Surviving all the holiday food choices
I am proud to say I survived my first Christmas Open House. Or should I say, my first Christmas Food Fest. I am determined this year to come through the holiday season with the very same weight I entered into it with.
As a total bonus weight loss would be even better … but let’s not get carried away.
I started my mental preparation hours before the event. I got up in the morning and ate a hearty healthy breakfast. Then 30 minutes before we left a healthy lunch. This meant I could honestly tell myself that I did not require any food at the party due to hunger.
Then I had over 30 minutes on the drive to the party to prepare the following strategy. Which actually worked!
Drink several non-alcoholic drinks for every alcoholic one
I started the event with one very small glass of wine which I sipped slowly. I then switched to water. An hour later I had another very small glass of wine, followed by more water. One very small glass of non-alcoholic punch then more water.
I probably consumed about 100 calories in beverages.
Fill up on veggies and fruit
I immediately started with the veggie tray. And since there snap peas this was actually a treat, as I never think to buy them for myself.
My rule was one full tray of veggies for each single frivolous treat.
Only eat ‘out of the usual’ treats
When I looked at the table, there were a lot of food items that I eat throughout the course of the year. For example, crackers, cheeses, hummus, pitas, meatballs.
I significantly narrowed the selection down by only eating items that I wouldn’t think to buy or prepare for myself. Not only did this mean there was less to eat, but it meant I truly savoured each bite rather than mindlessly stuffing food down my throat.
Back away from the table
This one, I have to admit was tricky. Not because I couldn’t get away from the table. Rather, it was because the thoughtful and generous hosts had food in every nook and cranny of the house. Even on the stairs!
Fortunately for me, the food items found on side tables and stair treads fell into my ‘usual fare’ category, so weren’t on my eatable list. Otherwise, I could have been in really big trouble!
Talk … a lot
This one was my favourite strategy. Although Holiday Open Houses appear to be all about the food, they are really about catching up with old friends and meeting new and interesting people. And since it’s rude to talk while chewing, this cuts down on the time spent consuming food.
I ended up in quite a number of very interesting conversation, and met people I would not have if my face was buried in the food trough.
Keep up with the exercise
When I got home, despite really just wanting to curl up on the couch, I did my daily 20 minutes of yoga. This woke me right up and I was able to enjoy an evening of movie watching with Mr Very Right.
In the end, I nibbled on some special treats, enjoyed great conversation, and still had energy left over for a relaxing evening with my man. All while consuming very little extra calories.
Your turn:
- Do you accept the average 5 pound holiday season gain, or do you take steps to maintain your weight?
- What tricks to you use to keep holiday food temptations at bay?
Suggested reading:
Christmas ‘stay healthy’ tips
Maintaining Weight Over the Holidays
How to stay ahead of the Christmas weight-gain game
I got food poisoning once from a pot-luck event. When I see all the holiday foods I remember how sick I was and I don’t eat anything. I wouldn’t recommend this method though.
I go for veggies and spicy items first. Veggies fill me up; spicy (like peperoncini) tames the taste buds. Then I pick one or two dessert-type foods.
At home, I limit eggnog intake to one pint for the three of us once a week. It is my usual downfall!
@Canadian Army Wife – okay, yes, that would put me off pot-lucks. Rather drastic measure, as you point out though
@Lori – oh, interesting about spice taming the taste buds. I’ll keep that in mind. Oh my , eggnog! Bliss. I made eggnog on Sunday, but have been limiting myself to 1 glass per day. It’s all done now, so won’t make anymore. It’s my once per year treat.
I started several years ago preparing for the party scene by making a list of 10 – 20 questions to ask attendees and that might make the conversation better than just the weather and strained topics. One of my favorite questions is to ask,” what was the favorite gift they ever received and why?” Folks are taken aback…and when you leave they are so happy that you were there….
I think this falls into the talk a lot suggestion
I also have a taste of each food so that I can compliment the chef, the choice, the thoughtfulness. – It the feasts is all from the deli or big box store…well,then I eat nothing ….I drink only some wine, 2 neat scotches and 2 glasses of champagne a year…I drink sparkling water at occasions and many bar tenders have perfected making it look like a fancy drink for me…..
I make public eating kind of a meditation practice….being prepared and practicing daily. Since I am quite heavy, I find that lots of folks watch what I eat….and one even guessed that I must have had a dozen donuts before I came to the event. I have found that enjoying food that has been carefully prepared for you is one of the many gifts people are able to give – I want to acknowledge that gift…
Though I rarely gain any weight during the season, unless the weather is too hard on my exercise routine, I just try to focus on my healthy eating practice and making others feel appreciated.
I did not start this practice because of weight issues…but because after my Ovarian Cancer experience most food fixed by others might make me end up in the bathroom being extremely ill….that would make the gathering a disaster experience for me…
The biggest issue with my weight is my health desires and second…the modest amounts of embarrassment my children feel – I wish I did not look this way, because it bothers others….I would not qualify for the “biggest losers” and I think I look very good considering. Chemotherapy baldness was nothing compared to this!
It is good to have a plan for sure.
FYI,
On the 24th I am posting a lovely greeting animation done by my IT, my little party on the blogosphere! and it has no calories!
@Patricia – this jumped out at me ” I have found that enjoying food that has been carefully prepared for you is one of the many gifts people are able to give” I loved this. In our Dieting Society we have come to see food as bad. I have to admit, until I met Mr Very Right I just treated food as fuel with very little enjoyment. Now I have learned to savour food. Which, actually is an extremely healthy practice, because you are more mindful of what goes into your mouth. And as you point out, food is social. We love to host parties, and food takes centre stage, because it brings people together. Mr Very Right gets all the guests to participate, which brings everyone together as we laugh and create and nibble.
Back to your statement, to truly savour food prepared by your hosts you are acknowledging their gift of time and creation. And savouring does not equal pigging out. On the contrary, it means slow deliberate bites of the items that intrigue you.