SHAPE UP
Cut the excuses for overeating

By Charles Stuart Platkin

It was my niece's birthday last weekend, and my parents thought it would be nice to get a cake and ice cream and have a little celebration for her.

This may not sound out of the ordinary — except that my niece was at sleep-away camp more than 1,500 miles away.

We all have those special occasions — birthdays, family dinners, parties, weddings and first dance recitals, as well as New Year's celebrations, retirement dinners and even just weekends — that we use as excuses to overeat.

According to Amy A. Gorin, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School, one of the primary predictors of weight gain or maintenance is dietary consistency.

"Those who maintain the same diet regimen across the week and year are more likely to maintain their weight loss over the following year than those who diet more strictly on weekdays and/or during nonholiday periods."

If you're wondering whether overeating "just this once" really has any effect on your weight, numbers don't lie. I made up my own roster of "special days," and the total came to about 50 per year. If I ate just 500 extra calories on those days (one piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream), that would be about 25,000 calories, or more than 7 pounds a year!

Here are a few tips to avoid gaining weight from all of those Extra Ordinary Eating events.

All or nothing

I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "I've already ruined my diet, so it doesn't matter what I eat now!" The bottom line is that an extra calorie is an extra calorie — so having a slice of birthday cake doesn't (or shouldn't) give you the excuse to eat two more.

Strategize

You may think planning what you're going to eat beforehand takes the fun and spontaneity out of the occasion, but that's just not so. Think about what and how much you're going to eat at the event before you even get there — set limits and you'll feel better.

For instance, if you know there is going to be cake and ice cream and you typically have two or sometimes three servings, mentally rehearse having only one serving of each.

Is it worth it?

We tend to eat unconsciously at these events, shoving food in our mouths without even thinking. So be aware of what you're eating and make sure it tastes great. If the birthday cake or apple pie is not up to par, don't eat it. Instead of "waste not, want not," try to adopt a "want not, waist not" mentality.

In other words, if you don't really want it, don't let it go to your waist.

Food pushers

How many times have you heard a family member or friend tell you that you'll spoil the party if you don't partake in the food festivities, or it's bad luck not to have at least one slice of cake?

Try to have an answer ready for diet saboteurs. Mentally rehearse a few key phrases like, "Oh, no thanks. I couldn't eat another thing."

Or even try the truth: "I'm dieting, and eating that piece of cake will completely throw me off track."

Another idea, when feasible, is to have alternative low-calorie food choices handy by bringing your own.

Indulge before events

One of the reasons the Atkins and South Beach diets work in the short run is that you're too full to eat anything else. So, why not stuff yourself beforehand with healthy, low-calorie foods so that it will be easier to say no?

What's eating you?

If you're prone to emotional eating and you're going to an event you know is going to be tough (a party thrown by someone you had a falling-out with, your ex's wedding, etc.), be honest with yourself before the event and allow your feelings of anxiety to come to the surface.

Overindulging in food won't make the event any less stressful — in fact you'll likely feel worse if you have to deal with guilt the next day.

Excuse-bust

We all have great excuses for why we should eat, such as, "It's a birthday party" or, "After all, it is my friend's wedding."

Next time, brainstorm and write down all the excuses for why it's OK to overeat — then come up with counterarguments to punch holes in your excuses. For example, your excuse buster to "It's my friend's wedding — I want to enjoy myself" could be "I'll enjoy the wedding much more if I dance more and eat less dessert."

Weekend warriors

"I live a busy life, and I manage to diet all week long. But once the weekend rolls around, well, I like to enjoy myself." Sound familiar? Research shows we tend to eat an additional 115 calories per day on weekends. That's an extra 345 calories per week — or an additional five pounds a year. Watch out for weekends.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a syndicated health, nutrition and fitness columnist. Write to info@thedietdetective.com.