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Guest Authors - Articles
By Martha McKittrick, RD, CDN, CDE
www.martha-nutritionist.com
Turkeys aren’t the only ones who get stuffed over the holidays. The holiday season is a green light for many of us to overindulge. The average American gains one pound during the holiday season. Doesn’t sound like much, however most people don't lose it. This accounts for the slow “creeping weight gain" that occurs year after year. The culprit is not an occasional cookie or piece of pie - but rather regular indulgences in high fat, high calorie foods. These rich fatty foods combined with decreased exercise can lead us to pack on the pounds. Stress and emotions can fuel eating as well.
Here are 12 practical tips to survive the holiday season with minimal damage to your waistline.
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The holidays are not the time to embark on a strict weight loss diet. At the best of times, losing weight is challenging. During the holidays, it is pure deprivation. Deprivation often leads to binging. Focus more on “damage control” or maintaining your weight.
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On the other hand, don't approach the holiday season with the attitude "I'm going to really enjoy myself, eat and drink whatever I want, and deal with the consequences in January." Taking weight off and keeping it off is easier said than done!
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Plan ahead. If you know that you are going to a party on Saturday, try to cut back a little during the week, saving yourself some extra calories for the party. Increase your exercise as well.
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At holiday meals and parties, try the “teaspoon” approach. Eat what you want so you don't feel deprived, but eat it in moderation. If you constantly deprive yourself of your favorite foods, you will be more likely to binge later on.
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Never go to a party hungry. Eat something before you go, such as a few whole wheat crackers with peanut butter or a yogurt. This will help to raise your blood sugar and modify your appetite.
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Beware of appetizers – they are usually full of calories and fat. They often contain more calories than the meal!
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Avoid your trigger foods. If you know that one piece of chocolate will set you off, then don’t even start.
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Control your environment as much as possible. Do not sit next to addictive snacks at a party. Get rid of the leftovers from your dinner party. Have your husband take the box of chocolates you received as a gift to work.
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Try waiting 10 minutes before taking second helpings. Often times, the pause will allow you to feel yourself getting full. Additionally, cravings often pass with time. Besides, is that second piece of pie worth the extra 50 minutes of Stairmaster needed to burn it off?
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Visualize the social event in advance. How are you going to handle the box of chocolates that your boss gives you every year? Are you still going to bake the holiday cookies that you do each year (even though you end up eating at least 10 of them)?
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Be careful with alcohol. Not only does alcohol contain many empty calories, but it can also reduce willpower to watch what you eat.
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Last, but not least, if you do lose control and overeat – don’t beat yourself up! This will only make things worse and create a viscous cycle of overeating. Put the overeating episode into perspective; it takes an extra 3500 calories to gain one pound of fat. Try to get back on track the next meal. Use the overeating episode as a learning experience. Why did it happen? What can you do differently in the future to prevent it from reoccurring?
Have a great holiday season!
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