Remember, Only Bears Need Winter Fat
It’s the season when eggnog is offered at espresso stands, pumpkin pancakes are available at IHOP, and family recipes for cookies, kisses and dream bars are resurrected. After Halloween’s candy bowls are emptied, we face colder, darker weather, and for many people, a desire to eat more. Packing on winter fat is necessary for hibernating bears but not for humans. For those who don’t want to add hibernation calories during the holidays, here are a few tactics that may be helpful.
First, remember that no one forces you to eat. We have to take ownership for what we put in our mouths. It’s easier to blame our spouses, friends and co-workers than to recognize we have sabotaged ourselves. Learning how to make good food boundaries with the people offering the food is critical.
Encountering the “food pusher” can be tricky. The food pusher loves to make food for people and insists that you take some. A food pusher places food and/or beverages on your desk, plate or in your glass with or without permission. They know what’s best for you. Because their feelings and sense of self-worth are tied in with your acceptance of the food, not accepting may result in a rift in family, friendship or business relations.
When food is pushed your way, you have a couple of options. You could accept it and freeze the food in portion sizes suitable for you and/or your family. If your freezer is already full, take a normal portion size, then dispose of the rest in the garbage or compost. Better to put extra calories in the ground than on your body.
In many cultures, and ours is no exception, food is more than protein, carbohydrate and fat. It’s interwoven with how we love, share, feel, express positive and negative emotions and cope. For many, especially those who grew up in the Depression, disposing of food brings up feelings of guilt.
Another option is to decline the food. Local dietitian Vivienne Dutzar says, “We need to be more straightforward about telling people that we’re full and that eating will make us uncomfortable. We’ve bought into not saying anything for too long.”
Consider that half of the American population is overweight, and one-quarter meets the standard for obesity. Each year, obesity-related healthcare costs our nation approximately $70 billion dollars. Obesity is one of the main reasons diabetes has risen 70 percent in the past 10 years among people in their 30s.
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, limb amputation and it doubles the risk of suffering a heart attack.
The “guilt-tripper” is someone who tries to make you feel guilty when you turn down type of food, beverage or dessert offered to you. They differ from the food pusher in that they are much more vocal about your taking or not taking their sacred food offering.
They’ll use stabbing statements such as, “I spent all day making this meal, and that’s all you’re having?” Let the guilt-tripper know that you care for them, and in a firm but friendly voice, inform them that you’ve eaten enough food and that you’ll gladly take some food and/or dessert home.
They might be temporarily upset, but you’ve got to care more about yourself than what others think about your eating habits.
Another holiday character is the “food pointer.” Pointers make verbal observations such as, “Wow, you haven’t even touched your mashed potatoes,” or, “Hey, have another slice of pumpkin pie, you’ve only had one.” It’s their self-proclaimed job during a meal to monitor the amount and rate of your eating.
You might respond to their inquiries by eating more food, but one of the best ways to get around the pointer’s offense is to change the subject. Ask them something about themselves to shift the focus off of your plate or drink.
The “super-sizer” is someone who routinely puts twice as much food on your plate as you normally would. You have to be very direct and specific with the super-sizer. If they overload your plate, don’t hesitate to tell them to reduce your portion size. Better yet, try and put your own food on your plate.
This is especially important when it comes to alcohol. If you request one ounce or jigger of alcohol in your drink and you get three, you might get a DWI.
If you’re attending a lot of social functions where alcohol is served, you might consider ordering beverages that you can use as a prop. Iced drinks don’t work well as a prop because the ice will eventually melt and people will notice and you might end up with another drink in your hand. Dutzar recommends using club soda with a lemon or lime wedge, making the beverage look like a drink. If you drink alcohol, a glass of wine makes a good prop because there’s no ice to melt and you can sip it.
Another tactic is to pace yourself when you eat. Allow yourself to put your fork down and engage in conversation. If you’re shy, you might use food as a way to avoid conversation - all the more reason to eat slowly. Playing music with a slow beat during meal times will help slow down your eating. Like dancing, we let the tempo of the music affect how quickly or slowly we eat.
The holidays should be filled with the gathering of friends and family. Emphasizing how much is consumed takes away from the importance of being together. Dish up your own food when possible, say no thanks to more food when you’re full, and don’t feel guilty about putting food back in the ground.