Healthy Weight
By Deborah Weiss
November 2, 2007
For many of us, Halloween is the soft kickoff to the upcoming holiday season, where temptation abounds in the form of candy, parties and holiday food.
As my teenage son said to me after a recent Halloween gathering with friends, “I ate so much candy tonight. It was so not my diet!” As a mom, I can at least take some comfort in knowing that he recognized his diet that night as a bad idea. Thankfully, he also made the connection between the unpleasant, sugar driven tightness he felt and the desire to drink vast amounts of water to flush away the uncomfortable feeling. Hopefully it was a lesson well learned.
How to avoid the holiday heft of 5-7 pounds
Between Halloween and New Year’s Day it is not uncommon for individuals to gain five to seven pounds, and often more. I’m talking about adults, those who have also presumably learned the same lesson many times over. It’s one of the reasons, when the new year rolls around, Weight Watchers experiences a flood of new members swearing to end the ways that brought them there and resolving to commit to a healthier and thinner lifestyle.
The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to go through the holiday season enjoying the parties, the festive atmosphere, the decorations, the spirit of the season, the friends and family and yes, the food too, without gaining enough weight to prompt those depressing New Year’s resolutions.
Tips to Help Avoid Added “Jingles” this Holiday Season
• Increase exercise wherever possible: walk through the mall to find gifts; park farther away from the store; take a walk in the evening to de-stress.
• Don’t make food the focal point of the day. Make it about the people, conversation and events.
• Don’t arrive famished. Eat something before you go out. Have a snack—banana, hard boiled egg, small bag of light popcorn, etc.—before heading out to a party.
• Make sure that what you’re eating tastes really good and is worth it to you. Don’t eat dessert or extra servings just because they’re there, and don’t eat things you can eat anytime.
• In buffet situations, scan over all the food options before filling your plate. Be very clear and deliberate about what you’re eating. Avoid seconds.
• Watch your portion size. Place food on the smallest dish, such as a bread plate, to help avoid overeating.
• Don’t park yourself near the food table. If something tempting is in front of you, move yourself or it away.
• Drink plenty of water. Avoid high-calorie beverages.
• Volunteer to be the designated driver. In the long run, it can save lives as well as calories.
• Do it one meal at a time, one day at a time, or even one hour at a time. Celebrate every minute you stay on track
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Most importantly, remember that there is a big difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. If you truly want to maintain or even lose weight during the holidays, it’s going to take more than knowledge. You will need to take a mindful, committed approach to the process. Think long term. Take the time to understand why this is important to you. And remember, you’re human. Don’t expect perfection. You’ll likely become discouraged and throw in the towel. Instead, reflect upon your behavior. Learn from your experiences. Develop the tenacity to pick yourself up and get back on track. Good luck, and happy holidays!
Deborah Weiss originally joined Weight Watchers in 1970 and has been running meetings for them for the last five years. Locally, she ran WW meetings for personnel at Town Hall and the Bell Middle School last spring and this fall, as well as for a variety of organizations throughout Westchester County. Weiss is also a member of New Castle’s Community Emergency Response Team, as well as the Parent Committee, Class of 2010, at Horace Greeley High School.
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