Stop the "Insane" Holiday Weight gain
 

by Gay Riley, MS, RD, CCN
NetNutritionist.com

No matter your holiday traditions, your race, your religion, what part of the country you live in, the holiday food festival is in progress. The Jewish New Year, Ramadan, the county fair, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, and many more celebrations that all have their special foods will take place again this year. Americans in particular, do not need any reason to gain weight. We have a wonderfully efficient and successful food industry that will make sure we have available every food ingredient we could possibly need for our holiday festivities so we can continue to be the fattest humans on the planet. (http://netnutritionist.com/fa7.htm)

Now is the time to take a stand. This is a matter of conscious effort, health, awareness, reputation, and deliberate action. We must put an end to the tradition of holiday weight gain.

We can still have fun. Fun is not eating and gaining weight is most certainly a drag. This is a battle to break the acceptance of gaining weight so we do not have to diet or stay fat the rest of our lives. Really, the battle is to learn to maintain our weight. To maintain weight in and of itself is a challenge. Can you imagine that most people around the world do not face the problem of eating too much food? In Africa it is famine, in Pakistan and other regions of the world where natural disasters and political struggles cut people off from food sources, lack of food and starvation is the problem. Most Americans (60%) have the challenge not to eat, and to move more to not gain weight. In other regions of the world people walk miles to work, or go to school. We have to plan physical activity and many of us pay someone else to mow our yards, clean our houses, and countless other energy expending activities that are what I call spontaneous activity or for me, calorie expending opportunities!

Put on your sensible party hat and make it the year of holiday weight MAINTAIN....That's all.   Refuse to  fall victim to the mindless holiday, hand to mouth ritual. There is no magic to it, folks. It is totally behavior and you are in control.  Take one day at a time. Energy balance is all about the balance of calories in and calories burned.... Okay you have heard it all before so it is nothing new but here goes again.  Just take whatever works for you.  These are only suggestions! Pick what works for you.

1.   Know your bodyweight…this will give you back the reality and allow you to take control.  As long as you do not know your weight, anything goes. Weigh often to know how your weight changes when you eat and drink.  My recommendation is to weigh Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings first thing.  Or before a party and then next day. That will keep you focused on your weight and food control.  Know that one pint of fluid is equal to one pound up on the scale so don't freak out if you get heavier after chugging down a big glass of water.  Keep thing in perspective.  I realize  there are those in the nutrition and psychology professions that think this is obsessive behavior.  For people with severe food restrictive eating disorders I would agree.  For us, the average Americans, the availability of unhealthy, cheap foods and the marketing of these foods convincing us that we can "free feed" without consequence is OUT of CONTROL and we need to take that control back.  The ones that benefit from our “lack of control” is the food industry, the medical industry, the free spirits, and the diet industry, and oh yes, the clothing industry. 70% of my clients do not weigh and have a fear of the scale.  I used to be one of them!

2.   Know how much food you can eat daily to maintain your weight. Stick with it. Keep food records to help you stay aware of what you are putting in your mouth. If you don’t write it down, you don’t eat it! A handful of pecans (200 calories), 20 candy corns (80 calories), an 8 oz glass of red wine (180 calories). See how it adds up. Know what a normal portion of food is. An Einstein Bagel is 3-4 ounces; a standard bagel should be half that size. See the following link to test your knowledge of serving sizes and calories:
http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion/portion.cgi?action=question&number=1
http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion/portion2.cgi?action=question&number=1

3.   Walk at least 30 minutes a day on top of your exercise. Even better, take three 10 minute walks a day. It is easy, realistic and doable. 2500 steps is a mile. 10,000-12,000 steps if you don’t exercise. Exercise will relieve stress, lower cortisol levels, increase endorphins, burn calories, improve circulation, and calm and reduce appetite. Buy a pedometer and put it on from morning to bedtime and record your steps.

