Stop Holiday Pounds!
8 easy and doable ways to prevent seasonal weight gain
By Deena Waisberg
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Holiday celebrations are joyous occasions, but they can also be all-too-tempting opportunities to eat too much. With a few surefire strategies, you can enjoy the season’s festivities without overindulging. Here’s how:
Eat before attending a party
If you skip a meal before a party thinking you’ll save the calories for the event, you’ll arrive so hungry, you’ll eat everything in sight. However, if you eat beforehand, you won’t attack the buffet, explains Susan Moores, a registered dietitian in St. Paul’s, MN, and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Go easy on the munchies
Those yummy canapés are so easy to pop in your mouth, you quickly lose track of just how many you’re eating. To keep yourself in check, hold your beverage in your dominant hand so that you have to switch hands before taking a treat. “With the extra step, you’ll only reach for the hors d’oeuvres you really want,” explains Roberta Anding, registered dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. Also put a few hors d’oeuvres on a plate instead of picking them from the serving tray one after another.
Watch your portion sizes
Big helpings of turkey and stuffing can lead to a bigger waistline. To avoid the unwanted expansion, be sensible when faced with a buffet. Make sure that fruit and vegetables make up at least half of your plate. Gina Clowes, a mother of two in Cranberry Township, PA, controls portion sizes by ensuring the different foods aren’t overlapping on her plate. If it’s a sit-down meal, the host will serve you and she could very well load up your plate. “Just eat what you’re comfortable with,” suggests Jacqueline Whitmore, founder and director of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, in Florida. “Never refuse hospitality or announce your diet when others are indulging,” she says.
Switch drinks
Alcohol is loaded with calories and can easily pack on the pounds. But to avoid feeling like a party pooper, allow yourself to enjoy the first glass of champagne with the host, and then switch to a low-calorie, non-alcoholic drink such as sparkling water. “No one will notice what you’re drinking after the first celebratory drink,” says Anding.
Bring a healthy dish to a potluck
When you’re attending a potluck meal, bring a healthy dish that fits in with the hosts’ plans. Clowes creates delicious dishes that kids will get a kick out of: mashed potato bunnies with carrot ears, turkey slices rolled up with soy cream-cheese and carrot sticks arranged in the shape of a sunburst. Visit Kaboose’s food channel and click on the Recipe Finder to find all kinds of family-friendly healthy recipes.
Makeover family recipes
Okay, we understand that Aunt Millie’s pumpkin pie is a time-honored tradition in your family. But perhaps you can reduce the amount of sugar or fat in a treasured family recipe without compromising taste? “ Just do a test run first,” advises Moores.
Be selective about sweets
Who can fault you for liking sweet treats? But a taste is all you need to satisfy your craving. So when you’re offered a whole side of that gingerbread house decorated with icing and candy canes, split it with your husband or a friend. If there is more than one dessert, choose your favorite and pass on the rest, suggests Clowes.
Keep active
Even though your holiday schedule is packed, make the time to keep exercising. Building lean muscle mass raises your metabolic rate, which means you’ll burn more calories when you’re not exercising, says Anding. Also when you get out of the habit, it’s difficult to pick up again.
Get stressed over the holidays? Find out how to avoid holiday stress. Plus, get gift ideas in our Gift Guide.
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