The holidays are full of fun, family, and festivities making it one of the most favorite times of the year. The holiday season officially begins on Halloween (with ALL of that Trick or Treat candy) and typically ends on the Sunday after New Year's Day. That is a solid two months of temptation, time constraints, and turmoil, and can have disastrous results on your health, weight, and general feeling of well being. So how can this year be different?
1. Plan Ahead
Eat a meal before you go to parties. Choose low calorie choices, such a fresh vegetables and lean meats. Watch out for cheeses, chips, crackers, dips, and pastries. These can add up quick. Remember that alcohol also has calories which can contribute to the post holiday bulge, but more importantly lowers you inhibition to say no to tempting fare. Spend more time visiting and socializing and less time stuffing yourself!
2. Don't get tricked!
Halloween is the official start to the season. If you have Halloween candy staring at you between November 1 and Thanksgiving, there is a good chance that you will be consuming it and thus wearing it in the new year! Those little candies can contain between 50-150 calories per piece, not to mention the elevated sugar and fat content and general lack of nutrient density! So how can we outsmart the ghosts and goblins?
Donate the candy to a worthy cause. If it is not around, it can't go in your mouth! Several military support groups collect candy to send to the troops. Churches also have "Fall Festivals" after traditional Halloween, and these are a great place to donate excess candy.
Buy candy that isn't tempting to you. If you don't like tootsie roll pops, buy those. So it doesn't matter how many pops are around, those will not be gobbled up by you!
Put the candy up and out of sight. If the candy is on your counter or desk, you will constantly be thinking about it and most likely consuming it.
3. Pace yourself!
If you know that you will be attending an event or party that will not be "diet friendly", allocate your calories accordingly throughout the day and avoid splurging all day. Often, when food choices are not going to be stellar for part of the day, we decide to just go ahead and throw in the towel and eat high calorie foods throughout the entire day. If this particular day falls during the latter part of the week, then chances are slim that healthy behaviors will resume until the following Monday! If you get off track at a meal or event, immediately regain your food composure and reset your behavior.
4. Keep track of how your clothes are fitting.
Our clothes fall into a category called "external cues". External cues serve as outside reminders that our goals and behaviors are not consistent. When pants become tight, that is a very accurate sign that there is more booty in those pants and it is time to make some changes and reel in the high calorie foods and change our behavior. It is also important to wear clothes that provide some "feedback", meaning that they are fitted, and not loose or baggy such as scrubs or workout wear.
5. Be aware of how you feel.
Take time to assess yourself. Are you stressed, happy, or sad? Are you putting food in your mouth to deal with your emotions? Ask yourself, on a scale of 1-10, how hungry am I? Remember, hunger is a physiologic response when the body need calories or energy. If you are not hungry, but find yourself nibbling, ask yourself what is it that your body really needs. It could be sleep, a time out, exercise, or stress relief.
This is in contrast to appetite, which is the psychological need for food, meaning that is satisfies our desire for food to look good, taste good, and smell good. Hunger can be best described as having a physiological need for food that would be so strong that the flavor or desirability of the food would make little difference. For example, Jane does not like mayonnaise. But because she is hungry, she will eat a sandwich that has mayonnaise on it. If she was responding to appetite, she would not eat the sandwich, unless it met her desired choices.
6. Bring healthy foods to the holiday table.
From Grandma's homemade pie to the latest Pinterest recipe, there is an abundance of high calorie, indulgent foods at most holiday gatherings. Make a point to offset these foods by bringing some healthy alternatives such as a fruit salad or vegetable tray. Fill your plate with unadulterated fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and choose your calorically dense foods carefully and with restraint..
7. Learn from your mistakes.
We all know what it feels like to overeat and feel like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most of us would agree that the aftershocks feel pretty miserable leaving us like lifeless slugs on the sofa, not to mention the post holiday pounds that have to be dealt with later.
Even when mistakes happen, there is a lesson to be learned, meaning that even a food mishap can be a positive experience if it sheds insight on a behavior that needs to be modified. Ask yourself why the mistake occurred, how were you feeling at the time, what could have been done to avoid the mishap, and if given the same opportunity again, how could you change your behavior to prevent mistakes in the future.
Holidays can be enjoyed in a healthy manner by using self awareness, self restraint, and listening to your body's needs. Choose wisely and make this season the best yet!
For more nutrition information or to make an appointment with Leslie Goudarzi, MS, RD, LD at the GSMC Institute for Healthy Living, call 903-239-1551.
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