WASHINGTON — The Thanksgiving meal is over, and now it’s time for calorie- and carb-laden treats at holiday parties. The temptations are becoming a daily problem as the season goes on, but you can do some things to protect yourself.
This is the fourth in a series of talks between WTOP and Sally Squires, author of the Lean Plate Club™ blog, a former Washington Post health writer and Washington Post Radio contributor, aimed at helping you stay healthy during the holidays. WTOP invites listeners and readers to join in the Lean Plate Club™ Holiday Challenge and stay on track.
The holidays are a time for occasionally eating something delicious and indulgent in a party setting, but “If you do it nonstop, odds are you might put on that extra weight,” Squires says.
Most healthy-weight people gain about a pound over the holidays, but they take it off later, Squires says. But the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight put on about two pounds per holiday — and, more importantly, they don’t take it off.
Before the real office party season ramps up, is a time to “stay the course,” Squires says. “Keep to a healthy, moderate way of eating, and then add in a little exercise … even an extra five minutes a day can really help you get that balance. It also kind of keeps you away — if you’re walking, you’re not eating so mindlessly.”
When the serious cookie season begins, Squires suggests bringing your own snacks so you don’t grab the cookies. Granted, ”you don’t want to be the person who doesn’t participate” in the cookie exchange, but giving cookies away, or even regifting them, is your way out.
The key, as with the rest of the year, is to feel full, and Squires says the way to do it is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, as well as protein and fiber. She recommends high-fiber cereals, whole-grain breads and pasta, as well as beans — they have 16 grams each of protein and fiber per cup.
She also has common-sense tips, some of which came from the readers of her blog. For example, if you re-use the plastic plates from diet frozen dinners, that’s a perfect method of built-in portion control. And while no one wants to count calories at this time of year, just writing down what you’ve eaten over the course of the day — even if you don’t get very specific about amounts — can help you realize, and adjust, what you’ve been taking in.
As always, Squires advises, eat three regular meals a day, sitting down. “Don’t have the TV on; don’t read a book.”
You can email Squires questions and comments at sally@sallysquires.com.
