Holiday Eating Tips, Part I

Just because the holidays are approaching, don’t lose sight of all your hard work. YES, you CAN maintain control and stick to your weight loss plan during the holiday season, whether its Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years! You’ve got to make up your mind to do so and here are some tips to help you to stick to your weight loss plan during the holidays:

• Modify recipes to contain healthier food choices . Take and use the special menus designed for each holiday from the center you attend.
• Bring a dish to a party from the recipe book or special holiday menu for everyone to try.
• RE-GIFT - Give away to someone else the gifts you receive that are full of foods you don’t need to be eating.
• Set your own realistic goals, maybe this year to maintain your weight rather than gain during the holidays.
• Here’s a great appetizer that works -- wheat Melba toast with low fat cheese – DELICIOUS!
• Give the holiday leftovers to family and friends so you won’t be tempted to nibble on them.
• Chew sugarless gum or eat a sugar free hard candy while cooking to prevent tasting (or over-tasting) the foods you are cooking.
• Don’t save up all your calories for the parties, eat the foods on your plan and work with your counselor to add foods into your plan that are only found during the holidays.
• Don’t lose sight all of your efforts thus far if you do slip once during the holiday season. Each day is a new one. Begin again.

Remember the reasons for the season!

Eating Away From Home, Part 2

This week's tip focuses on eating while traveling, the second in our series about eating away from home. We’re traveling more than ever before these days…for business, vacations, the holidays, and traveling means we’ve got to eat in restaurants. How can you stay on plan when you have to eat out all the time? These handy tips will help you enjoy a good meal on the road and still stay on track to reach your weight loss goals.

• When staying at a hotel, always order your breakfast from the a la carte menu. Do NOT order the breakfast buffet! There are simply too many temptations and the tendency is to take more food than you should. Your waitress should be happy to provide you with a sensible and delicious breakfast without having to face the dreaded buffet.

• Another breakfast option is to take a mini box of cereal and fresh fruit with you and keep a small container of skim milk in the ice bucket overnight.

• If you are traveling a long distance by car, shop for snacks beforehand to avoid being faced with only high fat choices from convenience stores on the road. Consider carrots and celery sticks, fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, string cheese, Melba toast, or rice cakes.

• If you are flying, consider calling 48-hours ahead to order a special meal like fruit platters, low-fat meals, or vegetarian plates. Most airlines will be happy to meet your needs if you give them advance notice.

• Also consider bringing your own snacks instead of relying on airline peanuts or other high fat snacks.

• Instead of ordering alcoholic beverages on a plane, request water, seltzer water with a twist of lemon or lime, or a diet soda. Alcoholic beverages provide no nutrients, increase your appetite, and increase dehydration and jet lag.

Eating Away From Home, Part 1

In today’s world, with so many obligations pulling us in so many directions its no wonder we are eating more and more often in restaurants. This can be a recipe for weight loss disaster if you’re not prepared to deal with the challenge.

Here are some helpful suggestions make your restaurant one you’ll enjoy and also won’t regret.

• Ask how the food is prepared or if it can be made differently. Most places will alter their preparation style to accommodate your dietary needs. For instance, you can request that your entrées and vegetables be served without sauces, butter margarine or oil.
• You can also ask that high-fat extras be left off your plate to avoid temptation. For instance, you can substitute side items from other entrées (i.e. green beans from another entrée to substitute for fries on your entrée).
• Why not order from the appetizer menu instead of ordering a large entrée (that really cuts down on the calories as well as saving you money), or order a mixture of side items as your meal.
• Ask for skim milk instead of cream for your coffee or tea.
• Ordering a salad? – Have the salad dressing served on the side.
• Look for “heart-healthy” or “low-fat” entrées, rather than “diet plates” which are often actually high in fat.