TIPPING THE SCALE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

TEN TIPS TO AVOID TIPPING THE SCALE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

It’s inevitable. Or at least you think it is. You’ve given up on your diet and you have no time to exercise amidst the cooking, the baking, the parties, the shopping. Sound familiar?

For years, we all believed the average American to gain about 5 lbs during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. In 2000 Yanovski et al. challenged this belief with a small sample study of individuals that gained an average of a little more than a pound during the winter holidays. Does this mean we can all slack off and eat everything in sight? Probably not. We don’t need a study to tell us that it’s easy to gain weight during the holidays.

In this country of consumer plenty, most of us are not starving for food. According to the National Center for Health Statistics 30 percent of adults 20 years of age and older—over 60 million people— in the United States are overweight. Our overindulgence during the holiday season certainly doesn’t help this problem.

Are we doomed? Of course not.

Follow these ten tips to avoid, or at least minimize the holiday weight gain this year. And who knows, you might make a New Year’s resolution to write a novel instead of losing weight when January first arrives.

1. Eat a healthy breakfast. Research shows that skipping breakfast may lead to fluctuations in insulin levels and add to sweet cravings. Start the day off right and you’re less likely to dip into the plate of cookies on your coworker’s desk or the chocolates in your cupboard. And while we’re on the subject, why not eat healthy all day long? Take a few minutes to cut up some veggies to eat when the snack monster attacks mid morning or mid afternoon. You’ll fare better with celery dipped in ranch dressing (2T light ranch has about 7 grams of fat and 80 calories) than a chocolate chip cookie (possible 12 grams of fat and about 200 calories).

2. Find an alternative to stress eating. Take a walk, write in your journal, have a glass of water, listen to music, call a friend. Make a plan in advance. Write a list of activities you enjoy that don’t involve eating and post them on the refrigerator door. When you reach for the stress snack, you’ll be intercepted by your very own stress busting ideas.

3. Limit yourself to one treat daily. I mean, really. It is the holidays. If you plan for one goodie that you absolutely adore, you’ll enjoy it without the guilt and be less likely to waste your one treat of the day on the fruitcake you could do without.

4. Plan ahead for parties. Whether you’re the host or the guest, a little foresight goes a long way. If it’s pot luck, bring your healthiest dish. You can count on some of the other guests appreciating this too. Eat first unless a full meal is being served. You won’t be starving when you arrive and you’ll be less likely to overeat. Also, consider some brisk exercise a couple of hours before the event. You’ll boost your spirits, increase your metabolism, and arrive with your skin glowing from the increased circulation. What better way to arrive at a party?

5. Get your Z’s. According to the National Sleep Foundation (sleepsoundation.org) adults require 7-9 hours of sleep. If you don’t get the sleep you need, you may find yourself eating to stay awake. If you’re a night owl and you’re staying up late with a book or a movie, you’re probably more likely to grab a snack while you’re at it. Unhealthy sleep habits may hinder your efforts to avoid holiday weight gain.

6. Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is known to increase levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. There’s certainly enough stress to go around during the holidays. We don’t need to add to it by drinking a lot of coffee and succumbing to stress eating. Caffeine can also increase your carbohydrate cravings and interferes with sleep, even if you only drink it in the morning. So if you can’t quit the java, at least cut it down and drink it only in the morning hours.

7. Increase your aerobic exercise by 25% from mid November to the end of December. If you’re a regular exerciser, that’s easy. Just add to the time. If you jog or cycle 40 minutes, three times weekly, you can burn up to an extra 300 calories weekly by tacking on an extra 10 minutes to your workout. It will certainly help counteract the fudge you ate the night before. If you don’t exercise regularly, get outside and take a walk around the block. Just twenty minutes three times weekly can burn up to 150 calories a pop. You’ll also boost your mood and pump up your metabolism. Holiday time is also when you’re likely to have visitors. If company is on the way, rev up your housecleaning routine by playing some fast music and bumping it off in record time. You can burn up to 300 calories an hour just by cleaning your cottage.

8. Shop with sneakers. Just three hours of rigorous shopping can burn up to 900 calories — 180 minutes at 5 calories per minute — if you keep the pace quick and walk from store to store in the mall. Eat at home before you shop and whiz through the food court at top speed with blinders on. That extra large slice of pizza or fried chicken dish will only make the bags full of gifts feel heavier, make the shopping trip longer, and bog you down with added calories and fat.

9. Bring the extra holiday goodies you receive or bake to the office. Your coworkers will enjoy them and they’ll be out of your house. Just steer clear of the break room. If you’re at home with your children, dole out the extra chocolates at your next play date.

10. Step on the scale. I know, I know, they say not to obsess with the scale. But if you haven’t a clue that you’re tipping it, how are you going to prevent it from happening. I’m not advocating a three time daily weigh-in; just don’t forget to check in once or twice a week. You’ll have less of a shock on January first when you finally resolve to lose a few pounds.


Sidebar:
HOLIDAY PARTY BINGE BUSTERS
1. Do some brisk exercise before the party. You’ll burn the extra calories, increase your metabolism, lift your party-going mood, and show off that glowing post exercise skin. Of course you’ll want to bathe before the bash. You wouldn’t want to offend the other guests.

2. Eat a healthy meal before you leave home. If it’s not a dinner party, you might find only high fat, high carbohydrate, and high calorie foods to choose from. They may be luscious, but they won’t lean your waistline. Eat a light, protein and fiber rich meal before you head out, and you’ll be satisfied enough to fend off the overeating from the get go.

3. Bring a healthy dish. If it’s a potluck, try your luck with a festive salad or a vegetable platter. There will certainly be other guests who’ll appreciate the fare. If the rest of the contributions are bursting with calories, you’ll still have your offering to nibble on.

4. Limit alcohol intake. Tipping back the martinis might make you feel more festive, but it will probably make you eat more too. Alcohol can increase food cravings and decrease your inhibition, making it easier to indulge. If you enjoy an adult beverage, plan for one or two drinks and then choose a diet soda or water for the rest of the evening. You’ll be happy you did the next morning.

5. Select the smallest plate you can find, and then fill it only once. Eat slowly and try not to lick the plate clean. The other guests might stare.

6. Avoid the ‘throw in the towel’ attitude when it comes to your diet. If you’ve indulged in a piece of pie, leave it at that. You don’t have to consume the rest of the buffet because you overdid it with one serving.

7. Cut some rug. No, I’m not talking about redecorating. I mean dancing. The average woman will burn about 150 calories in just 30 minutes of kicking up her heels. If the party’s jamming, join in!

8. Stay out of the kitchen, and the dining room, and away from the chips. If you stand or sit right next to food, it won’t be long before you’re dipping in to it. Find a food free spot and use your mouth for smiling, talking, or even singing, not for eating all night long.

9. Make an exercise date for early the next morning. It will help you limit the alcohol and the sweets if you know you have to arrive at the gym bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7 a.m. to meet your best friend for pilates. The date will also help you get home at a reasonable hour, get the rest you need, and avoid the midnight chocolate cake binge.