‘Tis the season for holiday office parties, festive dinners, cocktail gatherings and sweet temptations just about everywhere you look. Welcome to the dreaded holiday weight gain season. Or is it?
For years, it was popular knowledge that folks gained between five and seven pounds during the holidays. But, the truth is most folks don’t gain that much.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that most people gain only one pound between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. But before you grab another sugar cookie grab this — if you don’t lose it — one pound a year over 10 holidays equals 10 unwanted pounds no matter how you do the math.
So here are some tips to help avoid holiday weight gain:
Party time
Eat regular meals and snacks so you are not famished when you arrive at a holiday party and might tend to overeat.
Remember that holiday gatherings are for enjoying time with family and friends; make that the focus, not the food.
Don’t deprive yourself. Take small portions of high-calorie holiday favorites and savor them.
If you overeat one day, try to cut back the next. It’s about balance over a span of days.
Fill your plate with a balanced selection of foods from the buffet. Make a meal instead of mindlessly munching.
Naughty and nice foods
Healthy holiday favorites include boiled shrimp, turkey, roast beef, sweet potatoes, winter squash, steamed green beans, and fresh fruit salads.
Deck the halls with boughs of holly but accessorize foods with care. Adding nuts, cheese, cream sauces, gravies, whipped cream or syrups adds extra calories.
Liquid calories can add up quickly as you enjoy holiday libations. Champagne and dry white wines are among the lowest in calories per glass; sweet and creamy drinks such as spiked eggnog or chocolate martinis among the highest. Use club soda in mixed drinks or diet mixers made with low-calorie sweeteners.
Holiday hustle
Take advantage of calorie-burning opportunities. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and park further away at shopping centers.
Remember that exercise helps fight holiday stress. Take a walk for vanity and sanity.
Holiday lists aren’t just for gifts. A study from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research found that those who kept daily food and activity records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. If you have to jot down every bite, it makes you think twice before you grab an extra handful of holiday goodies.
For more ideas about gifts, decorating, where to eat and what to do, check out our complete Atlanta Holiday Guide.
