Maintain healthy habits for holidays

That jiggle under the chin? So much giblet gravy.

Indulge, oh yes we did. And some of us are still picking at the leftovers.

Now we’re in a panic. We’ve got to lose a few pounds before the holiday cookie party next weekend or we’re going to look like an overstuffed Christmas stocking.

Well, Jan Sohn, Page Love, Greg Stewart and Linda Vaughn would like to tell us something: STOP!

This season is stressful enough, and smothering ourselves with guilt won’t help us lose an ounce. In fact, it might make us add several. Our goal between now and the end of the year should not be to lose weight, these exercise and wellness experts say, but simply to maintain our current weight.

Sohn, of Suwanee, is a leader with Weight Watchers. Love is a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist. Stewart is executive director of the J.M. Tull Family YMCA in Lawrenceville and Vaughn is director of wellness initiatives for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. Among them they see plenty of people who set unrealistic weight goals for themselves during the final six weeks of every year. And, like clockwork, they see these same folks come out of the holidays dispirited and between five and 10 pounds heavier.

But it’s an avoidable set-up. So we asked each of these advisers for a few easy tips to help us get through the highly caloric end of the year. None of this involves spending much money or joining a gym. All it requires is a little planning, commitment and patience.

“It’s OK to be a zero at the end of this year, and I don’t mean a size zero,” Stewart said.

Get a pedometer

“You need 10,000 steps a day to maintain your weight,” Vaughn said. “If walking outside is a concern, go walk in a mall with a buddy.”

Water is your friend

“It’s easy to mistake dehydration for hunger,” Sohn said. “Water might not fill you up, but a lot of people think they are hungry when really they are just thirsty.”

Eat before you leave

“Don’t skip meals on the days of events,” Love said. “You’ll be more likely to get really hungry then overeat at the party or dinner.”

Accept the cookie

It’s OK to have a cookie or dessert, just make sure your portion is small and that you don’t have them at every occasion during the season, Love said.

Press restart button

Should you find yourself on cookie number three at the dessert buffet, it’s not OK to say “Oh, what the heck,” and continue on to number four. “Forgive yourself,” Sohn said. “Stop and say, ‘That was unfortunate.’ It’s the next bite that counts. Are you really going to finish the whole platter?”

Avoid pushers

If at all possible, avoid people who push food on you or guilt you into trying to eat something you shouldn’t. Or at least have a good comeback should you find yourself confronted with someone bearing stollen. And if you are the food pusher, remember that people aren’t necessarily trying to be hurtful or rude by refusing one of your homebaked morsels. “Don’t de-motivate a person,” Vaughn said.

Veggie tales

“Increase the fruits and vegetables on your plate,” Vaughn said. But that doesn’t include apple pie or candied yams.

Keep it tight

“Wear something that fits you to a holiday party or dinner, not something baggy,” Sohn said. An elastic-waist pair of pants or billowing dress doesn’t provide enough of a gastric check and balance.

BYO

If you’re not sure what will be served at a potluck, make sure to prepare a few dishes to bring yourself that meet your dietary requirements, Sohn said. And make enough to share.

Get a coach

Or a buddy, so that the two of you can serve as support for each other during the season, Stewart said.

Go with gray

“People are all or nothing,” Sohn said. “Either I can be on this diet or not. But there’s room between the two. What you can do is be conscious of the decisions you make and set realistic expectations. Say to yourself, ‘I might not lose, but as long as I don’t gain, I should be fine.’ ”