Email this page  Print this page  del.icio.us  digg

Making a list

Strategize what, how much you'll eat before holiday party

According to a Duke University study, the average American gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. And, according to the National Institutes of Health, most Americans never shed that new weight, which piles up over the years.

Suddenly, those few extra pounds have become a lot bigger.

But if you think that keeping the numbers steady on your scale means surviving on the vegetable tray and giving up nana's flan, think again.

It is possible to have your cake and pie and tamales and buttered tortillas, eat them all too, and still maintain your waistline. Think small sample sizes of everything, not deprivation, says Kelli Jo Yee, a dietitian at the University of Arizona Medical Center.

"Keep the portions small. Eat more vegetables, but have something small of everything. Try to eat slowly and enjoy the moment. Remember to enjoy the company: it's not all about the food, it's about being with family and friends," she says.

A big no-no is the daylong starvation to save up for the one big meal in the evening. Yee reminds her patients to eat a sensible breakfast and lunch to avoid giving in to the built-up hunger, which causes overeating. Also, the body's metabolism will shut down, so when food actually reaches your stomach, it does so on a slower metabolism, which contributes to weight gain.

Unfortunately, most exotic dishes, while tasty, are laden with salt and unhealthy fats. Yee recommends using canola oil instead of lard, lean meats and taking it easy on the creamy sauces and shredded cheese. Alcohol is empty calories, so watch those margaritas, which contain a lot of sugar as well.

However, the mind has proven to be more powerful than the body when it comes to eating. Yee says studies show that external influences play a large role in how much and how quickly you consume food.

"Atmosphere can be everything. Eating near a fast eater can make you eat fast and more. If there's fast music in the background, you'll eat with the tempo of the music. If the lights are dim, you tend to eat more. If you're going to have a conversation, get the food away from you because people tend to eat more while they're conversing," she explains.

"Set a boundary for yourself, set a limit of how many pieces of food you should eat. If you make a rule and say, 'I can't have this...' then you are going to break it. If you tell yourself, 'no,' you are setting yourself up for failure. The goal is to be physically active, continue to exercise and see what the body does."