Celebrations: The Gift of Health

Celebrations: The Gift of Health

We celebrate many traditions over the holidays, but how about celebrating personal accomplishments such as mastering challenges and attending to your own health, weight and fitness goals?  The following tips can help you succeed in minding your health this holiday season.  Celebrate your "self-care" efforts.   Aren't you worth it?

See Your Success

Visualize how you intend to handle potentially precarious eating situations.  Write, review, and post your plans days before arriving at holiday gatherings to make it easier to implement your ideas.

Burn Calories

Walk, hike, bike, garden, or exercise in other ways the day before, the day of, and the day after parties and holiday meals.  Strive to exercise at least 30 minutes, 5 days/week.

Buffer Hunger

Arrive at gatherings without being over hungry.  Snack one hour before the event.  Try moderate portions of veggie soup, veggies, low fat cheese, cottage cheese, hummus, nut butter, or nuts.

Alcohol Effects

To avoid overconsumption, keep from drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Snack at least 15 minutes before drinking alcohol.

It's Just Another Meal

Consider holiday gatherings as "meals" rather than as "feasts".  Serve yourself modest portions.  Eat mainly protein and veggies with a hint of starch.  Select only samplings of your favorite indulgences to avoid deprivation but allow for progress.  If you sense that samplings will trigger overeating, stay away from them entirely.

Feeding Physical Hunger

Before eating, try to distinguish physical from emotional hunger.  Serve yourself only the amount of food that will satisfy your physical hunger.  When you're comfortably full, stop eating.

Suspend Seconds

Wait 10 to 20 minutes before going back for small portions of "seconds".  It takes your brain this long to register fullness.

Mindful Eating

Be conscious, not passive. Eat slower, chew well, focus on the taste and texture of the food. Aim for comfortable fullness and satisfaction instead of becoming overfull.

Patience Wins

Be patient with your efforts.  Small positive changes are better than none.

Sampling Counts

While in the kitchen or at gatherings, be mindful about "sampling" food.  Small bites can add up to a full meal of calories in no time.

Frosting= 60 cal. per Tbsp
Chocolate Chips= 100 cal. per 2 Tbsp
Candy= 100 cal. per piece
Cookie Dough= 120 cal. per bite
Cookie= 150 cal. per medium size

Olives= 50 cal. per 7 whole Olives
1 Cracker with cheese= 55 cal.
5 chips with dip= 130 cal.
Peanuts= 100 cal. per 20 pieces
6 hours d'oeuvres = 500 cal (average)

Each Item Below is Approximately 100 Calories

Meats, Eggs, Cheese

Shrimp Cocktail............16 pieces
Sushi............3-4 small pieces
Cheese Cubes............1"x1" piece
Turkey............2 oz.
Deviled Egg............2 halves
Quiche, cheese & bacon............2"x2" piece
Lean roast beef............1 1/2 oz


Sweets

Truffle or See's Candy............1 piece
Cookie............1 small
Pecan Pie............1.5"x1.5" piece
Pumpkin Pie............2"x2" piece

Veggies, Dips, Nuts, Chips, Crackers, Bread

Veggies (raw)............4 cups
Guacamole or Hummus............4 Tbsp.
Ranch Dressing............1 Tbsp.
Almonds............15
Peanuts............20
Chips............9
Triscuits............11
Dinner roll............1 small

Beverages

Apple Cider............6 fl. oz
Hot Cocoa............4 fl. oz
Wine............3 1/2 fl. oz
Gin/Vodka.Run............1 1/2 fl. oz
Beer............8 fl. oz
Eggnog............3 fl. oz
Mixers: Tonic Water, Coke, Fruit Juice............10 fl. oz, 8 fl oz, 6 fl. oz