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How to Enjoy the Holidays Without Expanding Your Waistline - December 2010

The holiday season is upon us and that means holiday parties, special goodies at work and many types of cookies and candies at home. While this is a wonderful time of year, it can take a toll on your normal eating pattern. In fact, many people gain an average of 1-5 pounds during the holiday season, ugh!

You may have less energy during the holidays to fight temptation due to the stresses of shopping, dealing with relatives and meeting multiple demands on your time. You can develop healthy holiday eating habits and emerge from the holidays with your waistline intact!

Let’s get real. The holidays are not the time to decide to go on a diet and lose weight. You will be setting yourself up for failure. Make a more realistic goal of maintaining your weight during the holidays. You wait all year for those favorite holiday dishes, so do not deprive yourself.

Eat lower fat, lower calorie meals during the day to save up for the “splurges” at holiday get-togethers. If you have a light healthy snack before the big meal, you tend to eat less. When you are gathering your goodies on your plate, take a good look at the portion sizes of the foods. Try to choose smaller portions of your favorites to keep calories in control because many times, less is better.

When you are at the holiday buffet table, look carefully at all the foods on the table before you “dig in”. Decide what foods are worth eating and which ones can be ignored. If you really enjoy a certain food, take some but if it’s something you could do without, don’t take it. If you are eating something that you really don’t care for stop eating it.

Limit your alcohol consumption. Stick to lower calorie or calorie-free drinks such as water, diet sodas, and light beer. Punch, eggnog, and mixed drinks can have up to 500 calories per cup. Sip a large glass of water between every alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink. This will help you keep hydrated and you will drink fewer calories by the end of the night.

Don’t skip meals in preparation for a big holiday feast. You may end up over-indulging because you are starving before you even get to the party.

Go easy on fried appetizers, breaded foods or cheese cubes. Eaten in excess, these items can quickly add calories to your plate even before you eat the main course.

Some of us keep eating when we are full. This can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to the holidays. It is simple, when you feel full, stop eating. It is okay to leave some food on your plate. You do not need to be a member of the “clean plate club”.

Make sure you plan time for exercise. Exercise relieves holiday stress and prevents weight gain. Any moderate exercise on a daily basis can partially offset holiday eating. After a big holiday meal, enlist your family and friends to take a brisk thirty minute walk around the block to burn off some calories. This also helps to keep you alert and invigorated and helps you avoid a nap on the couch after a full meal.

Enjoy this holiday season with all its wonderful tastes and smells. Eat slowly and choose your foods carefully and you can maintain your weight.

Happy Holidays!

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