Chinese New Year, not the end of the world, there will always be one every year.
- Avoid Multitasking While Eating.
As exciting as those CNY television programs may seem, do not have your meals in front of the television. With your brain being preoccupied with what you are watching on the TV screen, you might not realize that you have already stuffed yourself with more food than you should have. The same goes for chatting and catching up with your friends over food, especially when it’s over steamboat, barbecue or open-house buffet where there are basically a free flow of unlimited calories that you could be too preoccupied to keep track of. Therefore, it is advisable that you have those catching up sessions over a standard meal where foods are served in particular portions. Research has also shown that multitasking while eating will also affect the ability of your digestive system.
- Wear Form Fitting Clothes.
Nothing serves as a better constant reminder of your mission of staying in shape than form fitting dresses, shirts, or even jeans. As silly as it may sound, wearing oversized clothing could actually promote overindulgence, as you will always feel that there more room in your clothes for you to fill. Especially for the gentlemen who should not make it a habit to loosen your belt buckle or worse still, the buttons of your pants after a feast. A tight belt around the waist would remind you that you’d probably had enough, therefore you should take a break then maybe go have some more later.
With all that being said, we’d still would like to say that festivities are meant to be celebrations after all. So if you happen to give in and decided to screw your diet plan and have that extra piece of meat jerky, just remember to not beat yourself up for it afterwards. Over-worrying yourself to death will not help you to lose a single pound. So as long as you indulge in moderation, you shouldn’t have to worry about a thing!
Happy Chinese New Year from your friends at Pamper.My!
