Wintertime isn’t the ideal season to lose weight. You’re eating sugary treats throughout the day, throwing back booze, and skipping your workout because, hey, you’re too hungover from the night before. Plus, it’s so easy to hide under the covers instead of leaving your house to brave the cold and go exercise. But there’s a difference between letting things slide and mud sliding your way into oblivion. See if you’re guilty of making the following excuses this season and find out how to offset the damage. (Yep, exercise is involved.)
Excuse 1
“We’re invited to a lot of parties.” It always goes down this way: One innocent mini quiche becomes three, then eight. The food, of course, leads to more drinks to wash it all down, which leads to raiding the fridge back at home because you’re hammered, and, well, the party was just appetizers.
The Fix At the party, your strategy is to fill up smart…and back away from the buffet. One of you should load a plate with greens, veggie sticks, and fruit. Have a mutual munch and don’t go back for the fatty finger foods for 10 minutes, until you feel a bit full. When you’re done, ditch your plate so you’re not tempted to pile more on it. And get out there and mingle—it’s hard to stuff your face when you’re chatting and dancing.
Excuse 2
“We’re too busy shopping.” Whether window-shopping or charging up a storm, your time is tight, and it’s too easy to grab a high-calorie burger at the food court.
The Fix Shopping is like an athletic event during the holidays, so fuel up with a filling, healthy meal before heading out. Make good choices at the mall too; plenty of places have healthy options. Examples: Uno Chicago Grill has a roasted eggplant, spinach, and feta flatbread pizza that’s 220 calories per serving; Au Bon Pain has nine soups under 200 calories; all TCBY fro-yo is under 150 calories; Applebee’s has nine Weight Watchers entrées; and McDonald’s Apple Dippers with low-fat caramel sauce are 105 calories. Who knew?
Excuse 3
“Traditions are important to us.” In this case, traditions mean potato latkes fried in oil, super rich pumpkin pie with a mass of whipped cream…you get the idea. Holidays mean eating all day, whether out of obligation (“Aunt Ann worked for hours making cranberry sauce”), pressure (“You look too thin—have some more meat”), or the once-a-year chance to chow down on your faves (“Can’t say no to eggnog”).
The Fix One day won’t kill you, so go ahead and pig out—and take your favorite leftovers home. But instead of loading them in your fridge where you’ll be tempted to devour them all in one day, freeze half. When leftovers are frozen, you can’t mindlessly scarf them down (unless you’re a fan of ice-block stuffing). Plus, in the time it will take to defrost the goods and serve them, it may dawn on you that you’re okay with portions for two people…not six.
Excuse 4
“Food is everywhere, and we can’t resist.” Everyone brings sweets to work during the holidays, if for no other reason than to get the goods out of their own homes. By the time 3 p.m. rolls around, you realize you’ve hit the office sweets table four times. Oops.
The Fix Buy satisfying snacks, bag them into portions, and take them with you to work so you’re not tempted to graze on community cupcakes. Try 100-calorie snack combos, natural peanut butter and wheat crackers, or an apple with honey. Drink lots of water as well. Instead of loading up on calories all day, indulge together at night.
Sweet swaps
Naughty: Apple pie in a buttery crust
Nice: Baked apple with cinnamon
Naughty: Dark meat turkey, skin on
Nice: Lean white meat, ditch the fatty skin
Naughty: Mashed potatoes smothered in butter
Nice: Baked sweet potato
Naughty: Chocolate chip cookies
Nice: Ginger snaps
Nestperts: Greg Joujon-Roche, celebrity trainer and founder of Holistic Fitness; Lona Sandon, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
by Alonna Friedman
6/24/08
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