Maintaining weight during the holidays should be the goal of the season. When we are trying to restrict our calories, especially during the holiday, we may be setting ourselves up for failure. The holidays bring in some of our favorite foods, and enjoying them in moderation is key.
The average American gains 1-3 pounds in the month of December, and the weight typically stays. Does this mean you should skip the holiday parties, avoid food traditions, or become overly focused on calories (or the scale)? No! It’s important to live life and enjoy the holiday season.
We asked our Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) for tips to strike the right balance. Here are some of their best suggestions:
Enjoy Holiday Gatherings
We think you should go to all the parties and enjoy yourself! But that does not mean that we should load up on high-fat food and alcohol or have large portion sizes. It is important to find the balance.
Make a plan. Ask ahead of time what the food situation will look like so you can mentally prepare/plan what you may want to have. Permit yourself to enjoy the food and be part of the festivities.
Portion Sizes
Watching your portion sizes is one of the best approaches to avoiding the over eating trap. There are a couple of different ways to help manage portions:
- One plate. Make the most of the one plate method. Put what you want on it, enjoy it, and toss out the plate.
- Think spoonful. Take one spoonful to try many different foods.
- Cut it in half. You can always make it a smaller portion before putting it on your plate.
Practice Mindful Eating
When eating delicious holiday foods, try to really enjoy them. Take in the smells, textures, and appearance of them. Take your time with each bite. Avoid mindless eating while in a conversation, which may lead to over eating.
Check-in with yourself about hunger and fullness throughout the event to minimize mindless eating. Be sure to eat consistently throughout the day to avoid feeling the need to eat as much as possible in the afternoon and evening. It also never hurts to take a bite and realize that it looks better than it tastes. It is okay to toss it!
Keep Alcohol In Check
Social gatherings are often full of libations that can increase our caloric intake, lead us to eat more, and increase inflammation in the body. This does not mean you should necessarily abstain, but rather find balance in how much you consume.
Picking cocktails that are higher in added sugar from simple syrup, juices, and regular sodas can increase calories quickly. Picking drinks with flavored seltzer water and non-caloric sweeteners is sometimes a better choice for anyone looking to keep an eye on their calorie intake.
A favorite pick to add a little sweetness to a drink without the calories is a zero-calorie simple syrup. It may also be fun to try using flavored seltzer water with flavored vodkas or rums. You may find that you want the sweetness of a juice or soda in a mixed drink, but not all of the sweetness. Try substituting half of the amount of regular juice or soda for a flavored seltzer water to reduce the added sugar but still keep the flavor.
Aim for Balance
When we have balanced meals, we find that there is a great increase in the variety on the plate. By having more variety and balance in our meals, we also reduce the frequency of overeating maybe only one kind of food. So when loading up your plate, try to make half of the plate full of veggies, have your protein be about the size of a deck of cards, and fill about a quarter of your plate with carbohydrates.
Focus on Environment + Selection
When you are at a holiday party, keep in mind where you are in relation to where the food is available. You may find that you are snacking more often than you want to because you are right next to the table where all the food is!
If you are hosting, aim to have the food away from where all the conversations are taking place.
Provide balanced foods. Veggie trays are a year-long appetizer where you can display a variety of colors and dips. You can make them festive too. Here are a few on Pinterest that are cute!
Fruit trays are always a hit with the kiddos too! We found these adorable ones on Pinterest you can try.
Never show up empty handed! Bring a healthy dish you love to a gathering to give yourself options. When heading to a party, bring a fruit or veggie tray so you know there is something healthy for you (and other guests) to snack on.
Outside of the gatherings
Eat a Balanced Diet
When you are not at a holiday gathering, focus on having balanced meals. By practicing balanced meals outside of events, it becomes more of a habit and instinct to build your plate this way at holiday gatherings. This also helps ensure that you are enjoying and eating enough calories throughout the day. If you have difficulty determining your needs, you can get a customized plan from our dietitians!
In addition to the balanced plate you are making at the event, think about how your meals look during the rest of that day too. Throughout the day, be sure to have adequate protein, fiber and fluids. Adequate protein and fiber at meal times helps keep us fuller longer, and helps keep us regular.
Hydration
Fluid, specifically water, is an ideal choice to ensure we stay properly hydrated, which can be more difficult to remember during the cooler months. Often when the weather cools down, we do not feel as thirsty as compared to how we feel in warmer months. By bringing a water bottle with you or having a bottle with your meal, it can help ensure you are meeting your fluid goals.
Eat throughout the day
Try not to “save up” calories throughout the day to make up for a big meal later. This can lead to feeling like you need to eat more than what you may want to, because you have to make up for what was lost during the day. This strategy can lead to you feeling stuffed or too full, which can be uncomfortable.
Try not to skip meals to leave “more room” for other meals. While it may seem like it is a helpful strategy to “save room” for an upcoming meal or event, this can lead to overeating because you let yourself get too hungry.
Our stomach is a muscle just like any other. You would not go into the gym and start lifting 100 pound weights if you have never lifted weights before. You would start off with five pounds, or maybe even ten pound weights to begin strengthening your body. The same philosophy applies with your stomach. By utilizing it throughout the day with balanced meals before an event or a gathering, your digestive tract is better prepared to digest and utilize the meal at the event or gathering.
Stay Active
It can be easy to let our movement and exercise plans go to the wayside during the holiday season. There is so much to do! However, it is still important for our body and mind to get exercise often. Try to make it a priority by scheduling activities that you enjoy throughout the week. This is also great self-care!
You can try to make events that include family and friends. Here are a few ideas:
- Family walk after dinner or gathering
- 5K walk or run
- Shopping at the mall to get more steps
Sleep
Remember that getting enough sleep keeps you on track! When we are well-rested, it can help with many areas of our day-to-day lives. Getting adequate sleep can help with our decision-making skills. It can increase the energy we have to plan meals and activity. It allows us to to exercise to our full potential, and it can decrease our stress.
Try to get in at least 7 hours of sleep, but ideally aim for 8-9 hours! Create a bedtime routine for yourself that helps you unwind at the end of the day and leaves you feeling relaxed and ready for bed. Try to keep your bedroom cool, dark and comfortable to ensure your body can fall asleep easier.
You can try some of these suggestions for a night time routine:
- Take a hot shower or bath with soothing scents like lavender
- Have herbal tea like chamomile or peppermint
- Read a book
Stress
Many people experience stress during the holiday season for various reasons. It is important that we try to manage stress to decrease inflammation, improve our mood, and help with our sleep patterns.
Stress can be held in many different areas of our bodies, whether that be in our shoulders, our necks or our stomachs. By keeping an eye on how we hold and manage our stress, we can better equip ourselves to balance out the chaos that can come with the holiday season. In addition, by ensuring we are eating enough throughout the day and sleeping enough throughout the night, managing our stress can be more easily done when we have enough energy and rest to tackle whatever may be happening.
In Summary
Here’s our best tip of all this holiday season: Don’t worry about trying to lose weight, but instead try to maintain. Enjoy the holidays and focus on time with the people you love. It only comes once a year! Don’t waste the season focusing on numbers. Remember that food isn’t just fuel, it’s fun! Eat what you love…and love yourself for eating it.