4.    Get 7-9 hours sleep every night. Go to bed earlier than usual when you can. Try to get off the electronics at least an hour or two before you sleep.  It is a fact...Lack of sleep causes weight gain. Deep REM (rapid eye movement) or stage 4 sleep produces Growth Hormone/Insulin Like Growth Factor-1 to manage cortisol metabolism. In other words, it helps you maintain a normal cycle of cortisol metabolism. Lack of good sleep inhibits these hormones that control cortisol, contributing to  belly fat or central obesity.                                                                                                   The Proof: Sleep Deprivation and Weight Gain
Ghrelin is a hormone involved in the regulation of appetite and energy balance
Leptin (from the Greek leptos, meaning thin) is a protein hormone with important effects in regulating body weight, metabolism and reproductive function

o     Subjects that slept an average of 4 hours a night:                                ↓Leptin (18%), ↑ Ghrelin (a hormone involved in appetite and energy balance) (28%), reported ↑ hunger (24%), ↑carb cravings especially sweets, salty, and starchy high calorie snacks. (1)

o    >1000 volunteers: those that averaged 5 hours of sleep had a
↓Leptin (15.5%), ↑ Ghrelin (14.9%), ↑ BMI (3.6%).
Results were regardless of the subjects' diet and exercise habits.
(2)

o    Heymsfield and Gangwisch analyzed NHANES I data, and found that subjects with an average of 5 hours per night of sleep had a 73% increased likelihood of obesity over those who slept 7-9 hours. (3)

o    The study showed a linear relationship: reduced amounts of sleep are associated with overweight and obesity. (4)

o    Chronic partial sleep loss or insomnia associated with decreased glucose tolerance, decreased leptin levels, increases in evening cortisol levels. (5)

5.   Reduce stress as much as possible. Get plenty of rest and relaxation whenever it is possible. If you need a cat nap, take 15 minutes. Do not get dragged into the materialistic marketing of the holidays. Do things that make you calm and are spiritually uplifting: sing,  meditation, stretch, warm baths, good books, music, etc. If you do not have to drive, don’t. Now it is expensive, bad for the environment and if it is not necessary who needs the traffic! Ask yourself if that purchase or trip to the store is really necessary or just holiday impulse. Give gifts of love rather than competing or being pressured to give something that is not in your budget or against your belief. Going against your principle or instinct induced by holiday pressures and stress can lead to overspending, overeating anxiety, and depression.  People that love you will still love you if you do not have their favorite ??? Maybe you are just putting pressure on yourself?

“Stress that leads to increased cortisol concentrations induces increased food intake. Stress may contribute to abdominal obesity characterized by increases in cortisol and leptin concentrations.”
(6)

6.   Eat at the same time daily, even if you have a party to go to. Eat every 4 hours or so. Never get hungry. Hunger may lead to overeating. Do not party on an empty stomach. Never go to a party hungry. Eat a big salad or something before you go. Eat foods that help maintain normal blood sugar like lean proteins, cold water fish, wild game, fibrous vegetables, and healthy vegetable fats, nuts and oils. These foods will also provide you with essential minerals and a more alkaline blood pH. Eat a bowl of cultured yogurt daily to keep your intestinal tract healthy and fight off infection. Eat breakfast every day and keep the rule that most food (60%) is consumed by 4:30 pm. Choose low glycemic foods. Try to include those in your diet to avoid blood sugar highs and lows.

7.    Reality Check. Stay in touch with your body image by wearing clothes that fit - not clothes with elastic waistbands that are loose around the waist. Wear your snuggest jeans, button and zip pants or skirt throughout the holidays. This will give you a day to day reminder of how you are doing or overdoing. Weigh yourself a couple of times a week to know your true weight. Sometimes you will retain fluid (2 cups of water or fluid is a pound on the scale). Everybody is different but 5-8 pounds fluid shift is not uncommon. Find out your true body weight and try to maintain it. If you have a loose fitting outfit you want to wear, tie a ribbon around your waist under your clothes to remind you if you overeat. Sound extreme? So is gaining 10 pounds in 6 weeks!

8.    Drink plenty of water. This cannot be stressed enough. Dehydration leads to overeating, higher numbers on the scale, and fatigue. When you are tired, you go for more food to keep your strength. Chances are you are thirsty. Hunger and thirst are sometimes closely linked.  Drink fluids 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after meals to avoid diluting digestive enzymes. Do not drink big glasses of fluids with meals. Diluted digestive enzymes leave food sitting in the stomach, creating Co2, gas, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, reflux, and inefficient digestion of vital nutrients.

