Holiday Splurges: How to Reduce the Damage

‘Tis the season to be merry—and stuffed with goodies—so you better be prepared. Holiday parties and dinners are ripe with opportunities to overeat and feast on fattening and calorie-laden treats. Learn how to do damage control before and after splurging on your favorite seasonal treats by incorporating these tips into your normal diet plan.

Evelyn Tribole, MS, registered dietician and author of Eating on the Run, has suggestions on how to survive with as little diet damage as possible.

Don’t assume that weight gain is a given during the holidays, she stresses. “Despite the fact that for many years, it was commonly accepted that people gain approximately five pounds during the holidays, a New England Journal of Medicine study found that the average weight gain was only about one pound. The philosophy of feasting during the holidays because tomorrow you diet can actually make matters worse.”

Instead, Tribole suggests that you try these strategies to help avoid overindulging:

• Don’t come hungry. Don’t arrive to dinner on a ravenous stomach, as this can easily lead to overeating. Have a small snack (such as a handful of almonds or an apple with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter) to prevent binging.
• Don’t avoid your favorites. All year round, make a conscious effort to not completely restrict yourself from your favorite foods. This attitude makes holiday food less magnetic, and you’ll be less likely to splurge.
• Set a limit. Instead of scooping out a serving from every single dish, limit yourself to the holiday foods that you simply can’t do without.
• Pass up food that you won’t miss. For example, a roll with butter at mealtime is not likely to be missed, and forgoing it is not likely to lead to feelings of deprivation.
• Beware of lingering. When you are finished eating, either remove your plate or put a napkin or your silverware on top of it to prevent unintentional nibbling at the table.
• It’s not all or nothing. If you eat more than you intended, let it go, rather than thinking you blew it.  All-or-none thinking can lead to even more eating.

Taking a realistic approach to eating at the holidays is the smartest way to prevent yourself from falling into common traps.