Article from BMH
for December, 2006
Brattleboro Reformer

Tis’ the Season: Ten ideas for a weight-neutral holiday season
by Luise Light, M.S., Ed.D.

The invitations have been pouring in for weeks now, crowding your mailbox and jockeying for slots on your holiday calendar—everything from tree trimmings to cookie swaps and potlucks with friends and family. It’s the time of year for sharing gifts and good spirits with those we cherish, which for many of us adds up to a free pass for dining and drinking to excess. Between the celebrations and feasts, all of which revolve around food, a lot of us put on extra pounds over the holidays and pay the price with frenzied dieting and punishing workouts in the new year.

“Crash diets” work in the short term, but they also set you up to gain more weight the next time you let go of the controls —the famous “yo-yo diet” syndrome. It is a high price to pay for holiday fun! There are kinder ways to be good to your body and your psyche. The key is to balance things out between the calories you take in and your physical activity. A little planning goes a long way in keeping the balance.
Here are ten ways to stay in balance and have a happy, healthy, and weight-neutral holiday season:

1. Eat lightly the day before parties and feasts. Save those calories for the good stuff to come.
2. Increase workouts before and during the holidays. If you don’t work out, walk for at least ½ hour three to five times a week.
3. Cut back on fats, fried foods, creams, sweets, and starches before, during and after holidays. Concentrate on the lean, fresh stuff: vegetables and fruits, lean meats and dairy, and whole grains.
4. Taste but don’t devour the “whole thing.” We get the most flavor in the first two or three bites. Even though it’s the season for special treats, you don’t have to overload your plate to enjoy the goodies. Savor, don’t stuff.
5. Snack before you party and pace yourself once there. Have a small protein snack—a few nuts, a slice of meat or chicken, some cheese—before. If you’re not ravenous when you face the feast, it will be easier to eat like a bird instead of a bear.
6. Engage in outdoor activities before you sit down to dinner on the big day. Go hiking or biking in the woods, climb the local tall peak, shoot some hoops, or play “touch football” on the front lawn. These are some holiday traditions local families I know build into their celebrations. You can, too.
7. Give gifts that encourage active lifestyles. In addition to the latest electronic gadget, how about a basketball hoop that the family can mount over the garage door together while waiting for dinner to be served? Other gift ideas are sports gear, a month’s worth of karate, yoga or exercise classes, or a wilderness trail adventure.
8. Set a good example. We’ve all done it—decried our family’s poor eating or activity habits while failing to admit that we’re as much to blame as they are. Be honest. Confront your own demons and you will make it easier for family members to confront theirs.
9. Manage stress. If you’re sad about something during the holidays, turn to people not food for comfort. Start a new tradition with new friends, instead of eating and drinking to fill the silences and empty spaces.
10. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Research shows that people who keep on trying, despite repeated setbacks, eventually succeed in losing excess weight. So stay active and eat lean, small portions between the parties and feasts, knowing that every day brings you a little closer to your goal.

A happy, healthy holiday!