Avoiding holiday weight gain takes planningBy Lisa Strandberg
For The Post-Crescent November 17, 2007
When you've lost more than a quarter of your body weight as 28-year-old Heather Earl of Neenah did, you're not going to let a handful of holidays keep you from maintaining the number on the scale. She shed 41 pounds between March and June 2006 on the Weight Watchers program and has maintained her goal weight ever since.
"It's all a mind game. That's kind of what it is for me," Earl said.
Many in this country lose that game and gain weight, particularly during the holiday season — a period of time that has stretched beyond the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Alice Sekhar, a dietician with ThedaCare, said that excess goodies linger in our homes far longer than that. "It just seems to go from Halloween to Valentine's Day," she said.
The good news: It turns out Americans don't pack on quite as many holiday pounds as once believed. A study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases showed that on average, adults gained 1.05 pounds between early October and early March — far less than the 5 to 10 pounds believed typical.
The bad news? That extra pound may stay put forever, contributing to continual adult weight gain that can result in obesity.
The best bet to avoid that risk, of course, is to keep your weight consistent during the holidays. Said Tricia Strauss, Wisconsin area market director for Jenny Craig Inc., "This is something that's not impossible. (People) can get through one event at a time."
Here are four tips on how to do so:
1. Make time for exercise.
One of the toughest obstacles to maintaining weight during the frenetic fall and winter holidays is their interference with physical activity. "People's schedules change so they don't exercise as much as they did or as regularly," Sekhar said.
Fortunately, gyms and health clubs want to help. "You can try something new," Sekhar said. "A lot of gyms step up and have extra classes around the holiday times."
That includes, at most places, a fitness session on Thanksgiving morning. "You can do something extra to make up for those extra calories," she said.
Fortunately, that something extra doesn't have to be killer to be effective. Sekhar said it can be as simple as "getting everyone to go out for a walk instead of collapsing on the couch after the (Thanksgiving) meal, which just leads you to eat more."
Strauss recommended a similar approach, saying, "If you overindulge a bit in eating one day, try overindulging a bit in exercise the next day."
2. Approach holiday meals and parties with a plan.
When a bountiful table is set before you, particularly of the buffet variety, it can prove nearly impossible to resist what's there. That's when planning ahead can make thwarting temptation easier.
"When you have a plan, you feel more in control, and you are going to have success," Strauss said.
For Earl, that means recognizing her gastronomical weaknesses and arranging to address them. As an example, she brings her own low-calorie bread to the Thanksgiving gathering at her in-laws' house to avoid eating sugar-rich, calorie-dense rolls. "I need the bread. I want the bread. So I'm not going to sit there and deprive myself of it," she said.
She also admitted a common Thanksgiving Day downfall. "Pumpkin pie is a killer for me," she added. "But what I usually do is bring a pumpkin pie with no sugar that I buy at the store."
Often, Earl totes a teaspoon with her to buffets so she can sample just a smidgen of her favorite dishes. That's a good approach, according to Sekhar. "If there are things you love, get one plate of food and go away from the table," she said. "The worst thing you can do is position yourself near it."
Also a bad idea: starving yourself all day as an ill-advised balance for gorging yourself at night.
"(People) know they're going to a party, so they'll skip meals and give themselves a license to overeat," Sekhar said.
It's better to do as Earl does and fill up on salads, fruits and vegetables beforehand so you feel satisfied all day but have conserved calories for a few evening indulgences.
3. Keep your mind on the long haul.
While it's true that we all tend to overindulge in a big way at holiday meals, those one-time events are not the likeliest culprits for weight that accumulates during the winter.
"The meals we eat aren't really as much of a problem as the little things that add up," Sekhar said.
"Keep in mind that an additional 100 calories a day may not sound like much, but it can translate into 10 extra pounds a year," Strauss said.
That means the cookie you wolf with breakfast, the leftover eggnog you indulge in at lunch and the chocolate you snitch from your child's stocking matter more than the calories you chow down at the office holiday party. Thus, choosing those nibbles wisely can help.
When Earl wants a sweet Christmas treat, she opts for a single sugar cookie, sans frosting. And Strauss said that preparing your own goodies with applesauce in place of shortening or nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream provides an element of control over what you ingest on a daily basis.
4. Avoid gifts that keep on giving in the caloric realm.
Around Christmastime, virtually everyone prepares dozens of cookies and other treats. Then they receive even more as gifts.
"Food gifts are nice because they're consumable, but it doesn't have to be cookies," Sekhar said. "It could be a basket of fruit or whole-grain bread and jam."
And when a gigantic cheese-and-sausage box or assortment of chocolates does come your way?
"What we always say is, 'Regift!'" Strauss said. "Take that gift to your work and put it out for everyone."
Spreading the calories over a large number of people means less overeating for you and your family.
In the end, preventing weight gain at the holidays is about making a decision and sticking to it.
"You have to set your mind," Earl said. "If you don't have your mind set, it's not going to work."
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Trimming turkey day calories
Looking to serve a healthful Thanksgiving Day meal? Try these tips from Jenny Craig Inc.:
q Roasting your turkey without the stuffing, breast side down, will keep it moist and allow the fat to run off. For a browned top, turn your turkey right side up for the last half hour.
q If you do have dressing, bake it alongside, instead of in, your turkey. Cook the dressing slowly in the oven and replace most of the butter or oil with chicken stock and wine.
q Make the base for low-fat gravy by adding a few ice cubes to meat drippings, and then remove the fat once it has hardened on the ice cubes.
q Looking for a low-fat dessert? Try angel food cake or fat-free pound cake topped with fruit.
q Send guests home with leftovers to prevent yourself from overindulging later on.
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On the Web
For more information on avoiding holiday weight gain, visit
http://weightloss.about.com/od/holidayweightgain.
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Weigh to stay
Club West in Neenah runs a holiday program to encourage members to eat in moderation and continue to exercise throughout the season. The program is called Weigh to Stay, and instead of focusing on losing weight, it encourages members at the very least to maintain their weight.
The cost is $20. All participants weigh in the week of Thanksgiving, and they weigh out the week of New Year's Day. If they stay the same weight or lose weight, they get their $20 back. If they gain any weight, Club West keeps the $20 and puts it toward prizes.
For every pound participants lose, their name gets put in a drawing to win an iPod, massage or a $50 gift card. Contact: Megan Collins, 730-8884, ext. 230.
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