Cheating the Cheating and Holiday Eating Guide

"Cheating the Cheating”

3 places where your ‘Dieting Skills' will be put to the test!

The Mall
People spend an average of 13 stressful hours at the mall during the holidays- plenty of time to grab lots of bites to eat.

What you can do:
1. Have a meal, not a snack. A Cinnabon roll has 730 calories and a Tim Horton's Blueberry bran muffin has 420 calories, while two slices of vegetarian thin-crust pizza has some protein and will fill you up for just 384 calories.
2. Decide what you want ahead of time. The mall's variety- Chinese! Pizza! Fries! All in one place!- can reduce your self-control to zero. Result: You eat more, and you eat worse. So enter the food court with a healthy food choice destination.
3. Say no to butter, mayo, tartar sauce, creamy dressings, or extra cheese. Use mustard, ketchup, salsa, salt, pepper or vinegar as fat-free ways to season your food.

The Party Buffet
Even amazing willpower means nothing when that tempting spread is staring at you all night long.

What you can do:
1. Grab a protein snack beforehand. You'll have 10 times the self-control.
2. Know you can stop. An extra calorie is an extra calorie, so having eaten one cookie is no reason to eat 10 more.
3. Let yourself feel full. Take a small plate of whatever you want, but wait 15 minutes before heading back to the buffet. Chances are you'll stop there.
4. Remember, you are there for the socializing and not just for the food. The holiday season is about celebrating with family and friends - you can focus on your goals and still have a great time.

Your Couch
As the winter doldrums kick in, we tend to spend more time snacking and sitting still.

What you can do:
1. Instead of snacks, eat your regular meal as you watch the television. While we never recommend eating while watching TV, it's food you'd eat anyway. Control portions and you'll be satisfied without overeating.
2. Pick pizza over wings. Five chicken wings with blue cheese pack about 130 more calories and three times the fat of a slice of pepperoni pizza. Thin crust vegetarian pizza is an even better choice!

The Holiday Party

Picking a drink

~Best holiday coffee: For a grande made with skim milk and no whipped cream, a gingerbread latte (200 calories and 0 grams of fat) is the winner. A skim peppermint mocha weighs in at 280 calories and 3 grams of fat, and a skim eggnog latte has 450 calories and- believe it- 18 grams of fat.

~Best nonalcoholic option: Apple cider (120 calories per 8-oz glass) saves you a few calories over cranberry juice (137 calories)

~Best everyday drink: At about 100 calories per 12-oz bottle of light beer or 4-oz. glass of wine, take your pick. Just know that today's wineglasses can hold twice that much, leading you to down more calories without realizing it.

~Best special-occasion cocktail: A glass of champagne (85 calories per 4-oz.) trumps just about everything else. A chocolate martini with vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream and crème de cacao has about 440 calories.

~Best toddy: Have a hot buttered rum (220 calories per 8-oz. glass). It's better than eggnog with brandy, which can pack up to 460 calories.

~Best mixers: Have your vodka or rum (96 calories per 1.5-oz serving) with diet soda, or sweeten seltzer with a slice a lemon or lime- both are practically no-cal. And stay away from sour mix. It packs 27 calories an ounce- that's more than twice as much as soda!

Picking your chocolate fix

~Have three chocolate-dipped strawberries (135 calories), six dark Hershey's kisses (150 calories) or three small peppermint patties (159 calories).

Picking a baked treat

~A homemade chocolate chip, sugar or peanut butter cookie will cost you about 70 calories; that's about 300 calories less than your typical slice of fruit cake.

If you're feeling off track, don't dwell on it; you can always get back on track at the next meal. Believe in yourself- you can do it! Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Dr. Doug