The problem with the holiday season, I think, is not necessarily that there is so much AMAZING and yummy food around all the time – it’s that there’s never enough time to burn off the calories. ‘Tis the season to run around like a madwoman so typically our days are packed with regular life plus all the extra activities that come with the holidays. That leaves little – if any- time to exercise and burn off those gingerbread cookies, chocolate + candy, and those incredibly yummy little pretzel-with-the-Rolo-and-M&M thingies.

So I was particularly intrigued by some tips in this month’s Prevention magazine for tips to make “Small Changes that take off Big Pounds”. Sounds good, right? They had 11 great tips, but many of them are the typical ones that you hear – keep a food diary (blech), limit high fat foods to once per week (really? doesn’t sound fun), and climb more stairs.

However, they did have some ones that were new to me – or an interesting twist on an oldie-but-goodie. Here are my favs:

1. Sign up for healthy newsletters. Apparently a recent study from Kaiser Permanente found that “people who received weekly e-mails about diet and fitness for 16 weeks substantially increased their levels of physical activity and intake of helathy foods while cutting back on trans and saturated fats.” Huh! I have a favorite – Deborah Enos sends a daily email (or is it weekly?) that is touted as taking only 20 seconds to read and it always has something interesting and helpful. You can sign up for it on her website: http://www.deborahenos.com/. I am also a big fan of the WebMD emails.
2. Walk 5 minutes more every day. This one is not new, but they had some interesting ideas – walk around the perimeter of the grocery store before you start shopping, move in place whenever you are on the phone, go through or around the entire shopping mall instead of parking next to the store you need.
3. Take 10 minutes to eat a treat. I should REALLY try this – I inhale sweets. They are a little over the top with this one, however, since they say “take a minute to smell it, look at it and think about it.” I dunno – I think that’s a bit odd. But taking small bites and chewing slowly is definitely something I’m going to try. They say that by taking more time to eat something you are more likely to feel more satisfied. You also might find that you are content after only a few bites.
4. Obey the 1 mile rule when doing errands. I would be even more gung-ho about this one were it not snowing heavily outside as I write this. But the concept is that you should walk briskly to do any errands that are 1 mile away or less. If that’s not feasible – then park in one location to go to multiple stores (good for when you shop in a town center). They say that Americans use their car for two-thirds of all trips that are less than 1 mile away. Yipes! I have to say – we live 1/2 mile from our town center and I love being able to walk into town to do errands or go out to eat.

The article in Prevention cited recent research from the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that “participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in tehir food choices and/or physical activity each week lost more than twice as much belly fat, 2 1/2 more inches off their waistlines, and about 4 times more weight during a 4 month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines.”

Check out the article to read all of the tips. You never know – there might be a few that will help you get through this season made almost entirely of calories.

I get emails periodically from WebMD. If you haven’t signed up for them, it’s a good one to do. They don’t inundate you with spammy type messages, it’s just periodic emails – always with something interesting. This was about simple ways to cut calories in your eating. I know most of it is not “news” – it’s old tried and true stuff. But it was good to see it as a review as we start entering the halloween-candy-lasts-until-eat-your-bodyweight-thankgiving-leads-to-holiday-parties-ends-with-new-years-guilt season.

SO I figured it would be good to post this for anyone who is looking for tips to control the calories (this is taken directly from their newsletter):

Sure, you can lose weight quickly. There are plenty of fad diets that work
to shed pounds rapidly — while leaving you feeling hungry and deprived. But
what good is losing weight only to regain it? To keep pounds off permanently,
it’s best to lose weight slowly. And many experts say you can do that without
going on a “diet.” Instead, the key is making simple tweaks to your
lifestyle.

One pound of fat — is equal to 3,500 calories. By shaving 500
calories a day through dietary and exercise modifications, you can lose about a
pound a week. If you only need to maintain your current weight, shaving 100
calories a day is enough to avoid the extra 1-2 pounds most adults gain each
year.

Adopt one or more of these simple, painless strategies to help lose weight
without going on a “diet”:

Eat Breakfast Every Day. One habit that’s common to many people who have
lost weight and kept it off is eating breakfast every day. “Many people think
skipping breakfast is a great way to cut calories, but they usually end up
eating more throughout the day, says Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, author of The
Pocket Idiot’s Guide to the New Food Pyramids. “Studies show people who
eat breakfast have lower BMIs than breakfast-skippers and perform better,
whether at school or in the boardroom.” Try a bowl of whole-grain cereal topped
with fruit and low-fat dairy for a quick and nutritious start to your day.