9.    Plan your food indulgences. If you are going to a great party with champagne and chocolate truffles, mark the day and stay active and eat healthy until that occasion. Don’t go to the party hungry. And write down your indulgence. Then you know the damage! I am serious. It sounds restrictive but we are in crisis and the mission is to NOT GAIN. If you want something sweet try a sports bar or high fiber meal replacement that is sweet to get it out of your system.  The dangerous thing for me is to make or buy sweets that I really like to have at my house for someone else…Who do you think eats most of it???

10.  Do not drink alcohol or eat sweets on an empty stomach. By adhering to this rule you will be able to keep your blood sugar from peaking and dropping. Those drops cause you to reach for more. Once this cycle starts it is hard to stop until the New Year’s Resolution or some other trigger. This is what I call the trigger to the holiday weight gain. You grab a glass of wine on an empty stomach, then another, then some chips and dip, a piece of fudge, and you’re off. The next day you decide to diet and by the middle of the day your blood sugar is low and you start all over again.

11.  Know the calorie content of your favorite holiday foods and portions. Know how much exercise you need to do to burn off the calories if you eat them. For example, a 4 oz slice of pecan pie (about 1/6th of a small pie) is roughly 500-700 calories depending on the recipe. To burn it off, you need a good brisk 4-6 miles. A cup of egg nog is 350 calories. Add a jigger of whiskey that equals 450 calories - add another 4 mile walk!  Know that 3500 calories equals 1 pound of fat.  You know 1 in cubed is an ounce of cheese, deck of playing cards is ~3 oz meat, tennis ball is a cup of rice, mashed potatoes etc, a tsp is a quarter round, etc....I know what a cup of broccoli cheese casserole looks like, doesn't mean I always limit myself. but it does mean I know the consequences on the scale..

12.  Get the nutritional support your body needs- Take the best multivitamin you can buy, a good antioxidant formula with vitamin A, C, E, Zinc, Selenium, and Alpha Lipoic Acid to keep your immune system strong. The Energy Infusion with multi B is the ultimate full spectrum Multivitamin mineral complex and my favorite.  You just mix it with water or juice right after breakfast (on a full stomach) and you are good to go. It was created by a physician that is the expert on chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.  We can all agree that the rush of the holiday season can zap our energy.  See End Fatigue Daily Energy Infusion for more information.                                                                 http://www.netnutritionist.com/fatigue-energy-revitalization-system-p-1715.html  If you do not take Omega 3 fish oil (EPA/DHA) already for its anti-inflammatory benefits (joints, muscles, moods and nerves) start with one gram a day. You can also make your own salad dressing with flax seed oil or grind flax and take alone or with food. When looking for a good Omega 3 oil to buy check for purity and freshness.  You want the company to reveal manufacturing standards to screen for heavy metals, dioxin, rancidity, and other pollutants.  See my favorite, Eskimo-3 for more information  http://www.netnutritionist.com/eskimo3-r-p-1717.html

(Always consult with your healthcare professional if you are taking prescription medication) 

Good luck. I will be right there with you, weighing, planning my cheats, taking small bites, writing it down, walking more, wearing my snug jeans, getting to bed early,  taking my vitamins, and trying to maintain the best I can. Of course talking about all this makes it all seem hard.  The truth is it will all be worth it when the new year comes and we don't have to face the Insane Holiday Weight Gain! Stay in touch, and Happy Holidays.  Let me know how you do.

As a holiday gift to you I am offering the Pocket Personal Trainer and Daily Records books as a package for $12 ($24 value). If you really want to see how many calories you are burning, steps you are taking, and know how many calories you can eat learn more about the bodybugg® program.. I have worn mine now for almost 3 years.  I cannot believe how many bodybugg® folks I talk to that are losing weight and finally understanding the importance of energy balance.

Check back for "Netnutritionist Quick Start Program" coming soon.

Write me at gay@netnutritionist.com to learn more.

Happy Holidays!

(1) Ann Intern Med, 2004, vol. 141, pp.846-850
(2) Mignot et al, Stanford School of Medicine, Dec 2004
(3) Study reported at North American Association Study of Obesity annual scientific meeting November 2004
(4) Arch. Intern Med, 2005;165:25-30
(5) Spiegel et al. Lancet 1999 354; 1435-39 and Spiegel et al. J Clin Endocrin Metab 2004, 89(11); 5762-71
(6) Bjorntop P. “Consolatory eating” is not a myth. Stress-induced increased cortisol levels result in Leptin-resistant obesity. Lakartidningen. 2001 Nov 28;98(48):5458-61.

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