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29 November 11
Running the Holiday GauntletHere we are again – in the middle of that magical time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day - the holiday gauntlet.  It is a time for holiday cheer, festivities, parties, gift giving, and calories.  As I recommended in last year’s post, consider a sane approach during the holiday gauntlet: aim to maintain weight rather than trying to lose weight. That is, hold steady – this will give you a little more leeway with your calories intake with which to enjoy the season.You Still Matter More Than Gifts!Don’t get so caught up in the merrymaking and gift giving that you fail to take care of yourself. Your family and friends will not benefit from you forgoing self care simply to insure that they get their favorite sweet or gift. You being alive and healthy enough to enjoy life is what matters most – and your loved ones ability to enjoy your company. Don’t lose sight of this very basic fact.Not Enough TimeYes, there is enough time to cook healthy meals and exercise even during the holiday gauntlet! You simply have to value those activities enough to schedule it into your day along with the other things that you do. Think of ways to free up time. If you have a family, then what age-appropriate activities can your children and teenagers do to help you get a healthy dinner on the table? How about your spouse – does he/she pitch in enough? Who’s doing the dishes? In my house, the person who cooks does not do the clean up. Ask for help! This frees up some of your valuable time for self care behaviors.Dining Out & PartiesWe tend to consume a lot of calories in both eating environments. Choose one or the other, but don’t do both for five consecutive weeks. If you typically eat out for lunch, then start bringing in lower caloric foods from home so you can budget for party calories later that evening. Skip parties that you really don’t enjoy and use that time for self care.  Keep TrackingKeep tracking to remain aware of your calories intake relative to your total calories expended so there won’t be any unpleasant surprises in the New Year. So what if you made some choices that resulted in a huge calories surplus one day? It is the net calories over time that results in weight loss, gain, or maintenance. A 3500 calories surplus is needed to gain one pound of weight. That means you would have to eat 3500 calories over your weight maintenance calories to gain one pound. Most of us gain weight gradually over time with a creeping calories surplus that occurs for weeks, months, and years.“All or Nothing” Doesn’t WorkGet rid of the “all or nothing” approach to holiday eating. If you persist in this type of thinking, I can pretty much guarantee that you will gain weight over the holidays. You don’t need to be perfect – this ultimately results in a pretty dramatic fall from grace during the holidays. And not knowing how bad things are getting is not freedom – it is simply not knowing. Better to track, assess, and make changes without drama. Knowledge is power – use it to make effective dietary and activity changes rather than as a tool for self-loathing.  Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page.  I would love to hear from you!Best,Kathy Isacks, MPS, RDConsulting Dietitian for MyNetDiaryMore ResourcesClemson Cooperative Extension. Control Holiday Weight Gain.  Gay Riley, MS, RD, CCN. NetNutritionist.com. A Survival Guide to Holiday Eating.  Harvard Health Publications. Enjoy Guilt-Free Holiday Eating.  Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Running the Holiday Gauntlet

Here we are again – in the middle of that magical time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day - the holiday gauntlet.  It is a time for holiday cheer, festivities, parties, gift giving, and calories.  As I recommended in last year’s post, consider a sane approach during the holiday gauntlet: aim to maintain weight rather than trying to lose weight. That is, hold steady – this will give you a little more leeway with your calories intake with which to enjoy the season.

You Still Matter More Than Gifts!
Don’t get so caught up in the merrymaking and gift giving that you fail to take care of yourself. Your family and friends will not benefit from you forgoing self care simply to insure that they get their favorite sweet or gift. You being alive and healthy enough to enjoy life is what matters most – and your loved ones ability to enjoy your company. Don’t lose sight of this very basic fact.

Not Enough Time
Yes, there is enough time to cook healthy meals and exercise even during the holiday gauntlet! You simply have to value those activities enough to schedule it into your day along with the other things that you do. Think of ways to free up time. If you have a family, then what age-appropriate activities can your children and teenagers do to help you get a healthy dinner on the table? How about your spouse – does he/she pitch in enough? Who’s doing the dishes? In my house, the person who cooks does not do the clean up. Ask for help! This frees up some of your valuable time for self care behaviors.

