Newswise — Food, glorious food. The holiday buffet, holiday cookies and holiday cocktails are just part of the holiday food and drink month-long marathon. “You can enjoy the holidays and not get swept away by the many high-calorie tempting treats,” says Allison Grupski, PhD, psychologist at Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Health. “Participating in the festivities can include taking a bite out of the holidays and savoring the seasonal flavors, without ringing in the New Year with a tighter waistband.” Dr. Grupski regularly counsels weight-loss patients at Loyola and is certified in bariatrics, or weight-loss medicine.
Here are tips from Dr. Grupski on how you can positively experience the holidays without feeling out of control:
Attending parties and gatheringsBe prepared: Avoid skipping breakfast or lunch to “save up” for holiday dinner and dessert. If you arrive to a holiday party famished, you are likely to eat more and choose foods that are high in calories than you would have had you shown up with your appetite under control.
Plan ahead: Decide what types of food you will eat and steer clear from before you arrive. Once you are at the party, take a visual inventory of the food options to see what fits into your plan before you begin to serve yourself. And bring a healthy dish to share!
Wait for the crowd: There is often a mad rush to the table or buffet line once food is served; many people experience a mild increase in anxiety at this time. Consider talking with other guests and waiting to serve yourself until most others have done so. This will allow you to take your time and approach choosing your food in a relaxed way.
Control your environment: After you have finished your planned meal and feel satisfied, use some of the following strategies to prevent continued eating: 1) discard your plate and utensils or cover them with a napkin if you are seated at a table, 2) engage in conversation in a location away from the food, 3) offer to help clean up, 4) play with any children present or invite another guest to take a quick walk outside, or 5) help yourself to a beverage as a signal that you are finished eating (e.g., an after dinner drink or a cup of coffee/tea). When you are the chefAvoid nibbling: Be mindful of the tendency to sample while you cook. Eating planned meals through the day (e.g., breakfast and lunch) can help prevent mindless snacking when you are cooking.
Dealing with leftovers: Purchase cheap plastic containers that your guests can fill with leftovers to take home. Freeze any remaining food to reduce the tendency to snack mindlessly. If you have leftovers that are especially tempting to you (i.e., food that leads you to feel a sense of loss of control), bring them to work, to a neighbor, or consider throwing them away.
General trouble-shooting Beware of liquid calories: Eggnog, cocktails, soda, wine, beer, etc. These drinks are high in calories, go down very easily, and don’t do much to satiate hunger or provide nutrition.
Plan alternative coping strategies: Write down a list of active things you can do when you feel bored, frustrated, lonely, depressed or any way that leads to craving certain foods. Examples including taking a walk, calling a friend, taking a hot shower, or doing some cleaning while listening to your favorite music. Keep the list taped to your refrigerator.
Be realistic: trying to lose weight during the holidays can be a self-defeating goal, leading to frustration and negative emotions (which often leads to overeating). Instead strive to maintain your weight.
Enjoy yourself. Forget the all-or-nothing mindset. If you try to completely avoid your favorite holiday foods, you might end up thinking about them more and ultimately overeating them. Instead, plan to have your favorite treats at a time when you are not overly hungry. Serve yourself a reasonable portion and take your time enjoying each bite. The Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care is designated a Level 1 facility under the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). To achieve this accreditation, Loyola had to meet a number of rigorous institutional performance measures.
Since opening on July 10, 2012 at Loyola’s Maywood campus, a multidisciplinary team of bariatric-certified professionals including surgeons, psychologists, dieticians, exercise physiologists and physicians has cared for hundreds of morbidly obese men, women and children. Surgical procedures offered by Loyola include laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.
Free information sessions and more can be found at Loyolamedicine.org/bariatrics or by calling (800) 355-0416.
RSS