Ask the Dietitian: Tips for healthy eating over the holidays

Written by Melinda Charlet

Dear Dietitian,
Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to eat healthy and exercise regularly, and I have actually lost some weight and am feeling really good.  With the holidays coming up, I don’t want to undo all of the progress I’ve made.  Do you have any tips to help me get through the next few months without gaining 10 pounds?
Sincerely,
Dreading the Holiday Pudge

Dear Dreading,
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is a great time to come up with a strategy to help you get through the Holidays without more junk-in-your-trunk.  Here are some tips to help you navigate the next few months and the seemingly endless bombardment of activities and events and their associated morsels of yumminess.

First of all, set realistic goals.  It is probably not realistic or even a good idea to think that you can lose weight over the holidays.  A more obtainable goal would be to maintain your current weight.  Get through the next few months where you are, and then pick back up with your weight loss goals after the New Year, when there are not so many demands on your time and energy.

Focus on the fun, not the food. Many holiday traditions seem to be centered around food.  Keep the traditions that are really important to you, but maybe you could start some new ones that are activity-based such as walking around downtown to see the lights, playing games, or serving at the local homeless shelter.  After all, the real focus of the holidays should be on spending time with family and friends.

Eat regular meals.  If you skip a meal in anticipation of a party later on in the day, you are more likely to overeat due to hunger and will probably more than make up for the calories that you missed.  Make sure you get your servings of fruits and vegetables in during the day in order to keep your overall diet balanced.  Bring a healthy dish to a potluck, so you know there will be at least one healthy thing to eat.  

Don’t deprive yourself.  There are some things that we only eat once a year and the holidays wouldn’t be the same without them.  Don’t forego these things, but avoid gorging on them.  Practice mindful eating as I talked about in a recent column and eat until you are satisfied instead of stuffed.  Take smaller portions and savor them.

Limit liquid calories.  It is easy to override our fullness signals with beverages such as eggnog, punch, and alcohol.  Beverages are typically loaded with sugar, alcohol, or both and those kinds of calories can add up very fast.  Limit yourself to one or two drinks, and then drink plenty of water.

Stay active.  Exercise can help to relieve holiday stress and help offset the extra calories you are eating.  Stick to your exercise routine as much as you can, but if you can’t make it to the gym, stay active in other ways.  Carrying shopping bags around the mall or delivering neighborhood gifts by foot instead of car can count as exercise.

So don’t stress about losing weight over the holidays.  Instead, enjoy the season with your friends and family by developing new healthy traditions, savoring your favorite treats, and fitting exercise into the rest of your seasonal activities.  By following these tips, you will be able to have Happy Holidays and a Healthy New Year.

Healthy wishes,
Melinda the Dietitian

Feel free to submit your nutrition related questions and I will address them in future editions of Ask the Dietitian.