How To Control Holiday Weight Gain

By: Carrie Davis | WSPA-TV
Published: December 22, 2008

The holidays are here and so is all the good food. If you are worried about your weight dieticians say you don't have to go without the good stuff.

Cindy Thomas, a dietician with Greenville Hospital System, says "Don't totally go for the rich foods. Try to get things that you can see are maybe a leaner meat or little sandwiches. Fruits would be okay."

Thomas says there are tricks we can use on ourselves to keep us from overindulging. For example, at the holiday party, keep a drink in one hand and your plate in the other that way you won't have an extra hand to reach for more food.

Thomas says, "Most people generally will not eat as much if they are eating from the plate but if you are just picking from the table you are going to eat more than your body probably needs."

She says no food is bad food just the portion size. Keep that in mind when considering how much you are consuming.

According to Thomas, “How many calories do you think are in one bite of cookie dough? 50 calories. How about the cookie that didn't fit in the tin? 150 calories. How about one finger full of fudge batter? 50 calories."

Also, getting together with friends for a drink? Cindy says if you are counting calories you need to think of one alcoholic drink like one dessert.

She says the best advice she can give is to be reasonable about your eating and don't go too far off your normal schedule.

Thomas says, “The holiday is like a 7-8 week feeding frenzy so I would tell you not to lose weight during the holidays. Just try to maintain your weight and do the very best you can, but the number one thing to be consistent about during the holidays is exercise. Do not stop exercising."

Remember when thinking about second helpings it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full.
Good advice to get us through to the New Year.
Dieticians say don't set yourself up for failure. Just try to maintain your weight.
Since the beginning of the year is when many of you will be trying to drop those extra pounds, News Channel 7we will have a full week of weight loss information for you the first full week of January, everything from what you need to know to local success stories.