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Eat Christmas Cookies . . . Lose Weight

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December 7, 2009
	Dr. Gary Huber : Head Medical Ego

Hey . . . what happened? I turn around and magically there are Christmas bells in my ear. Seems to creep up on me every year without warning. You know those Christmas cookies, pies and cakes are coming and for many of us it means loosening the belt a notch or two. Well I want to challenge you to a better option. For those of you that read my Christmas Challenge last year you know where I am headed. For those of you new to the site I wish a fond welcome and an invitation to get on board quickly and get up to speed.

Christmas means holiday treats but at Health Alter Ego it also means holiday health. I don’t believe in deprivation so if you want to enjoy the edible goodies that come with the season, and you should, then you have to earn them so that you don’t earn an expanded belly instead.

So, first things first: read last year’s Weigh Less During the Holidays. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

So why not take a stab at it? What have you got to lose? Commit yourself to an ideal that has both health and cookies involved.

Here is how you get started:

1. Weigh yourself tomorrow morning first thing after your natural “relief” but before you eat anything. This is your starting weight and 27 cookies from now you can be lighter and healthier. (Plan to weigh yourself several times a week at the same time, first thing in the morning before eating.)

2. Go through your pantry and refrigerator and get rid of foods that don’t qualify under the guidelines established in the Weigh Less During the Holiday article. No Pop Tarts, no breads or cereals, no rice or potato, no pasta. These are high carbohydrate foods and not your friends. They are to be reserved for weekend holiday party consumption but if they are present in your house Monday thru Friday they will find the bottom of your stomach and of course you thighs. Get rid of them and anything else that would serve as a temptation. This is an exercise that can change your life so get serious.

3. Now go stock your refrigerator and pantry with good whole foods that will serve you well. Lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans, and meat (chicken, beef, fish). Come up with a few snack ideas that you can enjoy when you get hungry such as an apple and peanut butter, carrot stick in hummus, or a piece of fruit.

4. Plan your exercise outlets. Do you need a trainer? If so then find one now. Write down (that means get a pen and paper NOW!!!) exactly what exercises you will do. Just writing the word “run” is not good enough. A better example would be, “I will run three miles at a 9 minute per mile pace and sprint the last 100 yards”. Details are important. If you write it down then the odds of you actually doing it go up dramatically. Now come up with 3 or 4 different exercises you can do and enjoy. Yes, you have to enjoy it too. It’s Christmas, the season of joy. You will feel this joy at least 5 times a week.

5. Write down 3 or 4 specific treats that you love and are allowed to eat to your hearts content if they are ever spotted at a party of holiday gathering. Yes these are the very treats that you crave every year and are now the driving force behind your newfound exercise passion. My personal favorites are the Buskin bakery tea cookies and sugar cookies. I have license to consume them whenever spotted, and this is free of guilt. Now I intentionally avoid those crappy grocery store reject cookies with the plastic icing. I am not allowed to eat those because the calories are quite frankly just now worth it. So make up your list and do it guilt free.

The plan works if you stay true to the spirit of the challenge. If you exercise with high spirits and eat good whole food instead of processed junk during the week then you should be free and clear to enjoy your holiday treats and not feel deprived, not feel guilt and NOT gain weight.

This year I am going to share my experience with you on a daily basis. I will tell you what I am doing and eating and share with you my victories and failures. I will offer strategies along the way that I have learned over the years and for those of you brave enough to commit to this same endeavor, we will celebrate come January 1st with new learned behaviors, a one pound weight loss, and the beginnings of a Happy New Year. Oh yeah, we will also have enjoyed the sweet pleasures of tasty holiday treats. Score!

So stay tuned as I attack the cookies with a vengeance.

Happy Holidays to you and your health,
Dr. Gary Huber

Note: In case you missed one, all of Dr. Huber’s posts for the Holiday Challenge are featured in the Holiday Challenge Section of our website