Top Tips For Healthy Eating This Holiday Season:

Party Tips

• Plan your day ahead. Eat breakfast and a light lunch, and if possible set time aside for a walk.
• Be like Scarlet O'Hara and have a healthy snack before you arrive. It will keep party nibbles (and late night munchies) under control. You could buy an extra sandwich at lunchtime, or munch a bowl of cereal before you leave work.
• Steer clear of creamy cocktails and opt for soda-wine spritzers or long drinks with low-cal mixers. And try to alternate alcoholic drinks with low cal soft drink - if only to save yourself from a hangover!
• Be chatty, put your drink down from time to time, get dancing if you can - all will help you to pace things. And who knows whom you might meet on the dance floor?
• Beware anything deep-fried, battered and in pastry cases - that includes mince pies! And don't stand next to the food table (and bowls of crisps).
• Put plenty of crudités and salad on your plate - except for those dripping in fatty dressings
• Try to make conscious choices and keep a mental track of what you are eating - helps you stay in control and less likely to say 'blow it, I may as well keep eating'.
• Remember that there'll be plenty of parties to enjoy over the holiday season so no need to treat each one as if it were your only chance to indulge. See this is the start of your new habit of 'flexible restraint' - when you eat healthily most of the time but still fit in some fave foods. TOP 

Here are some general tips for the holiday season too. 

• Watch your portions - using a smaller plate really helps and you won't notice the difference.

• Sit down and eat slowly. Take time to really taste, savor and enjoy your meal.

• Clear the table straight after a meal to avoid picking at leftovers (or have serving dishes on the side).

• Try not to shop for food when you are hungry - or stressed! TOP 

• Keep up a regular meal pattern - rather than nibble and graze all day long.

• Half fill up your plate with plenty of vegetables or salad - for different tastes, colors, nutrients and textures.

• Drink plenty of water over the day. Enjoy a drink, but aim to stay within healthy limits as much as possible.

• Opt for lean red meat and chicken/turkey or fish without breadcrumbs, batter or fatty skin. Remember to bake, grill, stir-fry, steam or char-grill rather than fry.

• Carefully select your foods - compare labels and choose those lowest in fat (a low fat food has no more than 3g of fat per 100g).

• Skip the butter or margarine on bread - or on vegetables (try adding herbs for rich flavor).

• Enjoy baked potatoes or mashed potatoes (with low fat spread) instead of roast potatoes or chips. Or 'dry roast' - par-boil potatoes, shake in the pan, and then bake.

• Top Christmas pudding (a small serve is fine!) with low fat fromage frais or custard with a dash of orange liqueur - rather than cream or brandy butter.

• Keep tempting Christmas nuts, crisps and chocolates behind cupboard doors rather than on display all the time.

• Try tropical fresh fruit for dessert or as a nibble platter. Treat yourself to all those exotic fruits you wouldn't normally buy. TOP 

• Add seasonal low fat flavor to turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce - and skip the spread or mayo.

• Go for a nice, long energizing walk - every day if you can

• If you have a blow out or a bad day, don't despair. Just put it behind you and get back on track. Making changes always has ups and downs - you can always get back!

  75g of fat can easily hide in a
  Christmas lunch

  Bacon                           Carrots Brussels sprouts               Turkey Cabbage                         Mayonnaise Horseradish sauce          Gravy Roast potatoes                 Peas Prawn cocktail     Pork Cranberry sauce                 Trifle Glass of wine                   Chipolatas Bread sauce This Christmas lunch contains approximately 75g fat - That's more than the recommended daily fat limit for a woman (which is 70g) - and 50% more than what's recommended when you are losing weight (around 50g a day).

"Oh thank you, oh thank you Dr. Campbell and Ms. Costain.  Through the holidays my health no longer must wane. But tell me please, I need to hear. How shall I carry your wisdom through the New Year?"

"Please don't do a 'no pain, go gain'. Instead set some realistic goals that you can achieve and sustain," Ms Costain explains.

"Shaving just 10% off your weight leads to significant health benefits, focus on small steps and you'll soon be happy, healthy and find that tight dress now fits. To ward off frustration and the occasional slip, try following--a few more tips." TOP 

1. Decide what you want and write down some goals - remember to stay realistic
2. Make daily positive statements to reinforce your goals, for example, 'I am eating healthily, being more active and getting fitter every day'
3. Keep a diary to stay aware of your habits, and to track your progress
4. Indulge in some regular self-nurturing. If you feel good about yourself you're more likely to achieve your goals - and less likely to comfort eat.
5. Move more, more often. Buy a pedometer and work towards doing at least 10,000 steps each day
6. Plan and shop ahead whenever possible to ensure that you have the best food choices to hand.
7. Beware 'all or nothing' thinking - 'I've eaten a big chocolate bar/missed my gym session so I may as well keep eating/give up'. The chocolate/gym lapse isn't a problem but your reaction to it could be. It's easy to focus on failures and dismiss all your successes! Forgive, forget, and get back on track.
8. Eat regular meals, starting with breakfast and watch your portion sizes, especially when eating out
9. Enlist support - from a friend, partner, health professional, group, and chatroom, whatever - to help you solve rather than feed problems. Remember that your GP and the practice team can help too.
10. Enjoy your journey towards establishing new attitudes and lifestyle habits that you can keep up - for a slimmer, healthier future. TOP 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
from Roche®,
Supported by Roche Products Ltd, makers of the weight-loss medicine Xenical (Orlistat)

Source: Xenical, Roche

Dr Ian W Campbell:

A graduate of Glasgow University, Ian is a General Practitioner in Nottingham and Associate Specialist in the Overweight Clinic at the University Hospital, Nottingham. He is Chair of the National Obesity Forum (NOF), a nationwide network of doctors and nurses promoting "best practice" in the management of overweight in the NHS. Through the NOF he has helped produce the first guidelines for obesity management specifically for primary care, developed educational packages for health professionals and launched the NOF Excellence in Primary Care award. Ian has lectured to medical audiences on obesity management throughout the UK and overseas and serves on several advisory boards to industry. His written work has centred round the need for more pro-active obesity management in primary care. He has written for a wide variety of medical journals and has contributed chapters to two books on obesity management.

Lyndel Costain B.Sc.SRD

Lyndel is a state registered dietitian, nutrition consultant, health writer and broadcaster on British television and radio. Over the past 17 years she has worked in both the NHS and as an independent practitioner, with six years as spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association (BDA). Lyndel's clinical specialities include weight management and eating disorders. As well as seeing patients, she writes, broadcasts and trains other health professionals. She also works to improve national weight management services by serving on a number of advisory boards and committees. Lyndel was Health Professional of the Year in 2001 and is a past nominee for the esteemed Caroline Walker Trust nutrition award. Her books include Super Nutrients, Diabetes Cookbook, Easy Gluten-free Food and now Diet Trials.

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