The Holidays!!!

Okay, the season has officially begun. The time of sweets, treats, and lots of yummy, hard-to-say no food. This is such a difficult time for many of us....me included, when it comes to having some sense of control over ourselves and what we put into our mouths as we celebrate each holiday. Did you know that in the time frame from Halloween to the Super Bowl, the average American puts on 8-15 pounds. Yikes...SCARY!!!

I have tried to adopt the frame of mind that it is a holi-day, not a holi-week or a holi-month. So within reason, celebrate for that day, then you are done. Learn to say "no" to yourself and to others when they offer you food. Don't skip meals, plan ahead for social situations, and lighten up recipes. Instead of drippings and whole milk or cream in your gravy, try fat-free broth or skim milk. Instead of butter/margarine or oil in cookies or quick breads, use applesauce, nonfat yogurt or fruit puree.

Keep in mind that the holidays are for celebrating the people who are in your lives, not in how much we can eat. Because when it is all said and done, what do you want to remember most? Who you were with on that holiday, or what you ate that added a few pounds that you have worked so hard to get off in the first place? And if it is what you ate....isn't it usually the chocolate, toffee, fudge, pies, etc. that you remember that lead to your weight gain. Gain control, celebrate the holi-day, allow some room for a splurge, and once the day is over, back to your regular routine of taking care of the healthy you.