Holiday eating

Top 10 ways to maintain, not gain

1. Give yourself permission to have festive foods on the specific
holiday (i.e. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, etc) and enjoy
these days.  Avoid making every day between Thanksgiv-ing and New
Year's Day a holiday.

2. Buy only those foods you intend to eat. Don't stock up on
holiday goodies days or weeks before the holiday and fool yourself
into believing you can avoid the temptation of eating them.

3. Take time for yourself during the holiday season.  Running
around frantically trying to meet everyone else's needs can get
stressful. Take time to relax, listen to your favorite holiday
music and spend quality time with family and friends.

4. Eat a healthy meal before attending holiday parties. If you go
to a party hungry, you'll probably overindulge on junk foods.
Moderate your alcohol intake, since drinking often triggers
overeating.
     
5. Set realistic goals during the holiday season. It's unwise to
try to lose weight during this period. It's more realistic to set
the goal of weight maintenance.

6. Don't forget exercise. Even holiday shopping is good exercise.
Walking not only burns calories, but it can also help with holiday
stress.

7. Choose celebration ideas that de-emphasize food, such as an
outing to the theater or a concert. Instead of an office party
with lots of food, use it as an occasion to collect food for the
local food bank.

8. Learn to read restaurant menus for accurate fat gram and
calorie counts and become aware of the fat content of holiday
goodies (beware of the toffee!)

9. Setting strict rules about totally avoiding holiday foods sets
you up for "abstinence violations," which trigger binge eating.
One piece of fudge is a pleasure, 10 will make you feel sick.

10. Shift your focus from food to the real meaning of the
holidays: joy, family, fellowship, thanksgiving, celebration and
love.   



Source: David Schlundt, Vanderbilt University assistant professor
of psychology and author of "Eating Disorders: Assessment and
Treatment."