Maintaining Weight and the Holidays

Needless to say, the holiday season poses some special challenges to those of us who are either trying to lose weight or maintain a weight loss. Some of the most challenging choices face us when we are looking at temptations with a time frame. If you’re thinking that eating holiday foods is a “once in a lifetime” pleasure that won’t happen again or for a long time, it’s likely that you’ll be in trouble quickly. When human beings fear starvation, as most of our ancestors did, the best strategy is to eat everything in sight as a precaution. In a modern world of plenty, the self-talk needs to be “it will always be there.”

Karen's Baklava for Greek Night Is Worth Planning For

I did a quick search online for bits of advice for holiday dieters, and most of what I saw was frankly appalling. Here are some of my LEAST favorites with my own solutions:

1. Eat a small meal before going to a party. Are you kidding? People get fat in the first place because they have learned to tune out their biological signals of fullness. All this pre-eat will do is ensure that you have more calories for the day. Instead, I’m all for portion control. Instead of taking a whole serving of something at a party, take one bite of everything you want. Recent research suggests that just eating a food triggers mechanisms that make the food less appealing. The first bite is the best–you don’t need the whole thing.
2. Make healthy choices–This is not the time. Talk about unrealistic. Like you’re going to pass up that gingerbread for a slice of fruit? Instead, be mindful of your choices. Have the gingerbread (in a small quantity on a small dish), but be picky about how you use your calories. You don’t have to “holiday eat” every day–know when goodies are going to become available, and plan to enjoy them. Make up for it by being extra strict on “non-goody” days.
3. Don’t skip meals. Normally, I would agree. But the bottom line is that you can’t eat a large meal and then follow up with your normal eating and not gain weight. When we celebrate chez Freberg with one of Mr. F’s special dinners, we usually do so at lunch. Then I have a pact with myself that unless my stomach is actively growling, that’s it for the day.

Here are some pieces of advice that I thought were truly helpful:

1. Use small plates—Brian Wansink has shown that this can be a huge help. You do not feel deprived, and you are much less likely to overeat.
2. Eat slowly. Take time to enjoy your food. Focus on the conversation.
3. Avoid alcohol. Nothing puts on weight faster, and alcohol lowers your inhibitions in general, and that includes eating more food than you need. It nukes your taste buds, too, which means the food you eat won’t taste very good (hence those dreadful spicy Chex things people persist in making for New Year’s Eve, even though I’ve never met a person who actually think this tastes good.)
4. Walk, walk, walk. Yes, we live in California, which makes walking easier, but you don’t need to hit the gym either to lose weight or maintain it. Park your car at the outer edge of the parking lot. I think it’s so pathetic to see people jockey for places nearest the store. Walk around the block while you’re waiting for the turkey in the oven. Walk after you eat to admire your neighbors’ holiday yard displays.
5. Just make a pact that you will not eat anything on impulse. If it’s not planned, it’s not eaten. Once again, our friend Brian Wansink has observed that a major difference between fat and slim people is that the latter are very systematic about their intake. After awhile, it just becomes habit and you don’t have to think about it anymore.
6. Beware the evening. Apparently, our willpower is at its best in the morning. Most people do not have trouble making healthy breakfast choices, but as the day wears on, that might become harder to do. The more choices you make, the faster your willpower breaks down. Again, this is another area where a system helps. If you have a system, you make one decision–follow the system.

For me, the best strategy is to focus on people, not personal pleasure. I am delighted to be spending the holidays with all three of my daughters for the first time in three years. I plan to soak in every minute. Yes, great food is part of the fun, but it’s not the focus. Good luck and Happy Holidays to all of you!