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1. Fruits and Veggies Are Your Friends
Gotta love that tasty fiber: If you fill up on kiwi, kebabs or crudites, you'll be less likely to lunge for something naughty.
Even during the holidays, when you're tempted with endless flutes of bubbly and all manner of bacon-wrapped nibbles, you can keep your wedding weight-loss plan on track.
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2. Dips: A Good Bet
Hummus and guacamole, says nutritionist Tricia Williams, founder of Food Matters, an NYC-based nutrition-counseling service. "But only two tablespoons," she notes. "They contain healthy fats, but the calories add up."
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3. Dips: A Bad Bet
Hot spinach dip. Although the spinach makes it sound low-cal, "it's loaded with cream cheese and mozzarella," says Williams.
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4. Don't Walk in Ravenous
Wellness whiz David Kirsch strongly recommends a pre-party game plan that involves sustenance, be it a protein bar or one of his Thermo Bubbles packets, powdered vitamin supplements laced with appetite-suppressing chromium picolinate. "That way," he says, "you won't do anything crazy." (Like eat everything that isn't nailed down.)
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5. Cocktails: A Good Bet
Vodka and soda is the clear winner. It's all in the mixer, baby. Who knew that tonic water is packed with sugar? (Eleven grams in a measly four ounces, similar to a bottle of Sprite.) Conversely, soda water contains exactly zero sugar. Clearly, vodka-and-soda beats the calorie pants off a gin-and-tonic.
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6. Cocktails: The Bad Bet
Fluorescent cocktails are not a bright idea. Basically, "anything with color isn't good," says Kirsch. "It's usually caloric and sugary."
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7. Cheese: Tread Carefully
"It may seem like a small, carb-free indulgence, but calories from cheese pile up quickly," says Williams. To add insult to injury, "dairy slows down the digestive process." So when confronted with a tempting block of brie, treat yourself to just a sliver. A tiny, pinkie-size sliver. The goal is to keep your total cheese consumption to about two ounces. This mini sliver of yumminess is the stay-trim ticket. Reality check: One cubic inch of brie contains nearly five grams of fat.
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8. Hors d'oeuvres: The Sneaky Good Stuff
Pigs in a blanket! For extra credit, peel off that blanket. "They're certainly not as bad as a fried wonton," says Kirsch. "Steer clear of anything fried."
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9. Hors d'oeuvres: The Not-So-Sneaky Bad Stuff
Savory turnovers, because there's no removing that flaky shell. Also, "be wary of treats wrapped in bacon," warns Williams. Which doesn't mean never, ever. One won't kill you!
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10. Sport a Tight Frock
As the founder of NutriFit, an LA-based healthy meals delivery service with a slew of celebs as clients, wellness coach Jackie Keller has lots of calorie-blocking tricks up her sleeve. "Try wearing something to the party that's a little snug around the waist," she recommends. "That has a real tendency to minimize what you eat."
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11. Un-Devil Those Eggs
Though yummy and (relatively) healthy, deviled eggs are typically made with high-fat mayo. So, as is, maybe just have one. Lusting after a second? Scoop out the middle. "You can avoid the yolk very easily," says Keller. "And that egg white is pure protein."
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12. Sea-ing is Believing
Trainer Will Torres, whose WillSpace gym in New York attracts fashion types and athletes alike, is keen on seafood as a low-cal party pick. "Tuna carpaccio is a good bet," he says. "So is shrimp. Fish generally tends to be a smart choice."
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13. Be a Two-Fisted Drinker
To prevent mindless noshing at fancy cocktail parties, Keller is a big fan of making it nearly impossible. "Hold a glass of water in your dominant hand, and your cocktail - preferably red wine - in your less-dominant hand," she suggests. "That makes it very challenging to pick up random bits of food."
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14. Tiny Treats Spell Trouble
Whether it's Baked by Melissa or some other purveyor of miniature goodies, the current trend for teensy versions of classic desserts can wreak havoc on your waistline. "Each of those little Baked By Melissa cupcakes is super, super rich," says Torres. "And you can easily eat five or six, which is like a big piece of cake. I tell my clients, 'Two, and you're out of there.'"
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