Tips for Dieting and the Holidays

It’s that time of year when people generally gain about ten extra pounds with all the holiday feasting. So is there away to avoid the weight gain and still enjoy yourself?

On my blog I discussed this at Halloween time and we came up with ideas like wrapping leftover candy in your swimsuit and putting it in a hard to reach place. That way by the time you worked to get it, the swimsuit would remind you that you don’t really want to gain weight.

Joking aside, let’s talk about ways we can avoid overeating at the holidays, but still enjoy some treats. The key really is moderation during a time of excess. Any tips to share?

Tip Number 1 - Moderation

One thing that has helped me in the past is to plan what I’ll eat when I sit down at the Thanksgiving table laden with more foods than I should eat. Instead of eating everything, I choose favorites and limit myself to one starch, and one small piece of dessert.

I don’t know about your Thanksgiving fare, but our table is full of starch. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and we traditionally make perogies. For those who don’t know what they are: a big noodle ravioli type dish. Ours are filled with cheese and baked in butter and onions. Needless to say, they are a delicious starch.

Although I love many of these things, when I set my menu mentally, I can still enjoy favorites: Turkey cooked on the grill, a vegetable, and one starch. My healthiest choice would be sweet potatoes, but I treat myself to a couple of perogies as we only have them once a year. This is an example moderation. When I avoid the all or nothing mindset and allow myself to indulge a little, it helps me not feel deprived. A small piece of dessert tops things off just right. In fact, by the time I’m done eating, I’m quite satisfied but not stuffed!

Donna

My tip is to fill up on healthy fare like fruits and veggies before going to parties or dinners. Even if I attend a party that has lots of appetizers, I try and eat raw veggies (with a small serving of dip set aside instead of constantly “double dipping” and going back for more) first, which fill me up so I’m not eating so many treats. Still, I believe in moderation, too. If I see a dessert that I love that I don’t normally get to eat, I have a small serving.

Making a plan is half the battle, Del. And the plan to eat raw fruits and veggies as an appetizer is a good one. Placing a small amount of dip on the side is also a great idea. People don’t usually think about all the calories they consume in dips. For example, French Onion Dip is around 50 or 60 calories for 2 Tbl. While that doesn’t sound like much, if you stand at the appetizer tray and dip generously, the calories add up fast. Add those calories to others consumed at a party and before you know it, you’ve consumed more calories than you need for the entire day.

Great suggestions. Thanks for sharing.

Donna

Isn’t it the same to eat everything you want and then not really eat for the next few days vs. just eating a moderate amount over the 3 or so days of Thanksgiving?

Not quite. Sure, you can just go on a binge for a few days, but if you’re not keeping track of your calorie count, you can really go overboard. Also, to “not really eat” for the next few days does your body no favors. You might be hungry and irritable as a result, not to mention your blood sugar getting out of whack. You really need to eat consistently throughout the day to maintain your blood sugar levels. Binging and starving aren’t the best longterm plans and we try to promote moderation as a lifelong way to eat.

Hi Bigdaddy,

If you don’t have problems with splurging, overeating or binging more often than eating a little extra on Thanksgiving, it isn’t going to do long term damage. What you’re suggesting is a form of Calorie Shifting.

However, for many, overdoing it on Thanksgiving ushers in the mindset that it’s the holidays—and oh well… I’ll start a diet on January 1. If you have any amount of social gatherings, or like to bake cookies, or whatever it is, it’s a good idea to have a plan to know how you’re going to get through it all with out packing on an extra 10 pounds.

Donna

Another thing to remember is that to eat a little extra at a holiday dinner isn’t a crime. However, if you have several celebratory events a week, it’s not a good plan to eat your way through them. One more tip to help you cut back on your grazing at the holiday buffet is to drink a nice big glass of water before you leave the house. It will help you feel more satisfied and eat less.

Donna

I think the “small serving” is the key, Del. A couple bites of your favorite sweets won’t permanently derail you, but a couple slices of several different sweets plus stuffing and high calorie appetizers just might! I’m going to use your plan—fill up on healthy veggies and then have a small portion of my fave dessert.

One holiday down… how did you all do? I used your tips and they worked! First I ate raw veggies and salad with hummus, then I ate cooked veggies—green beans, corn, and cauliflower. Since I was already almost full, I only had a small serving of mashed potatoes, squash casserole, and cake. All in all, I call it a success. I was able to sample my favorites and still maintain a fairly decent calorie intake.

I did well. Instead of eating lunch, I considered my appetizer’s lunch, and limited my time at the appetizer table. When it came to dinner time, I limited myself to one plate of food (not a heaping plate) and no seconds, because I knew I wanted dessert. While I still ate more than I would on a normal day, I probably cut my food consumption in half for a “normal” Thanksgiving meal.

Then after dinner we ALL went for a mile and a half walk. What a great way to spend time together.

Donna

My big thing is portion control. I know I want some of everything my grandma’s cooked, but I want it to fit on my plate and I don’t want to go back for seconds. I try to pick one of the 5 or so desserts there and just eat that, rather than the “I’ll have one of each, mom” I used to pull as a kid. Man, the days when I couldn’t gain weight even though I needed to! hahaha

Another thing I’ve stopped doing is hanging around in the kitchen/dining area when it’s not time to eat. It’s too easy to graze when all that food’s out there and everyone else is sampling it.

Crystal, those are some very practical tips! It is so easy to graze with so many delicious possibilities. Staying away from the food until it is actually time to eat is probably the only way not to snack!

As for portion control, one way I have found to help me with that is to think about the size of my palm. This isn’t a scientific method, but a guesstimate. If it can fit in the palm of my hand it is a portion. The bigger your hand the more you can eat!

Donna

I did pretty good, but we don’t do appetizers, so that helped (because it’s so easy to say “look how small this is, it can’t be bad”).

At dinner, I had one helping of everything and had a small piece of cake for dessert. Unlike when I was a kid, I didn’t go back for seconds or thirds.

Another tip deals with holiday baking. My family has a tradition of making a slew of Christmas cookies. Over the years I’ve narrowed it down to about four kinds of cookies, and most of those I bake to give away or bring to a special event. This way I can have a few of my favorites, without the temptation of eating them throughout the day…day after day.

Gee, and I thought I was doing well by narrowing the baking down to only my top 8-10 varieties of cookies…

Perhaps that explains…