The holidays are filled with laughter, fun and indulgences. A party here, and impromptu friend lunch there. If we were still making most of our living by homesteading and homemaking (as we used to) it would all even out over the calendar year. The intake of calories generally would even with the output on average. But this is no longer the case in the developed world where we tend to make our living with our computer prowess and or presentation skills and can buy anything we want at the fully stocked grocery store down the road.
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| Becky Longacre |
So, how can you enjoy your holiday season and still keep healthy? The answer, as with most things, is mindfulness.
Here are some pointers on keeping a healthy weight through the holidays:
1.) Allow yourself to indulge a bit. If you love your eggnog, for example, then drink your eggnog if it makes you happy. Just be mindful of the actual serving size you are drinking. And, perhaps have one slice of pie with the eggnog and not three!
2.) Keeping with healthy eating most of the time allows you to “afford” the indulgences. If you pay attention to what you are eating six out of seven days of the week and allow yourself a “cheat day” this goes a long way in sustaining a healthier lifestyle (instead of always being vigilant to the point where you set yourself up for binge eating due to extreme restrictions).
3.) Replace your meal with your indulgence. What did you just say, Becky? Yes, that is what I said! If you are at a holiday event and you know you want the chips and dip, the cake and eggnog, and the cocktail, then just accept that that will be your meal and let go of the idea that you “need to compensate by eating something healthy.” Many people believe that after they eat “junk” they need to eat a salad on top of that to “reverse the bad eating.” The problem with this way of doing business is it actually adds to your overall calorie count which increases weight gain. It does you no favors to eat more calories out of obligation to health. If you have indulged, enjoy every bite, every sip, every moment with friends and family. It is not one meal that will make or break your health. It is the overall eating pattern you have.
4.) Don’t put all of your healthy weight eggs into the exercise-only basket. Some of my clients start out with the belief that they don’t need to pay attention to their eating habits, and they can just chase all their calories with exercise to compensate. The problem with this is the math is usually wrong. How long does it take to walk off 1 piece of bread? About 20 minutes. That’s not including the butter or jelly you have put on the bread. How long does it take to walk off a piece of cake? About forty minutes. And that’s a standard serving size of a cake. Let’s remember the eggnog too! How long does it take to walk off a standard serving size of eggnog? Another 40 minutes. Hopefully you have just learned that it is not a solid plan to depend only on physical activity to lose or maintain weight. That’s the math of weight loss: calories in and calories out. Eighty percent (80%) of your weight loss or weight management will come from your eating patterns, not your exercise.
So, what’s the take home message? Enjoy your holiday season, allow yourself to indulge a bit, allow yourself to even replace some of you usual eating with “naughty” food instead of “nice” foods, and look at the big picture. In the end, it will be your trends of eating and overall commitment to your health that will help you succeed.
May you enjoy your holiday season and may you be happy and healthy.
Becky Longacre is a Nurse Coach for Health Transformers LLC. Send her questions at becky@healthtransformersmaine.com or call her at 207-400-7897. Visit her website at www.healthtransformersmaine.com" <Becky Longacre is a Nurse Coach for Health Transformers LLC. Send her questions at becky@healthtransformersmaine.com or call her at 207-400-7897. Visit her website at www.healthtransformersmaine.com" <
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