You’ve got a lot on your plate (metaphorically speaking) during the holidays. So why add weight gain to the equation? It may feel like we gain 5 or 10 pounds during the holidays, but according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the average holiday weight gain is much less than – just about 1 pound. So I’ve come up with a couple of tips to help tip the scales in your favor this year.

The dark truth
According to CalorieCount.com, 1 cup of white turkey meat has 220 calories and 4.5 grams of fat – 40 fewer calories and less than half the fat of dark turkey meat.

Eggnog = evil
At your next holiday gathering, opt for a glass of wine, which runs you about 100 calories, instead of spiked eggnog, which can cost you more than 300 calories a cup!

Cut the crust
Forget about making a crust for your pumpkin pie. You'll cut down on your cooking time, not to mention 100 calories and 5 grams of fat. Add a dollop of fat free cool whip for some flavorful flair.
Gravy makeover
Cut your gravy with apple cider to cut the fat and add a tangy taste of fall.

Ban on elastic waistbands
If you wear fitted, flattering clothes on Thanksgiving, you’ll be less likely to gorge yourself on stuffing. Plus you’ll look good!

Just remember – Thanksgiving is a meal, not a month.

How do you keep your holiday eating in check?

Labels: healthy diet, holidays, Thanksgiving

The more restrictive a diet is, the more I have dreams about the food I can’t eat. And the diet never lasts. But Every Day Health blogger Bryan Harris has simplified things, creating a list of just four items to avoid. (Notice that? “Avoid.” He knows we can’t totally disown these foods. Smart man.)

Here’s his list, abbreviated:

Avoid drinking
Alcohol contains copious amounts of carbs and empty calories. Not to mention the green light it gives my mouth to invite everything to enter into it.

Avoid fried food
I love going to a Japanese restaurant and ordering Vegetable Tempura. Why you ask? Because the word “vegetable” makes it sound so healthy. I mean, sure, an expert would know “tempura” means “deep fried,” but the word doesn’t really slap you in the face with how bad it is, right? I guess, according to Bryan, I probably shouldn’t be uttering those words anymore if I want to maintain a healthy diet. Frying anything (even vegetables) could be burning all the vitamins right out of it. And fried food at restaurants could contain trans fats, which raises your risk of heart disease.

Avoid high-calorie carb foods after six
This is an issue for me (and let’s face it, many of you guys, too). Carbs are my safety blanket, especially when I’m curled up on the couch watching Desperate Housewives or Grey’s Anatomy. Carbs eaten at night are more likely to go unused and could turn into fat. Bryan says we should stick to meats and veggies after 6 pm.

Avoid processed foods
This is all that good stuff in the center aisles at the grocery store: high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, white flour, blanched foods, processed sugar, processed sugar substitutes and soda. So all you Lean Cuisine lunch people need to Put The Box Down. I’m just as guilty of eating an energy bar instead of making a meal. This rule might take a little more work than the rest.

What are your “avoids”? How have you tweaked your diet? Has it worked?

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Labels: carbs, fried food, healthy diet, trans fat