Dietitian: Holiday dieting can backfire
It can be hard to resist a spread of decadent food over the holidays. But as much as you might prepare for gorging by dieting in advance, Natalia Groat, a registered dietitian at Harborview Medical Center, says that plan can backfire.
Dieting causes your body to think it's starving, so it slows down your metabolism to hold on to nutrients of whatever you do eat. That means you could end up gaining weight when you stop dieting.
The best way to eat guilt-free? Groat advises mindfulness. Eat the foods you like, just in smaller portions, and be conscious of how your body feels and what it needs. In between holiday meals and parties, adhere to your normal routine of what you eat that makes you feel good.