Part 6: Preventing Weight Gain in Holidays
It’s so hard not to put on those holiday pounds – much less to lose the pounds you want to during this season of goodies and parties and food gifts. Add to the mix the problem with a chaotic schedule that renders exercise time to a back seat, and you have the recipe for diet disaster. (Though I don’t like the term diet. One, it implies a temporary phase, after which you will return to “normal,” which got you in this mess in the first place. Second, the root word of diet is “die!”)
Let’s move on now to some tips for handling this challenging holiday task – maintaining a healthy weight by managing the behaviors that sabotage your success.
How can I keep from gaining weight during the holidays?
Because of the notorious 7 pounds that the average person gains during the holidays, it’s a noble goal to “not gain,” (much less lose) during this tempting period. However, it’s important to remember that the laws of nature do not change, just because we’re in this season. If you take in more calories than you burn for energy, the remainder are stored in our bodies. For every 3500 calories that you consume and don’t use, you get a pound of stored energy, better known as fat. In the rush of the season, exercise time is crowded out, goodies are not resisted, large meals at family gatherings are the norm, and stress hormones run rampant. Why is weight gain a surprise?
Reminded of the realities of how our bodies work, we can hold weight steady by honoring those realities. Put these 7 ideas to work to avoid holiday weight disasters.
1. In your meal planning, select, delicious, lower-calorie dishes. You and your family do not have to be deprived. There are delicious alternatives that do not break the calorie bank.
2. Don’t keep the “goodies” (more appropriately called “baddies”) around. Availability sabotages impulse control. It’s much easier to say no if you have to go to the trouble of going to get that craved food than if you simply have to go to the kitchen.
3. Don’t neglect some form of exercise. No matter how busy you are, schedule in that walk or that workout. Make it a family affair. For instance, enlist the commitment from participants in the post-holiday meal afternoon walk before that day when people are less than motivated for it. In general, if you don’t specifically schedule and plan for exercise, it won’t happen.
4. Portion control, portion control, portion control! It’s fine to have a little of almost everything. It’s those piles of food and those seconds and even thirds that are the culprits.
5. Slow it down! Research shows that it takes the brain about 20 minutes to recognize that the tummy is “full,” though there’s enough food there to create satiation. When you eat more slowly, you recognize that you’ve had enough. When you continue to “stuff it down” for that extra 20 minutes, you’re then overstuffed! Who wants to become a butterball turkey? Put your eating utensils down between bites and chew, chew, chew. Savor your food; actually taste it for a change!
6. Don’t do other things while you’re eating. Instead, concentrate on the food, savoring the taste of each bite. No eating on the run, in front of the T.V., or in the car. You tend to eat much more when you’re eating unconsciously, hardly noticing what you’re eating.
7. Eat at mealtime; minimize snacking. Do you know what I mean by “grazing?” You do, don’t you? You go and stand in front of the fridge or the cabinet, wondering what you can snack on next. You’re not really hungry. More often you’re bored. Or maybe you had a large dose of carbs a couple of hours ago, and now your blood sugar has dropped and you feel ravenous. Work on the good habit of eating at mealtimes, avoiding unplanned snacks. (Some say that 5 small meals are best. However, don’t use this admonition as an excuse for 5 large meals. That won’t work!)
8. Don’t let your emotions be your guide. Emotional eating has sabotaged many a commitment. Food has come to serve so many more functions than it should – e.g., comfort, stress relief, companionship, boredom relief, and entertainment. Tune in to your own tendencies by noticing next time you say to yourself, “I’m hungry.” What are you really feeling? Then address that. When you are physically hungry because you have not had nutrition for a period of time, eat. If you are bored, get out and do something. If you are lonely, call someone or go visit someone. (How about someone who is lonely and would love to have some company?) If you are anxious, become aware of your thoughts. Face down the fear by confronting it in some small way. Get the picture? Consciously take action in line with the emotion – don’t just throw food at it!
Holidays are an especially dangerous time, but these small habit changes can pay dividends all year ‘round!
The last question in this series is based on the fact that the season has become so commercialized. Further, some would try to take the religious meaning away by removing terms like, “Merry Christmas,” or “Happy Hanukkah.” (How narrow!) Next time, I’m going to share some tips with you on restoring and keeping meaning in the holiday season.