Dining Out & Parties
We tend to consume a lot of calories in both eating environments. Choose one or the other, but don’t do both for five consecutive weeks. If you typically eat out for lunch, then start bringing in lower caloric foods from home so you can budget for party calories later that evening. Skip parties that you really don’t enjoy and use that time for self care.  

Keep Tracking
Keep tracking to remain aware of your calories intake relative to your total calories expended so there won’t be any unpleasant surprises in the New Year. So what if you made some choices that resulted in a huge calories surplus one day? It is the net calories over time that results in weight loss, gain, or maintenance. A 3500 calories surplus is needed to gain one pound of weight. That means you would have to eat 3500 calories over your weight maintenance calories to gain one pound. Most of us gain weight gradually over time with a creeping calories surplus that occurs for weeks, months, and years.

“All or Nothing” Doesn’t Work
Get rid of the “all or nothing” approach to holiday eating. If you persist in this type of thinking, I can pretty much guarantee that you will gain weight over the holidays. You don’t need to be perfect – this ultimately results in a pretty dramatic fall from grace during the holidays. And not knowing how bad things are getting is not freedom – it is simply not knowing. Better to track, assess, and make changes without drama. Knowledge is power – use it to make effective dietary and activity changes rather than as a tool for self-loathing.  

Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page.  I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources

Clemson Cooperative Extension. Control Holiday Weight Gain.  

Gay Riley, MS, RD, CCN. NetNutritionist.com. A Survival Guide to Holiday Eating.  

Harvard Health Publications. Enjoy Guilt-Free Holiday Eating.  

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

23 November 10
ThanksgivingI love Thanksgiving! It is a holiday focused on sharing great food with friends and family. But how do you handle the holiday when you are trying to lose weight? The caloric impact of a no holds barred Thanksgiving is not trivial. The caloric surplus could easily be several thousand calories if your holiday celebration starts the day before and ends Sunday night. Do you shun the holiday in a furious quest to stay on track at all costs? I hope not!  How about a compromise? The following four strategies will help you maintain rather than gain weight over the holiday.  1.    Modify recipes for most dishes so that they are lower in calories2.    Use traditional recipes for your absolute favorites3.    Exercise portion control for all choices4.    Be active most days of the holidayLimiting Caloric DamageLimit added sugars and fats.  One tablespoon has:  50 calories for sugars and syrups, 100 calories for butter or margarine, and 120 calories for vegetable oils.  Turkey.  You really can’t go wrong with any part of the bird but both the skin and dark meat are higher in fat and calories than other parts.  For a standard 3 oz portion, skinless turkey breast has about 115 calories whereas dark meat with skin has about 190 calories.Mashed potatoes.  Try mashing with low fat or fat-free sour cream, nonfat Greek yogurt and skim milk instead of regular sour cream and whole milk or cream.  Limit portion size to ½ cup (about one large ice cream scoop’s worth). Gravy.  Skim the fat off pan drippings before using for gravy (fat will float to the top when it starts to cool).  If you are using a store-bought gravy, then choose a low-fat version.Stuffing.  Make stuffing in a pan instead of in the bird to avoid absorption of fat drippings. Use turkey broth and a small amount of olive oil instead of butter to moisten the stuffing. Or, try using a small amount of butter for flavor along with mostly broth and low-fat whipped butter for texture. Beverages.  Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram compared to 9 calories for fat, and 4 calories per carb or protein.  The higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories.  Also, drinks with added sugar, syrup, juice, or soda pop will be higher in calories than those made with non-caloric beverages.  See below for the caloric content of commonly consumed drinks.·      12 fl oz light beer, about 100 calories·      1.5 fl oz of hard alcohol (distilled spirits) about 100 calories·      5 fl oz wine , about 120 calories·      12 fl oz beer (5% alcohol), about 150 calories·      4 fl oz hard eggnog, about 300 calories·      12 fl oz margarita on the rocks, about 470 caloriesDesserts.  Pies can rack up a lot of calories due to both the crust and sweet filling.  Limit portion size to 1/8 pie slice (cut pie 4 times to get 8 slices).  Pumpkin pie averages about 300 calories per slice whereas pecan pie averages about 500 calories per slice. Save calories by choosing plain cake (e.g. Angel Food Cake) over frosted or iced.  Fresh fruit with low-fat or fat-free whipped cream is typically less than 100 calories per serving.Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday!  If you have questions about this topic, let’s hear from you on the MyNetDiary Community Forum.Best,Kathy Isacks, MPS, RDConsulting Dietitian for MyNetDiaryMore ResourcesMayo Clinic.  “Thanksgiving recipes:  delicious options for healthy eating.”Cooking Light.  “13 Great Thanksgiving meals.”Cooking Light.  “Vegetarian Thanksgiving.” Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving! It is a holiday focused on sharing great food with friends and family. But how do you handle the holiday when you are trying to lose weight? The caloric impact of a no holds barred Thanksgiving is not trivial. The caloric surplus could easily be several thousand calories if your holiday celebration starts the day before and ends Sunday night. Do you shun the holiday in a furious quest to stay on track at all costs? I hope not!  How about a compromise? The following four strategies will help you maintain rather than gain weight over the holiday.  

