IRVINE -- As director of the UC Irvine Weight Management Program, Linda Gigliotti sees what the holidays can do to people. But the new year doesn't have to dawn with new pounds. Instead, plan and execute a strategy that limits time at the buffet and dinner tables without sacrificing the good will and good times.
Although it's tempting to view the time between Halloween and Super Bowl Sunday as the "National Eating Season," Gigliotti believes activity and mindful food and beverage choices can keep off those holiday pounds.
The key, she said, is ingesting calories wisely. Increased calorie intake leads to weight gain, and everyone has a calorie "budget" they need to follow to keep off extra pounds.
"You need to ask yourself, ‘What do I want to spend my calories on?'" Gigliotti said. "Decide what is really important to you. I enjoy stuffing at Thanksgiving because I rarely have it at other times of the year. But to compensate I will decide to not have rolls or mashed potatoes, for example, because I can have those at other times."
Exercise, she added, puts more calories into your account, giving you more to spend on food choices. "Anything that you can do to move your body through space counts," she said. "So when you are at the mall shopping, take a brisk walk around the mall before shopping. Take your family and friends for a stroll through the neighborhood to look at the decorations. Make it part of your holiday celebration."
Gigliotti offers some tips to help negotiate holiday parties without busting your calorie budget:
• Arrive satisfied: Fill up on high-fiber, high-volume foods like vegetables or fruits before you go to a party. And if need be, bring a low calorie-low fat food to the party, like a vegetable tray. "But don't dip those veggies in dressing," she warned. "You can pile up the calories that way while thinking you're doing well."
• Move away from the buffet: People tend to congregate around food. But after serving yourself, move to the other side of the room. "Circulate. Focus on the people, not the food," she said. "Another trick is to switch hands. Hold your drink with your right hand if you are right-handed. It will make grabbing food a bit more difficult."
• Do a napkin test: After picking up an appetizer, read the napkin on which it sits. Check for grease spots. "If the spot is large, you might want to make a different selection next time," she said.
• Drink slim: Alcoholic drinks, besides being filled with empty calories, tend to break down the resolve to limit eating. "Save the bubbly till midnight," she said. "A good strategy is to keep a low-calorie beverage in your hand and drink two glasses of water for every alcoholic beverage that you have."
• "If you do overeat, don't get discouraged," Gigliotti concluded. "Compensate by reducing your calorie intake for a few days later that week to balance the extra calories. Remember the big picture: Celebrations are not all about the food. It's about sharing special times with friends and family."
Gigliotti is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in nutrition education. Her expertise is in weight management and lifestyle modification, working with clients to make choices to manage their health. She is a Certified Diabetes Educator and has received certification from the American Dietetic Association in both Adult and Childhood/Adolescent Weight Management. For more information on the Weight Management Program, see www.weight.uci.edu.
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