 | Ed Martin is owner of Healthy Choices, Inc. of Wichita. Ed has been involved in the energy and health fields for over 30 years, focusing on pioneering new technologies and bringing cutting-edge products and services to the marketplace. You can reach Ed at; 316-207-7343, or by e-mail at healthychoices1@cox.net |
Health & Wellness
2008-01-01 14:23:00
How to maintain weight during the holidays
As I am writing this, Thanksgiving is just a week away, and a month after that is Christmas. I love the holidays and all the wonderful things to eat, but I also dread them because I always put on weight. What do you do to avoid all the temptations and maintain your weight during the holidays?
Answer: I am probably not the best person to be asked this question, because I don’t have much control over what I eat during the holidays. I absolutely love all the food, as that is part of what makes this season so special to me. In fact, some of the dishes are family traditions that bring back great memories of past years’ celebrations with family members and special friends. As I am writing this, it is the middle of December and we are having freezing rain outside. It definitely feels like winter, and it is easy to be looking ahead to Christmas. My mind is visualizing a typical Christmas dinner for our family with favorite dishes that are always part of our traditional meal. Along with the turkey, dressing and gravy are things like my mother’s cranberry salad, Aunt Mary’s candied sweet potatoes, Sue’s mother’s green bean casserole, Grandma’s corn, and the list goes on. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. While your family’s traditional menu items might be different than mine, I think you will agree that Christmas dinner just would not be the same without our favorites.
The holidays are also a great time for desserts. Some people are able to walk away from sweets, but I am not one of them. Think of all the pies, cakes, cookies and other baked treats. And chocolate, …I love chocolate! My mother-in-law is gone now, but she used to make a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate fudge that was to die for. Whenever I am around fudge, I have to have a piece.
In your question, you asked how I avoid all the temptations, and from my answer thus far, it is probably pretty obvious that I really don’t even try to avoid temptations. However, I do try to manage them a little. Let me explain by telling you what happened for me this year over the Thanksgiving holiday. Sue and I went to Dallas to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter Amy, her husband Brian and their two small children. Our other daughter, Beth, was also there, and over the 4 days we were together, it seemed like there was always food around. If we weren’t eating another meal, we were watching football games and snacking.
In previous columns I have talked about how I lost over 30 pounds since June, and I was down to 188 pounds when we left for Dallas. While we were at Brian and Amy’s, I did not deny myself anything that I wanted to eat, but I did try to control my portions somewhat. For example, my plate held some of everything that was served for our Thanksgiving dinner, but it was not piled as high as normal and I did not take any 2nd helpings. Still, by the time we got back to Wichita on Sunday, my weight had gone to 192. However, I was not worried. On Monday morning I put the appetite control patch back on my right ankle, just as I had done when I lost weight before. I love the patch because I don’t feel like I am dieting and I eat whatever I want, but I am eating less due to not being as hungry. By the weekend, my weight was already down to 188.5 pounds.
So there you have the answer to your question as best I can say it. I don’t dread the holidays, …I enjoy them. I think that is what we all want to do anyway. In fact, I believe that if we deny ourselves something that we really enjoy, it will just be a matter of time before we fall off the wagon and overeat on what we have been denying ourselves. Instead I modify my eating habits by taking smaller portions of what I would have been eating anyway. Then if I do gain a little weight, I don’t worry about it. I know that all I will have to do after the holiday will be to start using the drug-free appetite control patch again, and my weight will return to normal within a very short time. The company that makes the appetite control patch also makes a patch that tells our body to turn stored fat into energy. Since burning fat produces twice the energy of carbohydrates, wearing the patches provides a noticeable increase in strength, endurance and overall energy levels without drugs. However, the benefit I love is that the patch is causing my body to burn stored fat at an increased level. After Christmas I fully expect to be a few pounds heavier than now, but I will not be worried about it. Instead I will try using the energy patch along with the appetite control patch for a one-two punch in attacking my weight gain. I expect to be back to my pre-Christmas weight pretty quickly without any negative side effects. In fact, with weight loss this easy, I may decide to take off a few more pounds so that I can be right at my ideal body weight of 185 pounds.
I hope you have found my personal experiences helpful. To recap my advice, I urge you to enjoy the holidays, eat whatever you want but control your food intake through smaller portions, and don’t worry if you put on a few pounds. With the right products and a little discipline, it is not hard to get back to your pre-Christmas weight quickly and easily. Have a wonderful Holiday Season and a New Year that brings you joy and happiness.
