New Year's Party Primer
Yes, you can celebrate your personal successes this year without tossing all your healthy habits out the window. Here's how.
You've worked hard this year, eating right, staying active, and getting closer and closer to your weight-loss goals. Why not celebrate on this, the biggest party night of the year?
Whether you keep it mellow with friends and loved ones at home or dress up for the biggest bash in town, chances are food and drink will figure heavily in your evening plans. And that’s the problem; Celebrate a little too much and you can derail your weight-loss efforts, setting you up for disappointment and regret on January 1. We enlisted the help of several experts to give you inside tips on how to ring in the New Year without racking up the extra calories.
As with any big event, preparation is key. It’s what you do before you go out on New Year’s Eve that will help you manage the evening. Scheduling in some physical activity will not only give you a workout to help offset some of the extra-rich foods you’ll eat that night, but it will immediately put you in a healthy mindset. That mindset will help you determine your limits and goals for the evening, says Jacqueline Odom, PhD, director of psychology for the Beaumont Weight Control Center.
“It's important to plan in advance what you'll eat and drink," says Odom. "You need to decide if you want to let loose and pay a big price, like feeling physically sick and guilty due to overeating, or enjoy New Year's Eve without overindulging. But without a plan, you will be tempted by what is around you.”
To help ensure that New Year’s Eve is a day and night for weight-loss success, Odom suggests a healthy mental checklist:
Once you add booze to the mix, you’ve got the potential for serious overeating — and overdrinking. And once you get started, alcohol can have a domino effect: You get a little buzzed and you eat more, then you get more buzzed and eat some more. Before you know it, you’ve had too many of the empty calories in the alcohol, and you’ve chowed on the buffet table because you’ve got the drunken munchies. That's a big-time red flag here.
“Never have two alcoholic drinks back to back,” she advises. “Have a glass of water in between. And, if you happen to make a bad decision, like that shot of Jägermeister at midnight, don’t let it spiral out of control. Put on the brakes and think about how you’re going to feel in the morning, both physically and psychologically, if you don't stop now.”
Alcohol can be a negative catalyst, notes Odom. “Alcohol lowers inhibition and interferes with good decision-making,” she says. “In addition, it's very high in calories and not good for the liver. Our goals can be weakened while under the influence, and we can give in to food urges more easily.”
Whether you keep it mellow with friends and loved ones at home or dress up for the biggest bash in town, chances are food and drink will figure heavily in your evening plans. And that’s the problem; Celebrate a little too much and you can derail your weight-loss efforts, setting you up for disappointment and regret on January 1. We enlisted the help of several experts to give you inside tips on how to ring in the New Year without racking up the extra calories.
As with any big event, preparation is key. It’s what you do before you go out on New Year’s Eve that will help you manage the evening. Scheduling in some physical activity will not only give you a workout to help offset some of the extra-rich foods you’ll eat that night, but it will immediately put you in a healthy mindset. That mindset will help you determine your limits and goals for the evening, says Jacqueline Odom, PhD, director of psychology for the Beaumont Weight Control Center.
“It's important to plan in advance what you'll eat and drink," says Odom. "You need to decide if you want to let loose and pay a big price, like feeling physically sick and guilty due to overeating, or enjoy New Year's Eve without overindulging. But without a plan, you will be tempted by what is around you.”
To help ensure that New Year’s Eve is a day and night for weight-loss success, Odom suggests a healthy mental checklist:
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“Never have two alcoholic drinks back to back,” she advises. “Have a glass of water in between. And, if you happen to make a bad decision, like that shot of Jägermeister at midnight, don’t let it spiral out of control. Put on the brakes and think about how you’re going to feel in the morning, both physically and psychologically, if you don't stop now.”
Alcohol can be a negative catalyst, notes Odom. “Alcohol lowers inhibition and interferes with good decision-making,” she says. “In addition, it's very high in calories and not good for the liver. Our goals can be weakened while under the influence, and we can give in to food urges more easily.”
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