Valentine’s Day is almost here, and many of us already know what we are going to do on the most romantic day of the year. Whether you are planning to go to a restaurant with your sweetheart, have a romantic dinner at home, throw a single’s party, or spend the whole day with your pet, chances are you will want to treat yourself to delicious meals and desserts. While you deserve those treats, you should never forget about moderation.
Many women, especially those who are trying to drop weight, use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to eat whatever and however much they want. They lose control, make lots of portion size mistakes, drink too much alcohol and consume too much calories. They believe a good morning run will help burn all those extra calories, but end up wrecking metabolism and thwarting their dieting and weight loss efforts. Don’t be one of them and don’t let Valentine’s Day wreck your healthy diet. Just read on and see what you can do to avoid overeating on Valentine’s Day.
Eat slowly
The art of eating mindfully is hard to master, especially on Valentine’s Day. I don’t know about you, but when I have a dinner with my sweetheart I tend to eat more than I need. Eating slowly and taking breaks to tell something to him help me eat less and feel full faster. Your stomach needs some time to send a message to your brain to tell it that it’s full. So try to eat slower and take small breaks to drink some water. It’s one of the most effective ways to avoid overeating on Valentine’s Day.
Make your own meals
If you keep up with the latest health trends, you probably know that most people have been obsessed with making their own meals lately. Cooking on Valentine’s Day doesn’t sound romantic, but think again and you will find lots of great benefits. First of all, you see what you add to your meals and how you cook them. You can control the ingredients and portions. Moreover, you will have a wonderful opportunity to wow your man with your (hopefully) good cooking skills. Needless to say, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
More: 10 Common Cooking Mistakes to Avoid while Dieting
Donate chocolates to orphans
If you stick to a strict diet and you know you can’t allow yourself to eat a lot of chocolates, donate them to orphans or homeless people. Last year, I received a lot of boxes of candies and chocolates on Valentine’s Day. I knew that I couldn’t eat them (I’m not a huge fan of chocolate), so I decided to donate all those boxes to orphans. Valentine’s Day is all about love, and I believe we should share this love with everyone, including homeless people and animals. If you have plenty of meals and leftovers, don’t keep them in your fridge. You can give them to shelters or simply feed homeless animals. Not only will you avoid overeating, you will do a good deed that will make you feel happier on Valentine’s Day. Who knows, maybe your partner will help you with that.
Distract yourself
There are many fun activities to do on Valentine’s Day instead of eating. If you celebrate this day of love with your partner, consider going for a walk, playing some games, dancing, singing, and doing anything that will help distract you from the table full of delicious meals and desserts. If you celebrate Valentine’s Day with your beloved pet, try to spend more time playing with them. When you celebrate it alone (btw, it’s not the end of the world!) you can distract yourself with an interesting book or movie, fun activity or new hobby. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you don’t reach for those beautiful pink cupcakes every ten minutes.
Overeating is never healthy. It can wreck your diet and can cause discomfort, upset stomach, nausea, or even vomiting, which can ruin the whole holiday. Don’t use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to eat whatever you want. Eat mindfully regardless of the holiday. Do you have a trick to avoid overeating on Valentine’s Day?
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