Check Up: Preventing over-eating at Christmas

Dear Readers,

Cherry, 24, is fighting "the battle of the bulge". She is about 20 pounds overweight but has already lost 25 pounds. She is worried about how to prevent overeating at Christmas!

In truth, the average person eats about 6,000 calories on Christmas Day (3 days' worth of food for a female) and, on average, people gain between two to four pounds during the Christmas season, and researchers note that this weight is rarely lost. Also, weight gain during the holidays usually occurs about the trunk. Truncal weight gain is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and increased heart

disease.

To avoid weight gain over the holidays:

• Don't go to parties hungry. Have a light meal, before heading out, to reduce snacking on high-calorie party food.

• Don't aim to lose weight over Christmas; instead, aim to maintain whatever the current weight is.

• Keep portion sizes small and eat out of a small plate (like a dessert plate).

• Foods which can be enjoyed at parties include vegetable sticks, pretzels, avocado dips, quiches, sandwiches, fruit salad and yogurt.

• Foods to limit include creamy dips, pies, chips, sausage rolls, sweets, chocolates and cake.

• No second servings of dinner!

One way of keeping control of what is eaten is to stick with eating at mealtimes only. Fill 1/2 the eating plate with vegetables before taking up any other food kinds. This will limit the amount of other food types eaten.

Drinking one or two alcoholic drinks daily can add to enjoying the season, but drinking large amounts will cause weight gain. Watch the serving sizes and alternate strong drinks with a glass of water.

EXERCISE: Take out a gym membership as a gift from yourself and begin an exercise programme. Park the car and walk to nearby homes and malls.