Gobble Gobble. (Or: Holiday Coping Strategies.)

And just like that, it's That Time of the Year again. Is it really Thanksgiving already? (In the US, yes.) Good lord. I'm still mentally back at the end of October.

I don't generally fear the holidays; I've managed to navigate my way through the last two seasons without any longterm damage, and I see no reason why I can't do it again this year. In the absence of any actual news to write about, I figured I'd talk about what I do to keep from going completely off the rails during the various parties and family dinners and pies and nogs and roast beasts that tend to turn up at this time of year.

First and foremost: Although it isn't always easy, I make every effort to keep up with my regular exercise and to incorporate even more walking to offset the eating. Instead of sitting around in a turkey coma, I try to go outside for a brief after-dinner walk on Thanksgiving. I actually enjoy being out and about at this time of year, which seems to make me a freak among people who hate cold weather and Christmas shopping; it's not a hardship for me to walk around looking at decorations and drinking in the autumn air. Even a few extra laps around the mall during shopping helps.

The holidays bring some of my favorite treats, things like Starbucks eggnog lattes and Trader Joe's Peppermint Bark white chocolate bars. (Man ... those things just shouldn't be allowed. Even my not-a-big-chocolate-fan husband loves them.) I treat myself to one per week while they're available. And to keep myself from getting cute, the allotment doesn't carry over; if I don't have one this week, I don't get to have two next week. One per week, period. I really like doing things this way; the good things become treats to be anticipated and savored, rather than something to beat myself up over after I've overindulged. (Back in my mindless days, it wasn't totally unheard of for me to have two grande eggnog lattes in a day. According to the Starbucks site, that's a cool 960 calories on top of whatever my daily caloric intake was at the time. Yeouch.)

I also have a survival strategy for holiday parties that feature lots and lots of decadent food: I look through everything that's being offered and pick out three things that look appealing. And the choices don't have to be the least-fattening stuff; I do try for balance, but I refuse to completely deprive myself. If I want more food when I'm finished (or if something I picked looked better than it tastes), I can go back and take something else; usually, though, I'm satisfied after the first round. And if the chips and salsa or pizza or homemade cookies start calling my name too loudly, I just leave the room.

And if there's turkey or chicken available, I tend to pile it on (without gravy; I'll save that for mashed potatoes). It's filling, it sticks with me for a while, and it makes me far less likely to cram in a second helping of pumpkin pie.

For those of you who want extra incentive to stay on track, the Lean Plate Club has kicked off its annual Lean Plate Club Challenge. This one is pretty straightforward: Simply maintain your weight between now and January 1. If you can do that, they reason, you're ahead of the game, as over the holiday season many people put on a few pounds that never come off.

There's nothing particularly earth-shattering about any of their advice, but the site updates every Tuesday and it can give you a goal to shoot for if you like that kind of motivation. The LPC also gave me one of my favorite coping tips for when I'm in the kitchen cooking and start feeling tempted to take fingerfuls of this and tastes of that; I put together a plate of baby carrots and grape tomatoes and pick at those instead. It satisfies my grazing urge and helps me get in my veggies at the same time.

Hope these are helpful; if anyone's got any other tips to share, feel free to do so in the comments.

Comments

[Marla]

Those are all great tips. I think the most important for me is to make sure I continue to eat normally throughout the holidays. It actually backfires for me to skip meals or eat too little in order to "save" calories for a party or big dinner. All that does is ensure I arrive at the giant buffet ravenous! I'm better off adding a few treats on top of regular meals than eating entire meals of treats.

[Sandra]

Yes Eggnog lattes are one of the things I get excited about at this time of year too. But I have found that I can easily overdose on them and just last week realised I was already sick of them - despite the season only starting two weeks before!
So, I'm avoiding them altogether for the moment...

[Rob]

Great tips. There's just no point in trying to deny yourself at a holiday party or the Thanksgiving table; all it does is make you miserable and hungry and make your relationship with food even weirder. :(

As I just read on another forum, "you didn't gain all the weight because of one big Thanksgiving dinner and you're not going to put it all back on because of one."

But keeping portions and return trips sensible and keeping up with exercise is a great way to keep the holidays healthy and, just as importantly, fun and happy.

[Claire]

I LOVE eating raw carrots and tomatoes to stave off hunger pangs! I do occasionally snack on small cheese sticks as well as the protein helps keep me full.