We'd never suggest eating nothing but veggies at your best friend's party, or swearing off your favorite pie. To stay healthy while enjoying the holidays to their fullest, follow these expert tips.
By Ava Feuer
Make a plan
The party buffet isn't going away, so make a game out of it. Promise yourself six bites of the very best stuff, and that's it, so what will it be? "If you know the desserts are great and the alcohol isn't so important to you, pre-plan for it," says Brett Blumenthal, author of A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life. Put the focus on choosing the very best, most delicious stuff and really enjoying your selections. It'll help you change your mindset from one of deprivation to one of satisfaction.
What are you wearing?
Before the holiday eating madness begins, pick out a to-die-for outfit — newly purchased or sourced from your closet — to wear on New Year's Eve or shortly thereafter. If it fits now, it should slip on then as well. "I know if I go too overboard, I won't fit into this fabulous outfit I’m so excited to wear," says Kim Barnouin, author of the Skinny Bitch series and founder o fHealthy Bitch Daily. To keep to her goal, she tries on the outfit periodically.
A trick of the eye
Those in the décor world call it a "complimentary plate." We call it genius. When serving a big meal, present food on a lunch- or appetizer-sized dish, and place a larger plate with a decorative rim underneath. "It looks bigger even though people are eating less," says Molly Morgan, RD, author of The Skinny Rules. How's that for portion control?
Sleep it off
Holiday shopping. Holiday cooking. Holiday travel planning. It's no wonder you haven't been clocking as many hours in dreamland. But, it's vital to get your ZZZs — for your mind and your body. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, is produced in excess when you don't get enough sleep, and leptin, the hormone that tells your brain you're full, is in short supply. So ask your family to give you an early holiday gift — eight hours of sleep each night, all holiday season long. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is to turn down the cake and cookies when you're feeling well-rested. (Little known fact: Decision making skills are the first to go when you're working off of too few hours of sleep.)
Halftime
We've been there: You decide to save all your calories for the delicious party spread, only to arrive so ravenous that you consume what feels like the entire appetizer table in five minutes. Instead, eat half a meal 30 to 45 minutes before arriving at the event, advises Dr. Ian Smith, author of Shred, and a member of the President's Council of Fitness Sports and Nutrition. "You still have some hunger, but you don't have the hunger that makes you want to gorge," he says. "You take some of your stomach out of play."
Drink up
You know how important it is to stay hydrated, but it's easy to forget that our bodies easily mistake hunger for thirst. Before you head to an event, drink an extra 16 ounces — about two glasses — of water. "It will fill you up, so you'll be less inclined to overeat," says Blumenthal. She also recommends having a glass of water or club soda between each alcoholic cocktail, which creates a buffer between you and your booze, and makes you less likely to drink as much.
Eat early
It's not just about what you eat — when you eat matters, too. A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania found that when Amtl, the clock gene in fat cells, was deleted in mice, the rodents shifted their mealtimes and became obese. The results have implications for us, too, since our metabolism is thrown off by changes in routine in the same kind of way. If you're going to a late-night or all-night party, try to eat at the same time you would normally — closer to the front-end.
Make it a holiday, not holidays
You know how hard your sister worked perfecting her chocolate cake, and you want to show her how good it is. Those cookies your kids made for the school bakesale are full of love, and absolutely worth it. Eat these things, but don't keep shoveling them in. "It's one thing to have it at the moment, but try not to have repeat performances," says Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. Pre-write gift tags and stick them on the packaging so once the party's over, all you have to do is hand off the goods!
Be mindful
A comparative three-month study showed that when it comes to weight loss, practicing a mindful approach to eating is just as effective as following a stict diet, indicating that responding to hunger and fullness cues is as important as vowing to skip dessert. So once you're sated, move away from the food, and enjoy catching up with a friend or family member you haven't seen in a while.
Indulge yourself
No matter how you spin it, eating a pint of ice cream every day won't do your waistline much good. But that doesn't mean you can't fit your favorite treats into a healthy diet. "I try to eat very well during the week, and the weekends are free rein," says Barnouin. "That way, I'm limited to two days, or if there's an event one day or a holiday, I switch the day."
Fatten up
With healthy, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, that is. A study published in the October issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiologyshowed that a single, saturated fat-laden junk food meal is detrimental to the health of arteries while one rich in good fats does no damage. Guacamole on vegetables, nuts, and trail mix are all great options according to Morgan. Bean dips, hummus, olives and whole grain crackers are also good choices, as are protein-rich foods like chicken skewers and shrimp cocktail.
Munch on what you want now, not later
"The trick is to right away load up on all that tasty stuff," says Dr. Smith. If your aunt's artichoke dip isn't the healthiest appetizer, but you love it and know you'll end up having some eventually, take a sampling as soon as you walk in the door. Instead of feeling guilty and defeated, you'll feel like you get to have your cake and eat it too!
Keep a record
Numerous studies have shown that keeping peanut shells, wrappers, or other evidence of food consumed causes people to ultimately eat less. "It's so easy to lose track when you're eating in a very piecemeal style," says Gans of party-style meals. She suggests holding on to cocktail napkins to remind yourself how many hors d'ouevres you've eaten, or stirrers to keep tabs on the number of drinks you've sipped.
Make what you dislike
Afraid you'll eat five of those oatmeal raisin cookies before the kids get them to school for the holiday swap? Suggest baking something you dislike instead to ward off temptation, says Gans. If you hate chocolate, but know it will be a big hit with others, opt for brownies or chocolate chip cookies.
Fit in sneaky exercise
You don't have to commit to hours and hours of exercise at this busy time of year. You can stave off the pound or two you might normally gain just by fitting in two or three sweat sessions a week. A recent study found volunteers burned an average of 200 calories doing 2.5 minutes of sprint intervals, with each 30-second bout separated by four minutes of recovery time. The best part: So long as you give those short bursts your all, each workout can be a mere 15 minutes.
Variety is the spice of life
How many times have you cooked ahead for the week only to claim you can't eat one more salad and grab for the takeout menu? Your head's in the right place, but unfortunately, boredom is a huge trigger for falling off the healthy eating wagon. "Diet confusion is like muscle confusion," says Dr. Smith. "It keeps the body off-kilter. My belief is that when the body sees the same food all the time, it becomes better at digesting those foods and absorbing the calories." Just as you vary your workout routine, make sure you're noshing on a variety of foods — even if it means that leftover casserole won't make it through the week.
Put things in perspective
Despite all the hype, the average person actually only gains one pound between Thanksgiving and New Year's, according to a study inThe New England Journal of Medicine. "This a short period of time," says Blumenthal. "Compare it to a bad vacation when you're eating tons and doing what you wouldn't normally do. You probably lose that weight pretty easily once you get back to your normal life."
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