Eat, drink and still shrink

When your social schedule begins to expand during the holidays, so does your waistline.

"Most people attend tons of festive events—and nearly all of them centre around fattening food," says Dr Michelle May, author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat. Add seasonal stress and zero time to cook or hit the gym, and you have a recipe for holiday weight gain. Well, not this year.

Here's a plan for dodging diet pitfalls—everything from thousand-kilojoules eggnog lattes at the shopping centre food court to button-popping family dinners.

At the office holiday party

Step 1: Keep Moving

The Danger: An open bar and endless platters of spring rolls and sausage rolls

The Detour: If you're planted next to the food table, you'll shovel chips and dip into your mouth all night long. "So stay far, far away," says Dr Danine Fruge, director of Women's Health and Family Medicine at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Miami, USA. "You won't eat mindlessly if you have to cross the room to get to the food."

Step 2: Be Picky

Passed hors d'oeuvres, which hover at every turn, are small, but they add up—fast. To avoid eating 4,000kJs worth of canapés, limit yourself to three that you love. Been waiting all year for bacon-wrapped scallops? Go for it. But pass on the crab cakes and other fried fare.

Step 3: Sip Smartly

With alcohol, the goal is to keep both your kilojoules and your buzz under control. Some options:

A single shot of vodka, gin, or rum mixed with club or diet soda and a squeeze of lime. It will set you back only about 420kJ, says Christine Dr Gerbstadt.

Champagne "Not only are they low on the kilojoule chart—around 350 to 500 per glass—but it's also more likely to be sipped rather than guzzled," says dietitian Kristin Reisinger.

Light beer or wine. Most have fewer than 630kJ per serving. If you're the type to make several trips to the bar (no judgments!), Fruge suggests asking the bartender to fill your glass only halfway each time.

While shopping...

Step 1: Pack Snacks

The Danger: "Having to make decisions diminishes people's willpower," says Dr Kathleen Vohs, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. So all the choices you face at the shopping centre (point-and-shoot camera or digital camcorder for your man? Espresso machine or French press for Mom?) will make you that much more vulnerable to temptation at the food court.

The Detour: Malls are filled with kiosks hawking cinnamon buns and chocolate chip muffins on steroids. Keeping portion-controlled goodies in your bag will make other snacks easier to resist. Stick 30 pistachios or 24 almonds in a ziplock bag with two dried plums, or tote a fibre-rich muesli bar. The carb/protein combo in these foods will keep you full.

Step 2: Sidestep Seasonal Sirens

An economic theory called the scarcity principle explains why we're such suckers for holiday treats.

"Decades of research show that items we perceive as being in limited supply seem more desirable to us than non-scarce items," says Vohs. Holiday-themed coffee drinks and sweets are often more kilojoules-heavy than regular ones, so it's safer to stick to the basics.

Step 3: Chew on It

Pop in a piece of gum to keep your mouth occupied and out of trouble. Gum can satisfy a sweet craving, and studies show that the chewing sensation sends appetite suppressant messages to your brain, says Reisinger.

As you bake holiday treats at home...

Step 1: Open a Window

The Danger: "It's easy to think that 'tastes' are kJ-free," says dietitian Ashley Koff. But just because two spoonfuls of cookie dough fail to register emotionally doesn't mean they don't count. (In fact, they count right up to 2100 kilojoules.)

The Detour: Nothing smells as good as the scent of cinnamon and sugar wafting through your kitchen, but allowing it to linger for hours can trigger you to eat more. Light a green-apple-scented candle (which studies have shown can reduce appetite) or crack a window to air out the tempting aroma.

Step 2: Clean as You Go

Have a pan of hot, soapy water on standby and plunge batter-covered beaters and spoons into it once you're done with them. "This protects you from nibbling," says Koff. And cleanup is that much easier.

Step 3: Save Your Dough

When you're tempted by a cookie-dough-laden mixing spoon, remember this: The raw eggs in that dough may contain salmonella, a bacteria that can cause food poisoning and was the reason for the recall of more than 380 million eggs earlier this year.

At your family holiday dinner...ily holiday dinner...

Step 1: B.Y.O.D.

The Danger: Variety may be the spice of life, but it's the scourge of your scale. "The more options there are, the more we want to try," says Dr Koert Van Ittersum, an associate professor of marketing at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

The Detour: Offer to bring a healthy dish. Your stressed-out hostess will welcome the contribution, and you'll have a safe go-to.

Step 2: Pick a Plate with Purpose

Van Ittersum suggests starting your meal by loading a dinner plate with salad (dressing on the side). Then switch to a smaller salad plate for your main course (studies show we eat less from smaller dishes).

Step 3: Practice Portion Control
"Your total amount of carbs—potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing—should be the size of your fist," says Koff. "A large Rugby player, for example, can eat a lot more mashed potatoes than you or I can or should." The same goes for lean proteins, which should be the size and thickness of your palm (no fingers).

 

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