How To Avoid Bingeing During Wedding Celebrations
“Slow eating is a practice that is really helpful when you don’t have healthy foods, available”
Indian weddings are elaborate and it is a lovely time to celebrate, as the party goes on for three-four days or more, However, this is also a time you can pile on pounds without realizing it, if you are not careful as irregular timings, heavy snacks and mindless eating can lead to excess weight gain.
Weight fluctuation due to irregular timings is common, topped with eating a lot of heavy snacks and outside food, adding to weight gain. Hence, practice eating slowly and never eat when stressed. If you get worked up about an issue, drink water and hydrate yourself first. Additionally, slow eating is a practice that is really helpful when you don’t have healthy foods, available and eating 20 counts approximately, per bite is beneficial.
Useful Guidelines Amidst Glorious Celebrations
- Make a shopping list of all healthy foods and snacks that you can easily buy and stock up. For example, nuts, seeds, low calorie snacks like channa, soy nuts, tetra packs of buttermilk, prunes and dates for sweetness, as they can be stored anywhere.
- Small containers to pack your snacks in your purse or bag. Make packs of handful snacks and keep them handy.
- Drink lots of water, especially if the wedding is during summer time, increase your water intake, or have lemon water when you can, because dehydration is really common during such festivities. Also, don’t forget to empty your bladder frequently, if you don’t want to land up with a urinary tract infection.
- Exercising and the gym may take a back seat, but if you are walking a lot you should be okay. So, make sure you have a pedometer or an app that counts how many steps you take.
- Cut back on the fried, processed and very salty snacks, as they not only pile up the pounds, but also cause indigestion. And of course over eating should be avoided, as indigestion and getting sick are the major consequences.
- Don’t skip breakfast. In tact, have a decent/large breakfast as you may be on the move for the rest of the day.
- A good breakfast consists of complex carbohydrates like oats or any whole grain, a serving of fruit and some protein.
- This kind of breakfast keeps you full for longer and helps in curbing excessive evening cravings. Also, prepare your meals by including sprouts, a bowl of oats or toast with peanut butter for breakfast; for lunch, lentils and a snacks-plate full of fibre, Eating nuts as a snack is a perfect idea.
- Avoid drinking alcohol, but if you must, then have lots of water along with it and make sure you get some exercise the next day. Drinks with water are slightly better. Also, let everyone know if you are on a weight loss plan (if you are) so that they support you instead of jeopardizing your efforts.
- You can go to a nearby Zumba class or get some DVDs to workout. If you are out of town, you can go for a long refreshing walk. Also, it possible, carry a resistance band while you are out, as it can be very helpful.
- Another exercising tip is a short workout of push-ups and squats.
- Socialize more than eating, meet friends and relatives and spend time with them. Sometimes, at these functions you end up meeting long distance relatives for the first time or after a long time. This can divert your mind from the yummy foods available in front of your eyes.
- When it’s time to feast, choose what you want to eat – first get your favourites. Something you may not eat regularly, or some ethnic dish that you have not been able to get your hands on recently.
- During meal times, pick up a small plate and fill it up with some salads and vegetables first, or even a fruit salad.
- Go small on dessert helpings, unless you have already had it in your favourite-food list.
- Also, sometimes, eating before going out can be of help.
- If you dance it out at a wedding. you end up burning a lot of calories. So, enjoy the music, and it will keep you busy.
- Binge eating is usually a result of excess dieting or restriction diets people do, before any wedding or special occasion. So, to avoid this, don’t go on such diets before any occasion. If you are overweight, go on a medically approved weight loss programme rather than on a starvation diet.
- Anyone can lose weight on a starvation diet, but what it does to your body is sometimes irreparable. Each time you go on a short-term fad diet, your fat cells get smaller and you think you have lost weight, but it comes back with a vengeance, making you even more bulky than you could imagine!
- Wake up to the voice of wisdom in your head whenever you find yourself bingeing on food. We all have that in us, but some of us are numb to it. Recognize that bingeing is a behaviour choice and you can try to control it, by deviating your attention.