Happy Thanksgiving. I wish you health, happiness and gratitude for all the wonderful things in your life. With such a big holiday here and Christmas and New Years now in sight, it is the official weight-gaining window of the year. And if you are trying to control your weight, it’s a downright “dangerous” time.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, people gain about one to two pounds each year in midlife and that weight gain seems to occur largely between Thanksgiving and New Years. People who are already overweight tend to gain even more – closer to five pounds during this time. And that weight gain is hard to lose.
The good news is, weight gain isn’t inevitable; but it takes some planning. So here are seven tips to help you maintain your weight during the holiday season:
1. Limit Alcohol – For many people, the holidays are a time of drink and merriment. So expect the opportunity to hoist a few more beers, eggnog, wine or hard liquor – each about 200 calories per serving, depending on what you use for mixer. And alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body burns.
Wine 4 oz glass: 62 – 160 calories
1.5 oz liquor shot: 115 – 200 calories
Gin and tonic: 280 calories
Frozen creamy drink: 800 calories
12 oz can of beer: 140-200 calories
Alcohol + carbonated drink: 200 calories/12 oz
Eggnog + jigger of rum: 343 + 97 calories
Seltzer with a splash of lime: 0 calories
2. Keep the Serving Dish Off The Table – Keeping serving trays off the table can reduce your food intake by up to 29 percent. Having to get up and go get the next helping makes us think harder about it and makes us think about weather or not we are really still hungry.
3. Control Your Sleep – I’ve mentioned this before in other articles, but it bears repeating; sleep is a major factor in weight control. People who sleep too little, 5 hours or less each night, gain nearly 2½ times as much abdominal fat as those who sleep 6 to 7 hours. Before you pat yourself on the back for sleeping over 8 hours each night, research shows that adds nearly twice as much belly fat as those who sleep 6- to 7-hours. Click here for a free sleep diary to help evaluate your sleep.
4. Optimize Watching TV – This tip comes in two parts. People who watch TV and eat at the same time tend to eat more. It’s mindless and studies show that you will even eat stale popcorn while you’re mindlessly watching TV or a movie. On the other hand, we don’t have to just sit there and vegetate. Something as simple as washing dishes or ironing burns 70 calories every 30 minutes. Researchers at the University of Vermont found that cutting TV time in half will burn an extra 120 calories daily – about the equivalent of half a candy bar.
5. Eat Slow – People who wolf down their food eat up to 52% more before they feel full than those who chew small bites for at least 9 seconds. They are also over three times more likely to be overweight according to a study in the British Medical Journal. That’s because it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you’ve had enough so you get way more into your stomach. Think of chewing your food longer as Chewdaism. People who chew each bite 50 times usually feel full and stop eating after consuming less food.
6. Take breaks – Psychologists call this eating mindfully. Instead of living to eat, eat to live. Be present. Put down your utensils or your sandwich or that drumstick between bites. As you slowly chew your food, savor the flavor. Breathe deeply and count to 20. Take a sip of your beverage. If you’re eating with others, talk to them. You’ll get full and fully satisfied eating much less food.
7. Monitor Appetizers – Appetizers are often full of calories that taste great going down, but can add 1,000 calories to your meal. If you eat an appetizer that has limited calories, you may find that your appetite at the meal is decreased. If your appetite is still cheering you on, lower your intake at the actual meal or skip dessert.
Please share how you control your weight during the holiday season.
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