WASHINGTON — The home stretch of the holiday season is here, but the sheer number of New Year’s parties coming up poses a challenge to people determined to not gain weight.
In the seventh installment of the Lean Plate Club Challenge, author and blogger Sally Squires says there are a few things you can do to keep yourself from gorging on fattening food — and drink — as you finish the party marathon.
First off, Squires says, have something to eat before you hit the party. You don’t want a full meal, because of course you’re going to eat something while you’re there.
“You don’t want to go there hungry, because you’re apt to overeat and make all the wrong choices,” Squires says. Food will also help slow the absorption of alcohol, she adds.
You’re aiming for something in the 100- to 200-calorie range, she says: Half a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread will do, so would a snack bar, a piece of fruit, a banana with almond butter or an individual serving-size container of hummus with peppers or carrots will all do the trick.
“You’ll feel satisfied, and you won’t walk in wanting to look at what’s on the buffet — you’ll want to talk to the people who are there,” Squires says — the whole point of going to a party.
It’s not at all unusual to hit a few events a night, Squires acknowledges, and if you’re making the rounds, you’ll want to turn the parties into what Squires calls “a rolling meal” — maybe appetizers only at the first party of the night; main dishes for the second, and dessert and coffee at the third.
In addition to watching what you eat, Squires has two more suggestions.
First, fit in some time for some cardio.
“It doesn’t have to be going to the gym again,” Squires says. “It could be just a brisk walk. Maybe you’ve got to return some presents at the mall. Go fast and park far.”
Give the dog an extra walk, Squires suggests. Even making sure to dance at the party you head to will help. “And it’s fun!”
Second, make sure your partying doesn’t get in the way of your sleep.
“Sleep plays a really big role in appetite,” Squires says. Even losing an hour of sleep, “you’re suddenly changing a lot of the hormones that are affecting how hungry you feel and how satiated you feel.”
And as Squires has been saying all along, preventing weight gain over the holidays is critical, particularly if you’re already overweight. Healthy-weight people add a pound during the course of the holidays, but take it off by spring; overweight people (who now make up about two-thirds of the U.S. population) add two or more pounds over the holidays, and they don’t take it off. Over just a couple of years, the accumulated extra weight can become a serious health issue.
