Avoid holiday bloat with this 'cheat sheet'
Are you overweight? Have you just lost weight? With the holidays here, watch out.
A recent study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that people who formerly were overweight, even though they exercised more and paid more attention to weight and eating, still gained weight. Imagine if they didn't pay attention! Here is a "cheat sheet" to help you get a jump-start on that New Year's resolution.
It's a Snap. Take photos of everything you eat every single day from Thanksgiving until New Year's. Research reported in the International Journal of Consumer Studies found that taking pictures of everything you eat helps to rein in dietary indulgences. Reason? Snapping before you eat means that you stop and think about what you're about to consume. Additionally, Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research found that keeping a food diary can double weight-loss results.
Don't Do It Alone. Find a buddy — a friend or significant other — to help you power through this "rough" time. You can text, e-mail and phone each other about your exercise and eating habits, share healthful holiday recipes and work out together.
Go Tight. As a reminder not to overindulge, put on your skinniest jeans the day of any holiday event.
Go to the Net. There are many great places to find healthful recipes these days: www.allrecipes.com, www.myrecipes.com, www.epicurious.com, www.foodnetwork.com and www.eatingwell.com have thousands of holiday recipes; just include "healthy" in your search.
Double, Triple, Quadruple! If there was ever a time to increase your exercise, it's now.
Be Generous. Donate food gifts to friends or co-workers or, even better, to an organization that feeds the hungry. Go to www.feedingamerica.org or your favorite search engine and enter your ZIP code and the words "food bank." You'll be helping yourself and others at the same time.
When You Drink More, You Eat More. Alcohol is double trouble — it lowers your inhibitions so you eat more, plus every drink is loaded with calories. If you do drink, stick to wine and low-calorie beer.
Busy Bee. The holidays are a very busy time. We're all constantly on the go — shopping, planning parties, more shopping and visiting relatives. This is a good time to stock up on a selection of quick-to-fix, healthful frozen meals and soups with fewer than 70 calories per cup.
Food Court Warning. Many malls have Web sites that list their food vendors. Check out all menus beforehand and come up with three or four healthful choices. That way, as soon as you get hungry you'll know exactly where to go and what to eat.
Food Pushers. Beware! The holidays are food pushers' favorite time to pounce. Learn and practice the word "no" — or even better, "no, thanks."
Eat Extra Large. Breakfast, that is. If you don't eat breakfast you'll be cranky, you'll eat more food later in the day, and those workouts you should be doing will be affected because you'll have less energy. But don't eat just any breakfast; make sure it's low in fat and carbs, and high in protein.
Eat Something. Don't starve yourself before a holiday party. Eat breakfast and lunch. Then eat something substantial before the party so you're not walking in hungry and willing to eat almost anything.
Make it Special. Don't eat anything that doesn't taste fantastic, and if it does taste great, and it happens to be high in calories, keep your portions small.
Don't Blow It. Just because you've gone a bit overboard doesn't mean you've ruined your diet. The "I've already ruined my diet, so it doesn't matter what I eat now" excuse is just that — an excuse. Just stop eating and don't do any more damage, and you'll be fine.
Sleep More. Lack of sleep can increase appetite, and when you're tired you're less likely to make the healthiest food choices. Go to bed earlier, and aim for seven or eight hours of sleep. Have a regular bedtime. Get rid of the TV in the bedroom and make your sleep environment peaceful and quiet.
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, syndicated health columnist and founder of www.DietDetective.com, an online source for nutrition, fitness, food, diet and wellness information.
Reach Charles Stuart Platkin at info@thedietdetective.com.
