Eating Tips for the Holidays
The holidays are a time for celebration, to spend time with family and friends, and be thankful. However, many of the festivities we attend this time of year center around food and it is not uncommon for the average person to gain seven to 10 pounds from Halloween Day to New Year's Day. No wonder a popular New Year's resolution is to lose weight.
Remember what you are celebrating and try to keep the focus off food. Planning, portion control and physical activity are key. Here are some tips to help keep you on track through the holidays:
- Get rid of the Halloween candy NOW! Never feel guilty about throwing away something that is not good for you (and your kids don’t need it either).
- Remember Hol-i-DAY not Hol-i-SEASON. Let yourself enjoy a bit or two of your favorite food but don’t go overboard. Remember portion control at all meals.
- Rethink or make other traditions to take the focus off the food. Join in a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Physical activity is great stress relief in the stressful and busy holiday season.
- Don’t go off your healthy guidelines, continue five small meals even on the holidays and position yourself away from the food tables. Talk and mingle to get your mind off the food.
- The holidays may not be the best time to LOSE weight (unless you are newly out of surgery) but rather a better time to maintain your weight.
Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.
Gina Fiore, RD--Gina has worked in the field of Dietetics for more than 14 years. Gina graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts, in Dietetics in 1997 and completed her Dietetic Internship at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. in 1998. She is also certified in Adult Weight Management by the Commission On Dietetic Registration. She joined the Bariatric Surgery Team in June of 2006.
