Posted Dec 23, 2011
Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cookies, cakes and pies. With all these scrumptious foods filling many tables this Christmas season, control can be hard to achieve.
That is part of the reason why Americans on average gain seven to 10 pounds during the holidays, and why there is a lot of information out there about how to lose that extra weight.
It is, however, possible to avoid needing to diet and work out to get back to pre-holiday shape. The answer? Don’t overeat in the first place.
“We all can enjoy the holidays. It’s just a matter of being cautious of what we’re eating and what we’re doing,” explained Jennifer Ruby, personal trainer and registered dietitian at Gold’s Gym in Chambersburg.
How much someone can eat before it is considered overeating depends on that person’s caloric requirement. Each person’s is different depending on body type, but generally, an average healthy women should eat between 1,200 and 1,400 calories a day and an average healthy man should eat between 1,800 and 2,000 calories a day.
“If you exceed that, then that would be overeating,” Ruby said.
A diet regimen is easier to maintain if it’s started before the holidays, but the plan to curb overeating at a holiday meal should start at least the morning beforehand with breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day, Ruby said, and eating it will help one maintain a healthy diet throughout the rest of the day.
“When we skip meals we tend to
overeat at the next meal,” Ruby added.
Also, if hunger starts lurking between the morning and the meal, munch on fruits and vegetables. They have fiber, which will help keep hunger away.
“By eating a small salad and a piece of fruit beforehand, you won’t arrive starved and tempted to fill up on fried chicken tenders and fatty roast beef,” stated an article compiled by Clemson University Cooperative Extension based on the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate nutrition program.
It’s time to sit down to that big meal with all the foods that could bring any diet to a halt. It’s not bad to have those not-so-healthy dishes, as long as they are eaten in the correct portions. Ruby suggests using a 9-inch dessert plate instead of a larger dinner plate; this will make it easier to choose the right portions, and therefore eat less.
Meat is the main dish of most dinners. Measuring portions is as simple as comparing a size of a cut of meat to a hand.
(A portion of) meat is 3 to 4 ounces, about the size of a woman’s palm without fingers,” Ruby said. “The actual width should be the (size of) the side of your hand.”
Starches, like mashed potatoes, rice and pasta should be in a 1/2 cup portion. For vegetables, the right portion is 1/2 cup for cooked vegetables and 1 cup for raw vegetables — but that is lenient.
“We try not to put a size on vegetables because we want people to eat more,” Ruby said.
Fruit is a seemingly “healthy” food that actually can be a problem because of the sugar in some varieties. According to Ruby, the correct portion of fruit is about the size of an apple or a banana. For fruit juices, the right portion is 4 ounces.
A correct portion of dairy is 8 ounces of liquid, or 1 slice of cheese, Ruby said.
If unsure whether the host of the holiday meal will have healthy options, bring one in case. Vegetables are rich in texture and are low-calorie, and can be cooked in many healthy ways.
“For example, stir-fry a mixture of vegetables with olive oil and herbs, or steam some cabbage seasoned with caraway seeds and a sprinkling of salt and pepper,” the MyPlate article stated.
Dessert time can be the most difficult to tolerate a diet, for obvious reasons.
“Instead of having all dessert, I might fill half the plate with fresh fruits and then maybe have one or two cookies,” Ruby said.
The MyPlate article offered numbers comparing all-dessert and dessert-fruit choices: “A cup of fresh fruit and a small cookie or half a slice of pie has about 290 calories, but a plate with a peppermint brownie, a slice of pecan pie and a butter cookie contains…900 calories.”
The people who may have the biggest issue with keeping health in mind during the holidays is those who have a tough time with it throughout the rest of the year, Ruby said.
“Unfortunately it’s a vicious cycle,” she added.
However for those who just overindulge under the temptation of the expanded spread of food, getting on a fitness regimen soon after is the best remedy.
“Instead of going to sit down and watch the football game (after the meal), take a walk and then come back and watch the TV,” Ruby said.
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Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com or 262-4771.
How big should a portion be?
Meat: 3-4 ounces
Starches (potato, rice, pasta): 1/2 cup
Vegetable: Raw, 1 cup; cooked, 1/2 cup
Fruit: Medium size, like an apple or banana; fruit juice, 4 ounces or less
Dairy: 8 ounces, or 1 slice of cheese
©2011 the Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Pa.)