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Some
encouragement for making the holidays healthy, happy
Dec 10, 08
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Here
comes the pep talk.
It’s the discussion about how to enjoy the holiday season,
socializing with family, friends and coworkers, sharing good
times and good food without feelings of remorse over what
you ate.
It’s also about how to come out on the other side of
the holidays without feeling you’ve got lost ground
in your efforts to maintain a good diet and lose weight.
Now is not the time for strict diet plans and worrying about
long-range diet goals. Instead, focus for the next few weeks
on perspective, attitude and a bit of short-term, dietary
strategic planning.
For starters, take a moment to think about changes the next
few weeks will bring to your routine. Will there be parties
to attend or visitors to entertain? Are you expecting to travel
or spend more time than usual away from home?
If so, it may be more difficult to control the types and amounts
of food available at and between meals. You’ll be more
vulnerable to overeating, eating foods you normally try to
avoid or eating fewer of the health-supporting foods that
are a part of your regular routine.
You may not be able to change these circumstances. The key
is simply to be aware that you’re in a period of dietary
disequilibrium.
Times like these come and go all year long. They happen when
the seasons change, during holidays and vacations –
anytime something interferes with your regular pattern of
living.
Your attitude can make a difference in how you manage these
times.
Let’s face it: Inactivity and overeating are a combination
that leaves many of us feeling terrible. Put yourself in a
different frame of mind.
Aim for a sense of confidence, control, joy and a pinch of
indifference, too.
Confidence and control because you have it within yourself
to rise above the pressures to participate in the sort of
overeating that accompanies these times.
Revel in those things that bring you a special sense of happiness:
time with people you love, music, holiday decorations, family
traditions, time to relax or the natural rhythm of the season.
Minimize the temptation to dwell on feelings of deprivation
or restraint about foods you don’t want to eat. Shrug
it off – you have that choice.
Enjoy the feeling of knowing you’re doing well.
Throw in some strategic supports, too. Several common approaches
to diet management may help:
* Out of sight equals off the plate. Keep yourself out of
rooms when food is in sight. After meals, step outside and
play with the dog or throw a ball with the kids.
* Keep appealing, low-cal foods on hand. Fill clear, glass
bowls with marinated vegetables, three bean salad, fresh fruit
salads, corn and black bean salad and others. Storing them
at eye-level in the refrigerator helps ensure you’ll
reach for them first.
* Put away snacks and sweets. If it takes effort to get them
down from the top shelf in the pantry or pull them out from
the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, you’ll eat less.
* Give yourself options. When the group is deliberating over
which restaurant to choose, vote for the one with green salads,
fresh soups and at least a few healthy choices you’ll
enjoy. Fast food and chain restaurants have the fewest good
choices; restaurants that make food to order generally have
the most.
* Keep moving. Make plans to be out of the house walking,
working in the yard or riding a bike. The more you’re
out of doors, the less vulnerable you’ll be to cues
inside that lead to overeating.
Make the holidays happy and healthy by enjoying them on terms
of your own choosing.
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