Celebrating holidays while "dieting"

We celebrate many holidays with a lavish spread of food. What is a person "watching their weight" to do? From a weight maintenance perspective, here are tips for preparing to navigate the minefield.

IN ADVANCE

- Never skip earlier meals & go there hungry. You'll be more likely to overdo it. Instead, eat a small meal or snack with some low-fat protein & fiber beforehand so you aren't starving.

- If possible, add in some extra physical activity before the meal to help compensate for the extra calories that are coming. It can be as simple as parking the car further away, taking a walk, etc.

If you can, bring a healthier dish to share.

- There are many websites offering thousands of healthy recipes that range from the simple to gourmet. Check out our Captains' newsletters, blog Links page, or old blog posts for ideas.

- There are many healthier substitution ingredients (e.g., reduced fat cheese or a leaner cut of meat) for your favorite recipes. (BTW, that will be one of our topics for WLC Class #3 in May!)

AT THE MEAL

- Buffets: If possible, survey all the tasty options before serving yourself any food. Prioritize which you want most & skip ones that aren't as "show-stopping". Can't decide? Try taking a very small amount of everything!

which leads us to...

- Portion size: When someone else is cooking, you can't control how the food is made. But, you can control how much you eat. If you assemble your own plate, put a little less on than you normally would. The more on your plate, the more likely you'll eat it all (likely due to a lifelong membership in the "Clean Plate Club", guilt over starving kids around the world, or because you'd hurt Aunt Gert's feelings if you didn't finish...).

but...

- Don't skimp on vegetables. Unless a preparation method interfered, veggies are a great fat-free, low-calorie, fiber-filled option. Fruit can also be a yummy & healthy choice... especially as a way to limit (or maybe even replace) rich desserts. Fruit is traditionally higher in natural sugars & calories than most veggies. So, lean heavier on veggies if you have diabetes or are really weight conscious.

&, finally,

- Rethink your drink. Drinking water or another low/no calorie-free beverage can literally save you hundreds of empty calories compared to a few glasses of soda, sweet tea, or other sugary beverage.

Happy Easter & Passover to everyone!