1.    Modify recipes for most dishes so that they are lower in calories
2.    Use traditional recipes for your absolute favorites
3.    Exercise portion control for all choices
4.    Be active most days of the holiday

Limiting Caloric Damage

Limit added sugars and fats.  One tablespoon has:  50 calories for sugars and syrups, 100 calories for butter or margarine, and 120 calories for vegetable oils.  

Turkey.  You really can’t go wrong with any part of the bird but both the skin and dark meat are higher in fat and calories than other parts.  For a standard 3 oz portion, skinless turkey breast has about 115 calories whereas dark meat with skin has about 190 calories.

Mashed potatoes.  Try mashing with low fat or fat-free sour cream, nonfat Greek yogurt and skim milk instead of regular sour cream and whole milk or cream.  Limit portion size to ½ cup (about one large ice cream scoop’s worth).

Gravy.  Skim the fat off pan drippings before using for gravy (fat will float to the top when it starts to cool).  If you are using a store-bought gravy, then choose a low-fat version.

Stuffing.  Make stuffing in a pan instead of in the bird to avoid absorption of fat drippings. Use turkey broth and a small amount of olive oil instead of butter to moisten the stuffing. Or, try using a small amount of butter for flavor along with mostly broth and low-fat whipped butter for texture.

Beverages.  Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram compared to 9 calories for fat, and 4 calories per carb or protein.  The higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories.  Also, drinks with added sugar, syrup, juice, or soda pop will be higher in calories than those made with non-caloric beverages.  See below for the caloric content of commonly consumed drinks.
·      12 fl oz light beer, about 100 calories
·      1.5 fl oz of hard alcohol (distilled spirits) about 100 calories
·      5 fl oz wine , about 120 calories
·      12 fl oz beer (5% alcohol), about 150 calories
·      4 fl oz hard eggnog, about 300 calories
·      12 fl oz margarita on the rocks, about 470 calories

Desserts.  Pies can rack up a lot of calories due to both the crust and sweet filling.  Limit portion size to 1/8 pie slice (cut pie 4 times to get 8 slices).  Pumpkin pie averages about 300 calories per slice whereas pecan pie averages about 500 calories per slice.
Save calories by choosing plain cake (e.g. Angel Food Cake) over frosted or iced.  Fresh fruit with low-fat or fat-free whipped cream is typically less than 100 calories per serving.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday!  If you have questions about this topic, let’s hear from you on the MyNetDiary Community Forum.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources
Mayo Clinic.  “Thanksgiving recipes:  delicious options for healthy eating.”

Cooking Light.  “13 Great Thanksgiving meals.”

Cooking Light.  “Vegetarian Thanksgiving.”

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

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