Hungry for the holidays …

As we launch into the holiday season, some people are already moving into November with both excitement and dread. Excited with just the idea of the delectable holiday food spreads soon to come, and dreading the idea of gaining weight from indulging in them.

It actually is possible to enjoy the coming holiday feasts and treats without gaining weight, but there’s nothing “magical” about it. If you think you can significantly increase your caloric intake the next couple months and not gain weight without also doing something to burn those calories, then you’re just fooling yourself.

Instead of indulging and then starting the New Year with regret and several extra pounds, a little self-discipline can allow you to enjoy the food part of celebrating the holidays without having to battle unwanted extra pounds. Here are a half dozen ways you can enjoy the food of the holidays without gaining weight:

1. Sensible portions. Enjoying your holiday meals and indulging a little in seasonal treats does not mean you have to lose your mind and become a glutton. Enjoy, but do so with sensible portions. If you’re replacing plates for platters and having a serving of every dessert, plan on gaining weight. If you manage your portions, you can eat to satiety and include some dessert as well.

2. Selective content control. Everything doesn’t have to be drowning in gravy or swimming in rich sauces, just a little can lift a meal without lifting your weight. Foods like turkey and vegetable sides is actually healthy eating, so focus on that over other choices. If there are three dessert options and you refuse to exercise enough self-control to choose just one, then make your choices much smaller as if you’re sampling the desserts instead of indulging in large portions of each. Again, if you insist on piling on, you’ll gain weight. But you might be surprised that just a little of each is enjoyable without being over-the-top.

3. Avoid emotional eating. Whether it’s the additional stress from holiday harriedness, or missing someone who won’t be there this year, do not eat in an attempt to assuage your emotions. Address your emotions directly in a healthier manner; eating cannot minister to your emotions and the additional weight from emotional eating will only compound your negative emotions.

4. Don’t go to holiday parties hungry. Not eating before a particular holiday party so you can indulge like a glutton once there is a recipe for weight gain. Instead, make sure you don’t go to a holiday party hungry so that you won’t be tempted to eat everything in sight.

5. Don’t leave food sitting around. Over the holidays families often leave foods out for periods of time so that you’re constantly seeing food, food, and more food! Keep foods out of sight, it isn’t necessary to have them out “for convenience.” The more foods are out of sight, the more they’ll be “out of mind” and the less tempted you’ll be to eat.

6. Increase your activity levels for the next three months. You knew this was coming, right? Obviously, if you’re increasing your caloric intake, you’ll gain weight from doing so unless you also increase your activity levels so that you burn more calories. Many people don’t do this, gain weight from holiday feasting, then start the New Year with a challenge of having to lose all the new weight gained. However, if you decide now that for the next three months you will increase your activities and/or exercise levels (and MAINTAIN that increase through the holidays), you’ll be burning more calories as you take in more calories. Don’t allow yourself to think you’re so busy from the holidays you want to relax more; find ways of being and staying active. If you routinely go to a gym for exercise, don’t miss any workouts and even consider adding an extra day at the gym each week for the next couple months. Be smart about managing any increased caloric intake with increased activity and/or exercise.

Finishing the holiday season with weight gain puts a sour note to the season of celebration. Instead of losing self-control and acting like a glutton, enjoy the holidays and indulge a little but be smart about it. Then you can enjoy the food without regretting it.

Scotty