Simple Ways To Watch Your Weight During The Holiday Season

Temptation game plan: 4 tips

We all want the holidays to be wonderful for our loved ones, and there's not much we won't do to make sure they are. That's where we trip ourselves up. By the time the holidays are over, we're exhausted from cooking, cleaning, decorating and shopping. We're stressed from spending money and coping with difficult relatives. We're deprived of sleep from late-night partying, baking and gift wrapping. Of course we're tempted to overeat.

It's hard to think about diets when we're tired and anxious. We tend to reach instead for high-sugar and high-fat comfort foods, and during the holidays we don't have to reach far. We're surrounded by tempting treats at parties and family gatherings. And if that isn't enough, the holidays are a time when overeating is encouraged.

Overindulging is O.K. on occasion, but you don't want to let it become a habit. The best way to prevent that is to be wise about managing common sources of holiday-season stress.

*Lack of sleep. Make a priority of getting enough rest. Say no to unimportant invitations and ask family members for help with chores. If you don't get enough sleep, take a nap after work. It can do wonders.

*Harried-hostess syndrome. Start preparing for holiday affairs as early as possible. Break large jobs into small steps and do a few each day. Make desserts ahead of time and freeze them. Cook only your specialties and order other dishes, or invite guests to contribute to the meal.

*Fear of offending. Taking a tiny taste of ever dish at a holiday dinner and raving about everything is a great way to appease proud cooks without overeating if you have that kind of discipline. If not, rave about the turkey and cranberries, and pass on the sweet potatoes. You're allowed. Tell your sister you'll have her pumpkin pie later. She may forget later.

*Cheater's guilt. If you must have a chocolate truffle, enjoy it. If you focus on feeling guilty, you won't taste it. When you savor foods you like, you're satisfied with less.

11 ways to eat less, enjoy more

Stress or no stress, holiday foods taste good, and once we start eating them it can be hard to stop. These tips will help you control the binge-beast within.

*Rest up. Take a nap before attending an evening party. If you arrive exhausted from a busy day, you'll overeat to restore energy.

*Rehearse. Imagine yourself at the event. Visualize yourself eating and drinking appropriately and then leaving the party feeling good.

*Be choosy. When faced with a large array of foods, scan them all before making selections. Pick from the foods you're really salivating for and ignore the rest.

*Step back. If you can walk away from the food after serving yourself, do it. Move across the room and turn your back on the buffet.

*Concentrate on eating. Don't get so caught up in conversations or other distractions that you empty your plate without realizing it. Focus on your food. If you don't know you've eaten, you'll want to eat more.

*Listen to your body. Eat slowly until you're comfortably full. Your tummy will tell you when that is. Wait 20 minutes before refilling your plate. One plateful should be enough.

*Make sweets stretch. If you can't live without tasting the noodle kugel, split a serving with someone or ask the host for a small piece to take home.

*Erase the taste. Carry a toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse and brush after eating. You'll be less tempted to eat more if your mouth is clean.

*Go easy on alcohol. Social inhibitions aren't the only things that fly out the window when you drink too much. Diet discipline does too. Limit yourself to two drinks spaced over two hours. Dilute alcohol. If you feel more secure with a glass in your hand, keep it filled with ice water.

*Pace yourself. If you're doing any kind of party-hopping, eat one meal in stages. Have the main course at one gathering, dessert at another.

*Fill up on love. Food is just one part of holiday gatherings. Catch up with friends. Play with kids. Reminisce with relatives. Remember, you're there to celebrate the holidays with loved ones, not to compete in an eating contest.

by Janis Jibrin, R.D.
Family Circle - Dec 1999