Body-Wise
Here Come the Holiday Foods (Part 2)
Here are three more tips to help us through the holiday buffets:
Do the Dolly Parton. When asked a few years ago how she lost a noticeable amount of weight in a short period of time, my good friend Dolly Parton said this: “I sample everything and finish nothing.” This differs from my “the end” advice, but is sage when it comes to parties, especially if you simply cannot resist sweets. Sample them all. Finish none. (I don’t actually know Dolly, but doesn’t she seem like she’d be a lot of fun!)
Make your own calories. I certainly can control how much I eat at parties and dinners out, but not the ingredients of those foods. So at home, especially during the holidays, I cut calories everywhere I can. For example, we eat a lot of hummus (so easy to make) salsa, goat and feta cheese, so instead of using crackers for these foods, I buy whole wheat pita bread and cut them into quarters, then into a warm oven to crisp. About half-way through, I spread a little olive oil onto the pita chips. You can always jazz them up by adding minced garlic to the oil. These are low in calories, salt and fat and high in fiber.
Don’t pass a faucet without taking a gulp—or 10. This was actually advice given to me during my first pregnancy when it is easy to become dehydrated. But it works very well to keep hunger pangs at bay. I literally stand (it is perfectly fine to drink water, and wine, while standing) in front of my sinks—kitchen and bathroom—and guzzle down a cup-full or two whenever I am passing by. I also sip from my big 1.5 liter water bottle throughout the day. (The average woman needs 2.7 liters of water a day; and guys need 3.7.) When I drink water, I am much less hungry, and I feel great.
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