Parties at work, parties at school, parties with friends, and oh yes, parties with the family!  One thing we know for sure is that food and drinks will definitely not be in shortage for these festive events, but that cannot be our excuse to splurge!  Waiting for those New Year resolutions to roll around is not an option, some research has found that we never lose the few pounds we gain during the holiday season!   This is your year to fight the winter weight gain.

Here are some tips to help you conquer the urge to splurge.

By Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos (ClintJCL)’s

What You Can Control:

• Have a high fiber snack and some water prior to the event so you aren’t starving!
• Be sure to bring a healthy dish to the party.
• Make only one trip to the buffet.
• Choose the smallest size plate available.
• Load up your plate with high fiber foods, such as raw vegetables and salad.
• Focus on being social at parties.  Enjoy the company of family and friends, while strategically positioning yourself out of arms reach of appetizers.
• Drink a full glass of water between any alcoholic drinks.  Drinking in moderation is key, 1-2 drinks for women and 2-3 drinks for men.  Drinking too much is a sure segue to eating too much.
•  Incorporate exercise, especially the days prior to, the day of, and the days after each event.

What You Can’t Control:

• When choosing food from the buffet table, keep an eye out for the colorful foods and beware of the white creamy foods.
• Choose small portions – Try small spoonfuls of the other higher calorie foods only if they are your favorite.  Be sure to savor you food!
• Choose your sweets wisely, each dessert can have 200-1200 calories!
• Be careful with the appetizers, these little bites of bliss can easily add up in a matter of minutes.
• Have your “excuses” ready.   One of the best lines is that you are just plain full and maybe you will try some in a little while!
• Try to avoid taking home extras of those tempting (high calorie) foods.

Sour cream dips, cheese balls, little sausages and meatballs, sweets, chocolatey desserts, and alcohol will all be present at the holiday affairs, and so will you!

Have a happy and healthy holiday season and do your best to fight that urge to splurge!

By Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC

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