by Jenna Pope

Created on: December 14, 2009

The festivities are upon us and so are those drat little fat grams and calories.  It takes constant vigilance to stand firm against temptation.  Everywhere you turn there is chocolate fudge, butter cookies, cinnamon crinkles, Spritz Doodles, mashed potatoes oozing butter, mountains of stuffing, pumpkin pie with heaps of whipped cream, eggnog, Baileys liquor, chocolate-covered cherries, Harvey’s Bristol Crème, cherry pie and apple pie a la mode.  How are we to survive this?

It’s not as hard as it seems.

Here are some suggestions that will help keep you in your dress size:

1.  Anywhere you know are going to be goodies, bring along a bag of carrots to munch on.  It’s not as much fun as white-chocolate kadoodle, but you’ll like yourself the next morning when you look into the mirror.

2.  Eat your regular food before parties.  It’s not a good idea to starve all day and eat junk at night.  That’s how a lot of dedicated dieters fall off the wagon.  You don’t want to change the way you eat too much – even if you are in the midst of nothing but delectable delights.  Better to arrive at the party moderately full (and still within your calorie allotment) than to scarf down high-calorie, fat-laden party food.

3.  If you attend a dinner party or family get together for the holidays, B.Y.O.S. (bring your own salad!)  This will save you from calamity.  Load your plate with salad and a small amount of the other foods.  Dinner parties don’t have to be a disaster to your weight loss plan.  Remember: salad, salad, salad!

4.  Before you go to the family get together, eat something low calorie/low fat, such as fat-free cottage cheese with salsa, some steamed veggies (without butter), a piece of fruit, a few Ritz crackers (10 = 140 calories, 5 fat grams), a Vandekamp crumpet (60 calories, 0 fat grams) – to suggest a few.  The last thing you want to do is arrive at an event famished - because if you do, your diet will fly out the window faster than you can say Baklava! 

6.  Drink water before you eat to fill up your stomach.

7.  If you’re going to indulge in the bubbly, remember to budget those calories into your allotment for that day.  Alcohol is high in calories.  So don’t forget to include them.

8.  Psych up your attitude about food.  You don’t want to blow your diet and have to start over.  Tell yourself that it’s just not worth it.  Fun doesn’t have to include a lot of food, and you don’t want food to be your downfall. 

The holidays are a lot of fun, and you should enjoy them with family, friends, and other people you care about and love.  Go ahead and eat, but just not too much.  Bring your salad, fat-free dressing, and baggie of carrots to keep your appetite at bay.  If you’ve been losing weight, you don’t have to let the holidays derail you.  Congratulate yourself on the weight you have lost, arm yourself with alternate foods, psych yourself up, and enjoy!  You can stay on your diet and still enjoy the holidays.

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