Although people believe that they gain a lot of weight around the holidays, the truth is that the average North American only gains 1-2 lbs. (1) That being said, if we do that every year, we risk overweight and obesity, along with other diet-related diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
However, even as a nutritionist, I am a foodie first and fully support finding comfort in your traditional holiday dishes.
How do we have our cake and eat it too? (literally)
Here's how:
1. Get enough sleep the night before. Raise your hand if you know a mom who stays up all night wrapping presents! Not getting 7-8 hours of sleep will send your body into overeating mode the next day.
2. Eat a hearty breakfast. Intentionally or not, so many people skip breakfast and overeat later. By eating breakfast with lean protein, fruit, and whole grains, you can take the pressure off of trying to get all of your nutrition in later, but also prevent overeating when the guests arrive.
3. Use a smaller plate. The less room you have, the less you can put on your plate.
4. ​During dinner, choose a small portion of each dish. This allows you to taste everything that's important to you without getting overly stuffed.
5. Savor the holiday food. It took 8 hours to make- let the dinner last long enough to show your gratitude. Eat it slow, appreciate it, and enjoy it. By slowing down your eating, you give your body a chance to catch up and signal if it's full or could use a little more green bean casserole. It's takes about 20 minutes to recognize signals of fullness.
6. Eat your veggies first. This allows you to not only get your nutrition in, but the fiber in veggies will fill you up before you get to dessert. (And believe it or not, people tend to make pretty delicious versions of veggies during the holidays!)
7. Bring tupperware and accept your host's offer to bring home leftovers. That way you won't feel pressure to try everything in one sitting or eat too much of your favorite dish- you can always enjoy it tomorrow!
8. Exercise. There is no miracle prevention to weight gain. You do need to exercise to keep the pounds off, stay alert, keep your circulation going, and maintain healthy bones even during the holidays. This can be a simple walk around the neighborhood before or after dinner, or an active Wii session with the kids.
References
(1). National Institutes of Health. (2000). Holiday weight gain slight, but may last a lifetime. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2017 from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/Pages/holidayweightgain.aspx