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November 29, 2008

Think about healthy lifestyle now, not for the new year

By JEFF MEYERS

Ways to fight holiday excess

•  Don't deny yourself: deprivation leads to overindulgence.

•  Be selective: make healthier choices.

•  Keep active: take more walks, particularly after meals or snack times.

•  Eat regular meals, especially breakfast.

•  Avoid temptation: don't keep those extra treats close by; fill your desk at work with a box of fat-free, whole-wheat crackers.

•  Reduce stress: focus on the positives in life.

•  Get a good night's sleep.

•  Control portions.

•  Eat slowly.

•  Don't worry about occasional binges or missed exercise days: just get on track the next day.

PLATTSBURGH — The Thanksgiving feast has come and gone, leaving people stuffed and feeling more than a little guilty for their over-indulgence.

However, the real challenge is yet to come. Weight gain is not a product of one huge meal: it is more about all those little extras during the extended holiday season that can really throw a person's lifestyle askew.

"Gaining five to 10 pounds over the holidays wouldn't be that unusual," said Jenna Jones, a registered dietician and Nutrition Program manager for the Eat Smart New York Program through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton County.

"But when you gain it, quite often you don't lose it," she added, emphasizing the unfair contrast between the ease in gaining weight and the difficulty trying to shed excess pounds.

BE PROACTIVE
New Year's resolutions are often a by-product of a month of celebrating between Thanksgiving and the new year as people realize that their clothing is suddenly a lot tighter than they remember.

But being proactive rather than reactive might be a better option for most.

"The big thing is to start thinking about becoming more active now rather than after Christmas," Jones said. "In many ways, the activities you get involved with are more important than what you eat."

A healthy lifestyle must include a "balancing act" between routine exercise and proper food choices, she noted.

FIND BALANCE
A good strategy for entering the holiday season is to mix the family traditions surrounding food with new traditions involving physical activities, such as family walks or snowshoeing trips.

"We as Americans have somehow forgotten the importance of balancing nutrition and exercise," she said. "We're not paying attention (to that balance)."

Sometimes, the holidays themselves become a distraction.

"One of the most important things you can do is to keep an exercise program going," said Marla Given, a registered dietician for the Nutrition Services Program at CVPH Medical Center.

"People will often get stressed out at this time of year and will forget about exercising," she added. "Whether you walk, jog or do any other routine activity, exercise is important for weight control, and it also keeps the stress level down and improves overall morale."

The bottom line, whether it's the holiday season or the 4th of July, is the calorie.

"Weight control, simply put, is calories in versus calories out," said Shannon Bond, also a registered dietician at CVPH. "It's a pretty simple concept, though managing it is not always that simple."

LEARN TO MODIFY
People do not need to eliminate their holiday treats or celebrations but should be aware of what they are eating and make adjustments to balance the "not-so-healthy treats" like Christmas candies and cookies with fruits, vegetables and other healthier choices.

"The biggest thing is portion control," Given said, noting that over-eating is often a psychological decision based on the average size of today's dinner plates. "If the plate's not full, we don't think we've got enough to eat."

"But don't deprive yourself," Bond added. "If it's truly something you are craving, then you might eventually over-indulge if you try to deprive yourself."

Another option is what Jones calls "recipe modification" when preparing meals or baking holiday goodies.

"Look for fat-free or low fat products as substitutes," she said. "If you're using cheese, try cutting the portion in half. There are a lot of interesting things people are doing to modify their diets to include healthier choices."

Making those choices today can go a long way toward preventing the need to lose those extra pounds next year.


E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com

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