Close the Kitchen at Night. Establish a time when you will stop eating
so you won’t give in to the late-night munchies or mindless snacking while
watching television. “Have a cup of tea, suck on a piece of hard candy or enjoy
a small bowl of light ice cream or frozen yogurt if you want something sweet
after dinner, but then brush your teeth so you will be less likely to eat or
drink anything else,” suggests Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, WebMD’s “Recipe Doctor”
and the author of Comfort Food Makeovers.

Choose Liquid Calories Wisely. Sweetened drinks pile on the calories, but
don’t reduce hunger like solid foods do. Satisfy your thirst with water,
sparkling water with citrus, skim or low-fat milk, or small portions of 100%
fruit juice. Try a glass of nutritious and low-calorie vegetable juice to hold
you over if you get hungry between meals. Be careful of alcohol calories, which
add up quickly. If you tend to drink a glass or two of wine or a cocktail
on most days, limiting alcohol to the weekends can be a huge calorie saver.

Eat More Produce. Eating lots of low-calorie, high-volume fruits and
vegetables crowds out other foods that are higher in fat and calories. Move the
meat off the center of your plate and pile on the vegetables. Or try starting
lunch or dinner with a vegetable salad or bowl of broth-based soup, suggests
Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. The U.S. government’s
2005 Dietary Guidelines suggest that adults get 7-13 cups of produce daily. Ward
says that’s not really so difficult: “Stock your kitchen with plenty of fruits
and vegetables and at every meal and snack, include a few servings,” she says.
“Your diet will be enriched with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and
if you fill up on super-nutritious produce, you won’t be reaching for the cookie
jar.”

Go for the Grain. By substituting whole grains for refined grains like
white bread, cakes, cookies, and pretzels, you add much-needed fiber and will
fill up faster so you’re more likely to eat a reasonable portion. Choose
whole-wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, bran flakes, popcorn, and whole-rye
crackers.

Control Your Environments. Another simple strategy to help cut
calories is to control your environment – everything from stocking your kitchen
with lots of healthy options to choosing the right restaurants. That means
avoiding the temptation by staying away from all-you-can-eat restaurants.
And when it comes to parties, “eat a healthy snack before so you won’t be
starving, and be selective when you fill your plate at the buffet,” suggests
Ward. Before going back for more food, wait at least 15 minutes and have a
big glass of water.

Trim Portions. If you did nothing else but reduce your portions by 10%-20%,
you would lose weight. Most of the portions served both in restaurants and at
home are bigger than you need. Pull out the measuring cups to get a handle
on your usual portion sizes, and work on paring them down. Get instant
portion control by using small bowls, plates, and cups, says Brian Wansink, PhD,
author of Mindless Eating. You won’t feel deprived because the food will look
plentiful on dainty dishware.

Add More Steps. Get yourself a pedometer and gradually add more steps until
you reach 10,000 per day. Throughout the day, do whatever you can to be more
active — pace while you talk on the phone, take the dog out for an extra walk,
and march in place during television commercials. Having a pedometer
serves as a constant motivator and reminder.

Have Protein at Every Meal and Snack. Adding a source of lean or
low-fat protein to each meal and snack will help keep you feeling full longer so
you’re less likely to overeat. Try low-fat yogurt, small portion of nuts, peanut
butter, eggs, beans, or lean meats. Experts also recommend eating small,
frequent meals and snacks (every 3-4 hours), to keep your blood sugar levels
steady and to avoid overindulging.

Switch to Lighter Alternatives. Whenever you can, use the low-fat versions
of salad dressings, mayonnaise, dairy products, and other products. “You
can trim calories effortlessly if you use low-fat and lighter products, and if
the product is mixed in with other ingredients, no one will ever notice,” says
Magee. More smart substitutions: Use salsa or hummus as a dip; spread sandwiches
with mustard instead of mayo; eat plain roasted sweet potatoes instead of loaded
white potatoes; use skim milk instead of cream in your coffee; hold the cheese
on sandwiches; and use a little vinaigrette on your salad instead of piling on
the creamy dressing.