How to maintain a healthy weight through the holiday season
By Karina N. Tanguay MS, RD, CD
If your annual New Year's resolution is to lose weight, then it is time to evaluate your holiday eating and lifestyle habits. It is important to remember that it is not just about one or two special holiday meals, but rather an entire season of parties, feasts, family gatherings and late night shopping. Studies show that Americans gain anywhere from one to ten pounds per year and that most of this yearly weight gain occurs during the holiday season. Even with the conservative finding of one pound per year – over time this leads to ten, twenty, and even thirty extra pounds. It is the cumulative effect of this yearly weight gain that in turn leads to high cholesterol, blood pressure, insulin resistance and increases your risk for some cancers and diabetes.
For most of us the yearly weight gain is a result of an unbalanced equation where our "Calories in" are greater than our "Calories Out". The following recommendations are intended to help balance the equation and prevent weight gain from happening this year (and the next, and the next, and the next….)
Tip #1: Know where your calories are coming from
Knowing the caloric impact of food and beverages gives you the opportunity to assess whether the calories are worth their caloric contribution to your waistline. Some foods will always be worth every high calorie bite, but you will likely find that many foods that you eat are not worth the extra calories. If you know where your calories are coming from you are at least making an informed decision. Think of calories as money – it is always good to know what you are spending your money on.
Reading product labels, asking questions and looking things up on the internet are the best ways to learn about the calorie content of foods and beverages. Many franchise restaurants and fast food establishments have the nutrition analysis on-line or available upon request. Don't be scared to be an informed consumer. A great online resource is look up the caloric content for specific foods (for everyday foods, restaurants, and recipe breakdowns) are the websites Calorie-King (www.calorie-king.com) and Calorie-Count (www.calorie-count.com)
It is the season for giving, but that doesn't mean that you need to give yourself extra calories! Here is the nutritional information for some holiday favorites:
Main Dishes
5oz Turkey Breast: 175 calories, 5g Fat
5oz Deep Fried Turkey: 325 calories, 20g Fat
5oz Ham (extra lean): 234 calories, 11g Fat
5oz Prime Rib: 292 calories, 21g Fat
Sides
1/2 cup Stuffing: 300 calories, 16g fat
1/2 cup Mashed Potatoes: 240 calories, 9g fat
1/2 cup Candied Yams: 170 calories, 1.5g fat
1/2 cup Kugel: 300 calories, 20g fat
1/2 cup Green Bean Casserole: 83 calories, 6g fat
Desserts
4oz slice Pecan Pie: 480 calories, 25g fat
4oz slice Pumpkin Pie: 230 calories, 10g fat
4oz slice Apple Pie: 340 calories, 16g fat
1/2 cup Vanilla Ice cream: 150 calories, 10g fat
Starbucks Pumpkin Scone: 510 calories, 22g fat
Tip #2: Don't drink your calories
The winter holidays are often a time of parties and gatherings. It is important to be mindful of the caloric impact of beverages as they are high in calorie and are not satiating. Alcoholic beverages are particularly problematic as they often lead to increased munching, increased craving for fatty foods the next morning and decreased motivation to exercise. Below is the calorie content for some of the more popular festive beverages.
1/2 cup of wine or champagne: 85-90
1/2 cup of Eggnog: 170
1/2 cup Eggnog & 1 shot rum: 250
12oz bottle of beer: 140
12oz can of regular soda: 120
12oz tonic water: 125
8oz Fruit Juice: 120
1 shot (1.5floz) of hard liquor: 100
Peppermint Mocha: 240
Tip #3: Get Moving
Calories in is just one side of the equation. Increasing your exercise and overall activity can go a long way in balancing your energy balance equation. Aim for 4 hours of cardio vascular activity per week in addition to any weight training. Increasing the cardio will help burn off those extra calories. Increasing your daily overall activity can account for a large part of our daily energy expenditure. Invest in a pedometer and shoot for 5000 steps per day on your cardio work out days and 10,000 steps if you can't get your cardio in.
Tip #4: Balance your plate
Carbohydrate foods tend to be very caloric for the amount of satiety they provide. Lean meats and non-starchy vegetables are very filling and relatively low in calories compared to their carbohydrate counterparts. Filling your plate with equal amounts of lean protein, non-starchy vegetables and carbohydrate foods allows you to fill up on the low calorie non-starchy vegetables and lean protein instead of just the higher calorie carbohydrate foods which are a favorite this time of year.
Keep these tips in mind this season and you will be able to start the year off on a healthy note.
Happy Holidays from your 20/20 Dieticians!
