The holiday season gives people the chance to get together with friends and family to celebrate.
There’s plenty of food and drink available — as well as the opportunity to pack on the pounds.
A pair of local experts have some advice that can help people enjoy the holiday festivities without expanding their waistlines.
“Don’t deprive yourself, but really put a game plan together and really use portion control,” Fremont Family YMCA health and wellness program director Tori Pallas said.
Contrary to what many people think, the average weight gain during the holidays is just 1-5 pounds, said Katy Saalfeld, a dietitian at Fremont Area Medical Center.
“The problem is we don’t take it off and the next year we gain another 1 to
5 pounds,” Saalfeld said.
Saalfeld said it is important for people to maintain a normal eating schedule during the holiday season, including eating breakfast every day.
“This is not the time to change your eating pattern,” she said. “Then you’re more likely to make appropriate choices later in the day.”
Saalfeld said many of the foods people eat during the holidays are OK; it’s the ingredients that go into making them that can be bad.
Saalfeld said altering recipes by using skim or 2-percent milk instead of whole milk or light cream instead of heavy cream are healthier alternatives. Applesauce also can be used instead of oil in a 1-to-1 ratio to cut down on calories.
Several Web sites, including mypyramid.gov and americanheart.org, offer healthy recipes, Saalfeld said.
Certain types of foods can help reduce the number of calories people take in.
“Things with very pungent flavors usually people don’t eat very big portions of, like lemon bars or ginger things,” she said. “They’re very flavorful and then you usually are satisfied with that.”
For those who host a holiday party, Saalfeld said it’s important to offer plenty of low-calorie beverages such as water, diet sodas and light beer. She also said dry wine contains fewer calories than sweeter dessert wines.
Hosts also should incorporate plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods into their meals.
Saalfeld said creating expectations can help people manage their holiday eating better.
“Set a goal for the holidays like ‘My goal is to not gain any weight,’ or ‘My goal is to make sure I get four workouts in a week,’” she said. “That way you’re not planning to fail. You’re planning to succeed.”
And workouts, Pallas said, should be an important part of the holiday routine.
Even walking for 10 minutes can help.
“Do that three times a day and you have the recommended 30 minutes,” Pallas said.
She also said there are some creative ways to incorporate a workout into the holidays.
When watching football, for example, have two people each pick one of the teams. However many points the team you choose is losing by at a commercial break, do that many sit-ups or push-ups.
She also said playing basketball in the driveway or throwing a football around in the back yard can be good sources of exercise.
“Those are things that get your heart rate back up and keep you conscious of how you’re feeling,” Pallas said. “It keeps you from being fatigued and then getting depressed over it and getting stressed. That’s the cycle people fall into.”
Pallas also encouraged people to take a group exercise class.
“You learn how to do a lot of stuff to take home with you,” she said.
Pallas said starting a workout program now can help when people make their New Year’s resolutions.
“Right now if you’re doing 10 minutes a day and then say on the first (of January) after all these binges, so to speak, you can do that first workout and maybe be able to go 20 minutes,” she said. “You’re already going to be one step ahead of the game.”
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