Top Tips to Keeping the Party Aftermath off Your Hips By Corinne Dobbas, MS, RD

A note from Christianne: Corinne Dobbas is a health guru extraordinaire and also the founder of Green Grapes Nutrition.  This amazing woman does it all!  Now all you lucky Truth Fairy TV viewers get to enjoy her incredible tips for staying slim and healthy this holiday season.  Enjoy and good luck guys!!

Top Tips to Keeping the Party Aftermath off Your Hips

By Corinne Dobbas, MS, RD

Everyone always talks about how to healthfully dine out or hit that holiday party. Yet, not too many venture on what to do if that night on the town ended in a not-so-good way. Below, I share my top five damage control secrets, so even if you veered pretty far from your whittle-me-middle plan the other night, or for that matter, the whole weekend, you’ll still be in the game.

Top 5 Waistline Damage Control Tips

1.       Eat breakfast: Typically, this morning meal is skipped, especially after a night on the town. Common thought is that so much was eaten the night before that calories should be conserved and as little should be consumed as possible. However, breakfast is by far the worst meal to skip. It literally sets the tone for your whole day and gets your metabolism going. The longer you go without eating anything, the longer your body stays in super-efficient storage mode. Not good for revving your metabolic engine. Breakfast here should not be huge, but it should be balanced and include a source of protein, produce, and fiber. Think non-fat Greek yogurt with berries and dash of high-fiber cereal; toast topped with sliced avocado and roasted turkey and salsa; a poached egg on whole-wheat toast with a cup of fruit; or for the gal on-the-go, 15 almonds, a banana and a hardboiled egg.
2.       Focus on produce and protein: Your meals should be based on vegetables. The goal is to fill at least half your plate with them. Eat those first along with your lean source of protein, such as, turkey, chicken, fish, pork tenderloin, shellfish, or lentils. The combination of vegetables and protein will literally help fill you up before filling you out. The veggies will also provide extra water, fiber, and antioxidants to help unwind the “damage” from the night before. The protein will protect your lean muscle mass and help you feel satiated. After eating your fair share of veggies and lean protein, check-in with your hunger. If you still feel hungry, have a serving of starch or fruit. For example, a small sweet potato; one cup of fruit; or ½ cup of brown rice, quinoa, or couscous.
3.       Exercise: There’s no question that weight loss is over 80% nutrition, but exercise does help you torch extra calories, increase lean muscle mass, and simply stay motivated from the sweet endorphin sweat-induced rush. Exercise the day after the event gone-not-as-planned to stay motivated and add in an extra sweat session that week to help incinerate some of those unwanted calories.
4.       Plan: It’s time to get serious here. As I tell 99% of my clients, you may know exactly what you should be doing, but you’re not doing it! It’s time to step up to the plate. One top tip I tell clients is to plan for the week ahead. This is pivotal, especially if you’ve just been on the dinner- party, cocktail-hour circuit. Make a shopping list, grocery shop, and write out your meals/snacks for the week. This will be your game plan. When you have a game plan, you’re more likely to succeed. Oh yea, check off every time you do what you planned … positive reinforcement here. It works.
5.       Keep the eating out to a minimum: Make the majority of the food you eat. Even if you think you’re being a gem when dining out, that salad with dressing, nuts, cheese, chicken, and beans could have over 800 calories! Wowza. That sautéed veggie and chicken entrée could be 700 calories—or more—even if the nutrition facts say 500. My point is that there are different chefs who like to add different amounts of ingredients and vary portion sizes. Point blank: you never really know what you’re getting, and calories are almost always more than what you’d make at home. If you’ve been partying like a rockstar or off your clean-eating plan, try to avoid dining out as much as possible.

Corinne Dobbas, MS, RD is a leading nutrition counselor, writer, and speaker and trusted nutrition source for the media. She believes that optimal health starts with the activity that you do every day—eat. Corinne is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with a Masters in Nutrition who adores helping people find health through nutrition. You can find Corinne in the San Francisco Bay Area counseling, speaking, and writing about nutrition. She specializes in weight management, sports nutrition, and disordered eating. To learn more about Corinne visit Green Grapes Nutrition