Here’s how to stave off the holiday weight gain

If something is repeated enough times it often is regarded as true.

Case in point: the 8-10 pound holiday weight gain. Media doctors, nutritionists and self-proclaimed health advisers sound the alarm about the holiday food bombardment.

But the 8-10 holiday weight gain is a falsehood. To gain 10 pounds in one month would mean eating an extra 1,100 calories a day.

The only research on this topic is a New England Journal of Medicine paper from 2016 that found a one-pound weight gain over the holiday season.

This good news has a downside. The one pound stayed with the participants throughout the year. Slow creeping weight gain is a common pattern in adults and the holiday pound could be a contributor.

To keep the Happy and Healthy in the Holidays, here are my favorite tips:

Stay mindful. Enjoy the appearance and aroma of the food before making your dining choices. Focus on chewing and savoring the flavor of every mouthful. Eat what you love and don’t feel pressure to finish when full.

Start a meal with salad. This boosts intake of healthy vegetables and leads to satiation with a

reasonable amount of food.

Don’t multi-task during meal time. Stop eating when having a dinner conversation. Enjoying the company of those around you is a great way to slow down eating and allow the message of fullness to travel from your stomach to your brain. Step away from the food and snack bowls. Fill your small plate and find your spot. Standing near the food leads to mindless munching. Watch the beverages. Not only do mixed drinks have calories, they are known to replace common sense with a sense of abandon. Have a club soda with a twist between the cocktails.

Eat a light snack before an event. Going to a party starving is a path to overeating. Survey a food buffet before making selections. Choose and eat what you enjoy. No need to clean your plate.

Sheah Rarback MS, RDN is in private practice in Miami.