10 Tips for Guaranteed Holiday Weight Gain

The annual holiday food fight is about to begin. You know, the one where conflicted women face down rich-food eating traditions.

This year, to help women understand what doesn'st work when it comes to happy holidays, the healthy-weight experts at Green Mountain at Fox Run have come up with some sure-fire tips to take the guesswork out of gaining those holiday pounds.

's8230;BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS

> Diet! Diet! Diet! Let'ss face it, you expect to overeat during the holidays so why not get a jump on weight loss now If you'sre feeling truly ambitious, try dieting during the holidays, too; the deprivation will be highly effective at driving you to overeat. Our real advice: Learn to eat what you want now in a way that leaves you feeling great. Then the holidays won'st pose any special challenge, and you can enjoy them fully.

> Work out extra hard and long every day. You can make up for those times during the holidays when you won'st want or have the time to do anything. Our real advice: When we overdo on exercise, we'sre more likely to burn out, or worse yet, injure ourselves, and guarantee we don'st want to do anything. Slow and steady wins the race.

> Start weighing yourself daily. You'sll be able to follow your weight up and down the scale, and cut back even more when you'sve gained an ounce. Then you'sll heighten your feelings of deprivation even more, further guaranteeing holiday overindulgence. Our real advice: Toss out the scale now and for always. It generally doesn'st give the instant gratification we seek, and often negatively impacts our motivation to take care of ourselves.

's8230;DUIRNG THE HOLIDAYS

> Take on as much work as you can. If you don'st do it, who will The holidays just aren'st the holidays without all the fuss! Our real advice: Choose wisely in what you commit to. You may end up with fewer or simpler celebrations but you'sll enjoy the holidays much more.

> Surround yourself with family and friends who make you feel guilty about eating. It'ss easier to say 'sno's when your spouse, mother, sister, daughter, friend looks disapprovingly at you as you reach for that wonderful holiday sprinkled cookie. Our real advice: Educate family and friends about the real impact of their attempts to control what you eat. If they won'st listen, minimize your time around them when you'sre eating. It may mean missing a party or meal, but you might feel much better as a result.

> Forget about stress management for now. You'sre too busy!! Just focus on getting what you need to get done. And be sure to really have too much to do before big parties. If you can pick a fight with your spouse on the way to a party, all the better to guarantee extra emotional overeating. Our real advice: Take care of yourself physically and mentally to help keep a balanced view on what'ss important during busy times. Maybe the easiest thing to do: Get some exercise! Physical activity refreshes, relaxes, revitalizes and will add energy and enthusiasm to your life. Make it a regular part of your day during the holidays and after.

's8230;BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS 's38; PARTIES

> Make sure every social event revolves around food. If you throw the party yourself, make too much food, especially desserts! Set up nuts and other goodies early so you can pick at them all day long while you skip meals. You do eat fewer calories that way, right Our real advice: Traditional foods are a big part of festivities, but holidays don'st have to be all about food. Plan fun activities such as pumpkin bowling (knock down gourd 'spins's with small pumpkins), a pine cone toss (count how many pine cones you can land inside a hula hoop) or just fun and refreshing walks through the woods, around the neighborhood talking to friends you pass.

> Set a 'shands-off's rule for all the rich foods you'sll encounter. If you just say 'sno,'s you'sll be able to nip any weight gain in the bud! Our real advice: When we forbid foods or label them 'sbad,'s we set ourselves up for overeating them. Again, learn to eat foods you love - even those rich in calories, fat, sugar - in a manner that makes you feel well. That way, you'sll enjoy them and, if you'sre following a healthy lifestyle, you'sll enjoy a healthy weight, too.

> Go ahead and buy all those goodies on sale in jumbo packages. They'sre for your guests; they won'st create any problem for you having them around. Our real advice: Good intentions aside, mere exposure to food often sets us up for wanting to at least taste it, especially if we'sve got the idea we shouldn'st. Help yourself by buying only as much as you really need, and even then, it might help to keep goodies tucked out of sight in the pantry until party time.

> Bank calories whenever possible. Skip breakfast and lunch to make sure you'sll overeat at the party. Our real advice: Feeding yourself well all the time leaves you better nourished and able to choose wisely whether at parties or the food court at the mall.

A healthy weight loss retreat for women only, Green Mountain at Fox Run offers a proven healthy lifestyle program that teaches how to eat instead of starve, move our bodies for pleasure and physical well-being, and manage stress and negative self-image for health and healthy weights. In operation for 37 years, Green Mountain pioneered the non-diet approach to achieving and maintaining healthy weights. You can learn more about us at http://www.fitwoman.com and on our blog at http://www.aweightlifted.blogs.com, or call 1-800-448-8106 (802-228-8885).

Media: For more information, contact:

Marsha Hudnall, MS, RD, CD

Director

Green Mountain at Fox Run

800-448-8106

mhudnall @ tds.net

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