Richard Rayner, MD
As a child, Christmas time was one of my favorite times of the year. I loved everything about it — time off from school, family visiting, gift-giving, the decorations. But also, the food! Special dishes, candies, and cookies reserved only for that time of year added to the specialness of the season. My chubby little self couldn’t wait to sample Mom’s delights. Our mix of German and Italian ethnicity meant there was a variety, and boy did we eat!
And, when January came, so did the regrets. Everything was just a bit tighter fitting, and the new year began with celebration and lament. Why did I do it…again?
The holiday season should be a special time to step away from our usual routines to enjoy the festivities unique to the season. Whatever your ethnic or religious affiliations, traditions take us to special places. And, that always includes edible treats that help us celebrate. So, too, comes the temptation to overdo it, leading then to the remorse that comes with the January cold. As a physician, I do feel badly for the people who have appointments in my office during those first couple weeks of the new year.
So, how can we enjoy the season and the special treats that come with it and yet not sabotage all the efforts we made throughout the year leading up to that time, and enter the new year without the extra physical and emotional burden? Here are a few tips that will help:
1. Plan ahead. Before you go to a party, have a little pep talk with yourself. Raise your internal awareness that you are about to head into a potentially dangerous territory where the tendency to overeat is high. Forewarned is forearmed.
2. Scan the buffet before making your choices. Before even picking up your plate, see what the host has to offer, then chose the two or three things you like the most and be satisfied with that.
3. Reason with yourself. Tell yourself, “It’s not the last opportunity to have this food in my lifetime.” We have an abundance of all types of foods all year long since seasonal fluctuations don’t exist much anymore. The chance to have any particular food will likely come up again.
4. Don’t graze. Fill your plate with the items (see tip #2), sit down, eat your food, get rid of your plate. Get a low calorie drink to hold for the remainder of the party.
5. Be mindful of calorie content. Consider calories from drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Many party drinks are calorie-laden. Punches, sodas, specialty cocktails, etc., are loaded with sugar but offer very little nutrition. Drink responsibly for the alcohol content, but also remember they are not free of calories. Also, hors d’oeuvres typically are very high in fat and therefore full of calories even if they are small in volume. If it’s shiny, gooey, cheesy, and delicious, partake with caution.
6. Adopt the two-cookie- or one-dessert-a-day holiday rule. Allow yourself a maximum of two cookies a day. These are reasonably sized cookies, not the huge bakery-made Goliath’s often sold. If you anticipate dessert on that day, skip the cookies and save those calories for that treat.
7. Stay or become active. I saw a statement recently that went something like, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” So true! But, keep moving or get moving to increase metabolic burn and help with the additional calorie intake.
8. Anticipate tomorrow — and January. Before you head out to the party, determine how you want to feel after the party and the next day. And ultimately, when the decorations come down and we are back to the usual rhythm of life, how do you want to feel? Start the holiday season with the new year in mind. Perhaps make a pact with yourself to make it through December without gaining weight.
In summary, enjoy the tastes of the season, but overdoing it will lead only to momentary enjoyment and ultimate regret. Prepare now to enter the 2019 without discomfort and with a step forward toward your health goals.
