Avoid holiday pounds by enjoying your food

By Tara Parker-Pope
The Wall Street Journal

Weight-loss experts have some surprising words of advice for dieters worried about holiday weight gain: just say yes.

Eating reasonable portions of holiday treats works better than depriving yourself. Photo Disc

Although the average person probably gains only about a pound from holiday eating, that weight adds up over time and represents the bulk of the 20 to 30 pounds so many of us gain by the time we reach middle age. That's why experts think correcting the eating mistakes we make during the last two months of the year can go a long way toward stemming the nation's obesity epidemic.

But surprisingly, the solution isn't to skip the holiday pies and other temptations. The trick to avoiding holiday weight gain is to go out of your way to eat your favorite foods, paying extra attention to them, savoring and talking about foods and writing down what you consume.

The strategy runs counter to that espoused by popular diets that advocate shunning entire food groups or avoiding carbohydrates or high-fat foods altogether.

But many weight-loss experts say eating reasonable portions of holiday treats works better than depriving yourself. Numerous studies show that strict dieting or even thinking about dieting can trigger overeating. In a May 2002 University of Toronto study, half of participants were told they would be put on a diet for a week — much like holiday eaters planning a New Year's diet resolution. Immediately after being told of the assignment, the participants were allowed to eat. Not surprisingly, those assigned to the dieting group ate far more than the nondieters.

It's not entirely clear how much weight most people gain during the holidays. Although it's often claimed that the average American gains five pounds or more this time of year, the actual weight increase most people experience is probably far less.

One study followed 195 workers at a Bethesda, Md., campus of the National Institutes of Health. During the six-week period from Thanksgiving through New Year, the workers each gained an average of three-fourths of a pound. However, people who were already overweight or obese gained the most weight, and 14 percent of the people gained five pounds or more during the study period.

It's possible that the study group of NIH workers was an unusually health-conscious bunch and isn't representative of the general population. But the most notable finding of the study showed that more than half of the workers' annual weight gain occurred in the short six-week holiday period.

The first step to avoiding holiday weight gain is to decide which foods you simply can't live without and make a plan to eat them. People who plan indulgences in advance often end up eating less because they find it easier to skip the eggnog or chips and dip, knowing they will soon indulge in pumpkin pie or a potato pancake.

"Select them, plan to eat them and try to avoid the things that aren't that interesting to you," says Thomas Wadden, director of the weight and eating-disorders program at University of Pennsylvania.

Dean Ornish, a well-known advocate of low-fat diets, suggests people "meditate" on foods before eating them. "I'll take a piece of really good chocolate and I'll spend five minutes eating it," says Dr. Ornish, clinical professor of medicine at University of California-San Francisco. "If you pay attention to what you're eating, you don't eat as much of it."

While meditating on food may sound like New Age bunk, the notion is rooted in science. Studies show that people consume far more calories when they are distracted by other activities — like watching television or talking to friends.

People who focus on the foods they eat, paying extra attention to them and relishing every bite, ultimately consume less.

"If you're surrounded by all this great food then enjoy it, but really enjoy," says Dr. Ornish.

Numerous studies show that the simple act of writing down what you eat can make a startling difference in the number of calories you consume, and the practice also works during the holidays. In one study of 57 Chicago-area dieters, participants, on average, gained five times more weight during holiday weeks than in other weeks. But dieters who kept detailed food records during the holidays actually managed to lose weight during the holidays.

Writing down daily meals and snacks helps dieters see more clearly how many calories they are consuming and identifies how unnoticed calories — like a handful of M&M's grabbed from an office candy dish — can add up. It can also highlight foods that dieters would prefer to give up to make room for higher-calorie holiday foods. Several dieting diaries — some count calories while others count carbs — are sold in bookstores in the diet-book section.

Finally, experts suggest that in addition to indulging in holiday treats, people try to come up with one or two new healthy holiday traditions — like an after-meal walk or baking low-fat versions of holiday favorites. "We have to get around the idea that special days mean eating things that are unhealthy for us," says Walter Willett, nutrition professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. "There are lots of treats that are healthy as well."