Dining out plus special family meals are potential landmines for those struggling with their weight. Managing an active social calendar that revolves around food, said Jeffrey Gersten, PsyD, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, can be a real stressor. Dr. Gersten counsels participants in Gottlieb’s Medical Weight-Loss Program, where dozens of patients have successfully lost, and are keeping off, individual weight losses of 100 pounds and more.
Carol Johncours, who works in Pre-Admission Testing lost 65 pounds, thanks to her husband, George, who lost more than 80 pounds through the Medical Weight-Loss program. “I followed him and together we made the changes in eating and added exercise to support each other,” said Johncours.
The Johncourses are satisfying their sweet tooth with a 70-calorie cup of pudding topped with non-fat whipped topping or a pre-portioned low-calorie ice-cream novelty. “We choose fresh vegetables, fruits and salads rather than other high-calorie items, and chicken and fish in place of beef or ham,” said Johncours. “When we go out to eat, we take half of our meal home to control portion size.”
Here are Dr. Gersten’s top five tips to keep you from going overboard at social gatherings:
1)The Roadmap You need a plan for the party. Identify your trigger foods – those that you know you will be unable to eat in a moderate portion and avoid them completely. Provide yourself healthy options, such as bringing your own low-fat snacks to get-togethers.
2) The Tell-Tale Crumbs So you polished off the entire carton of French onion dip and the bag of chips, or gobbled a plate of cookies. Take control of the situation immediately. “Don’t tell yourself that because you’ve overindulged, all bets are off and everything is now fair game,” said Dr. Gersten. Don’t let this set-back de-rail your commitment to lose weight.
3) Give Yourself a Time-Out A walk in the neighborhood to enjoy the fresh air, playing a favorite CD, or even just taking a deep breath are all ways to relax and destress. “When you are calm, you are in control,” said Dr. Gersten.
4) Friends, Through Thick and Thin Talk to a friend, or fellow party-goer, about your desire to eat healthy. Enlist their aid in not encouraging you to “just try this” or guilt you into eating their favorite dish.
5) Maintain Utter Consciousness Think about what you eat. Give yourself the five-minute rule – stop eating for five minutes to see if you are really hungry or just bored.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
