Without a doubt, there is not a more difficult time of the year to stay focused on keeping good eating and exercise habits than the Winter holidays. Each year Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s lure us into their festive grasp with relaxed atmospheres and food galore. The same thought is on virtually everybody’s mind, “I am not going to worry about what I eat during the holidays, but it’s back to normal January 2nd.” Unfortunately, as days and weeks pass following the holidays, many individuals continue to be stuck on January 1st. With proper eating and exercise habits falling by the wayside, unwanted weight gain is inevitable.

When eating holiday meals try to do the following:

1. Avoid the one meal trap.

The typical holiday procedure is to save the appetite for the main meal. Unfortunately, when it is finally time to eat, the appetite is so great nothing within in a fork’s reach is safe from being consumed. Upon completion of the meal, the stomach is so bloated, there is hardly a chance that another morsel will be eaten for the rest of the day. And rightly so, because it is not uncommon for one holiday meal to have more calories than the combined of all meals and snacks in a normal day. Eat a meal or snack a few hours before the holiday meal. It will curb your appetite and help you not to eat as much.

2. Go easy on the appetizers.

Pre-meal nibbling on crackers, dip, cheese, shrimp, deviled eggs, nuts, etc. can easily add 500-plus calories on the day’s total. Instead of grazing on appetizers, make a small plate of your favorites and keep it at that.

3. Keep your portions in check.

Instead of getting your fill of holiday delights in one massive meal, consider separating it into two smaller meals. The main meal would be the first followed by a second one a few hours later. By not bombarding yourself with one calorie-laden meal, the body will be more efficient at handling the extra calories

4. Eat more protein and less carbohydrate.

With the likes of turkey and ham, there is no shortage of protein at the holiday meal. Aside from being a staple for athletes, protein fills you up faster than carbohydrate foods (which means you will eat less). So indulge in the meat and seafood entrees but try to moderate your consumption of carbohydrate dishes (mashed potatoes, stuffing, desserts, etc.).

5. Go for a walk.

A short walk before or after eating boosts metabolism and improves digestion. Sorry, it won’t cause you to burn off enough calories to compensate for the “great feast”, but a walk will help you shake off post-meal sluggishness.

6. Limit leftovers.

Indulging in holiday foods for one day is not going to do much harm. However, a refrigerator full of leftovers can pose a problem. Let’s face it, they are just too good and impossible to avoid. Remember, the objective is to get back to your normal eating habits as soon as possible. To keep out of trouble, limit yourself to one meal’s worth of leftovers.

7. Get back into your good nutrition and exercise habits as soon as possible.

It is nice to have a day or two to relax and eat whatever you want, but you can not extend this practice for very long. The body is naturally lazy and likes the holiday lifestyle. Little time passes before you start getting out of shape. Do not delay! Resume pre-holiday exercise programs and good nutrition habits.

To show you just how fast the calories add up, here is a list of popular holiday foods:

4 oz. Turkey,

White meat only, 178 cal.White meat w/skin, 223 cal.Dark meat only, 212 cal.Dark meat w/skin, 251 cal.4 oz. Ham

Fresh, lean w/fat, 333 cal.Fresh, lean only, 249 cal.Canned, 120 cal.2 oz. Stuffing, 210 cal.

½ cup Mashed Potatoes w/butter, 111cal.

¼ cup Gravy, 30 cal.

½ cup Corn, 89 cal.

¼ cup Cranberry Sauce, 80 cal.

6 oz. Apple Cider, 90 cal.

1/6 Apple Pie, 250 cal.

1/6 Pumpkin Pie, 200 cal.

1 Fruit Cake, 0 cal. (because nobody eats it!)

Phil LeClair, a nutrition industry expert, is the founder of Tough Love Nutrition and Vice President of Smart Nutrition Company in Burlington, VT. For more information visit his new blog at: TLNutrition.blogspot.com/

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