Of course, it's not necessary (or practical, or effective) to completely change the way you celebrate the season. Holidays are about tradition, and if you don't feel like you can take part in the things you love most about them, you won't enjoy them. And there's no way to keep that up for a lifetime.
Instead, gear up by thinking about the non-food things you love about the holidays. How can you enjoy the season without losing sight of your goals?
"First of all, you might want to give yourself a bit of room in terms of whether you'll maintain or lose during the holidays," If you've been working hard on weight loss for months and you know the holidays will be tough, maybe the trick is to lower your expectations. For example, aim to maintain during the holidays, rather than lose. Then start picking up steam again in January.
Above all, don't give up. This is the time of year when it's easiest to throw in the towel. Think about what a difference to your determination it will make when January comes and you don't have to start all over again at square one!
Making a list, checking it twice
Check the Community for more tips on making it through the holidays. We asked users there what they'll do to keep their plan going through the upcoming holiday season. Here's their advice, along with some more tips from Jain:
•Make it about the people and events, not about the food.
•Increase exercise wherever possible (walking through the mall to find gifts, parking farther away from the store, taking a walk in the evening to "de-stress").
•Remember the HALT strategy: Before you eat, ask yourself whether you are eating because you are Hungry, Angry/anxious, Lonely or Tired, and adjust your behavior accordingly.
•Make sure that what you're eating tastes really good and is worth it to you. Don't eat dessert or extra servings just because they're there, and don't eat things you can eat anytime.
•In buffet situations, scan over all the food options before filling your plate. Be very clear and deliberate about what you're eating, and why.
•Do it one meal at a time, one day at a time … even one hour at a time. And celebrate every minute you stay on track.
Holiday Sugar Cookies
PointsPlus™ Value: 5
Servings: 24
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 9 min
Decorate these classic holiday treats with the icing recipe given below, or experiment with colored sugar crystals and other colorful sprinkles.
Details Read all reviews (6) Ingredients
1 cup(s) sugar
1/2 cup(s) reduced-calorie margarine, at room temperature
1 large egg(s), lightly beaten
1/4 cup(s) light corn syrup
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom, if desired
2 large egg white(s)
2 cup(s) powdered sugar, lightly packed
Instructions
In mixer on medium, beat sugar and margarine together until crumbly. Add 1 egg, corn syrup, lemon juice and vanilla; beat until smooth and pale in color.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom. Slowly beat flour mixture into margarine mixture until blended. Divide dough into four equal parts and flatten each quarter to form a round. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly spray baking sheet(s) with cooking spray. On a lightly floured board roll out one round to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness. With a lightly floured Christmas tree cookie cutter (about 2 inches tall), cut out cookies and transfer them, about 2 inches apart, to baking sheet(s); repeat with remaining dough.
Bake until golden brown on bottom, 5 to 9 minutes. Remove from the oven; cool completely.
For Royal Icing, in a large bowl whip egg whites and powdered sugar at low speed until sugar is moistened. Beat at high speed until glossy and stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 6 minutes. Divide icing depending on how many colors you want to use. Add food coloring to achieve desired tint. To decorate cookies place icing in a small plastic bag; snip a tiny hole off one corner of the bag. Pipe icing onto the cooled cookies to create tree-trimming designs and ornaments. Yields 24 trees.
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