Special Situations
Thanksgiving. Vacations. Birthdays. Fiftieth anniversary parties. Easter.
If you're the type of person who prays for fudge, not flowers, on Valentine's Day and who associates Halloween with colorful candies instead of colorful costumes, then you know that these joyous times are usually accompanied by an overabundance of high-fat, high-calorie food. Sometimes you successfully resist temptation.
And sometimes you (ahem) don't.
So if you should happen to get on the scale on January 1 or the day after you return from a week in the Caribbean, don't be surprised if you notice that you've suddenly acquired a few extra pounds. You may not be happy about the result of your holiday pig-out, but rest assured you've got lots of company. According to a survey by USA Today, some 43 percent of adults gain about six pounds during the five-week Thanksgiving-to-New-Year's period.
Why is weight gain so often a part of holiday time and vacation time? If we've been following a weight-loss program and exercising faithfully, we tend to regard these periods as dietary escapes, as times to let ourselves go.
Many people seem to approach weight loss almost as a form of punishment. And with that kind of attitude, it isn't surprising that so many view vacations and holidays as the perfect excuse to throw caution to the wind and indulge in mindless and high-calorie eating.
Another explanation: When you've saved and shelled out a lot of money for your holiday, you're determined to get your money's worth. For many that includes eating their fill, and then some. Unfortunately, cruise ships and vacation spots boasting all-you-can-eat menus tend to bring out the glutton in us. "I've paid for this food and I'm going to have it!" is the typical thinking. So is, "Everybody gains weight during vacations--why should I be any different?"
The Pleasure-Time Survival Guide
Well, perhaps now you should begin to think about being different, particularly if you have a frustrating history of yo-yo dieting. We're not talking about depriving yourself. The key is simply to begin to think of holidays, special occasions and vacations as fun days when more and better-than-usual food is available. You can have some treats, and enjoy yourself as much as everyone else, if you decide ahead of time to sample them in reasonable quantities.
Keep your usual healthy way of eating as a guide, then add those things you really want, in moderation: a half slice of key lime pie for dessert, or one complete-with-an-umbrella cocktail (not three) before dinner, or two small barbecued ribs, balanced with a green salad, at the poolside cookout. Often a taste of "forbidden" foods is enough to give you what the diet experts call "mouth satisfaction" without blowing your weight-loss program. You can then return home feeling as though you did indeed have a special night or week, and your waistline won't have suffered a bit.
Remember, too, that vacations and family get-togethers provide the perfect opportunities to increase your usual exercise regimen. Who wouldn't want to go swimming in a crystal-clear lake or play volleyball on a beautiful beach or do some golfing on a championship course?
Instead of sleeping in every morning, try a brisk prebreakfast walk in the mountains or on the beach or wherever you happen to be--you'll enjoy the workout and the lovely change of scenery. If you've developed a fondness for resistance training, you'll want to take advantage of your hotel's fitness facility, be it state of the art or a spare room equipped with some free weights and a stationary bike. These days it's hard to find hotels that don't feature some sort of modest gym.
And even if your vacation plans consist of little more than a weekend of visiting friends or family, there is still fun and calorie burning to be had. Try getting everyone together for a morning run with the dog, a jog along the beach or a brisk after-dinner walk.
That, of course, is the ideal holiday scenario: reasonable eating and solid exercise. But what happens if, during that cruise or that reunion, you go completely AWOL from your diet. (You know you'll have to face the bathroom scale eventually, but you opt to forget about it until the moment of truth.) The trick to emerging from this food fest without permanently losing your weight-loss motivation is to accept that you've slipped a bit, and then get on with your wholesome new way of low-fat living.
Immediately resume your usual food-and-fitness program, no matter how many days you've been away from it. Overindulged during the Christmas and New Year's holidays? One clever remedy is to use January to get a jump on your spring cleaning--wash the windows, scrub the floors, overhaul those closets. Not only will you be getting the year off to a fresh, clean start but you'll also burn off those extra holiday calories like mad.
Most important: If you've overindulged, be kind to yourself. Mentally beating yourself up over how much you ate and how little you exercised is pointless. "Guilt is not a motivator," says Atlanta-based registered dietitian Kathleen Zelman, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
