Nov. 28--For Jacqui DuBois in Benicia, it all began with nibbling some Halloween candy. Then, the cravings for sweets and other fattening food hit her hard.
But before the holiday season -- a veritable six-week eating binge -- began in earnest, she decided to slam her refrigerator door to sweets and other fattening food.
After losing 50 pounds, DuBois, the manager of the Curves fitness center in Benicia, said the holidays present too much temptation to give in just once or twice.
"People make it an excuse that they are going to overeat during the holidays but it's really a good time to watch your weight," DuBois said.
With food closely paired with fun and family get-togethers, the holidays present a perfect storm of opportunities to overeat and pack on the pounds, health experts say.
"The holidays are a fantastic set-up for overeating," said Tammy Hendriksz, Touro University physician and professor of medicine.
Lots of parties, family obligations, the never-ending supply of food and even hormones make it difficult to take a pass on holiday eating, she said.
One of those "set-ups" is the hormone Cortisol which our bodies release during stressful times, Hendriksz said.
This hormone not only can result in stronger urges to eat, but often sends a signal to the body to store energy quickly, Hendriksz said. This results in high-energy foods being quickly converted to fat, she added.
That all can lead to unwelcome weight gain.
People can gain
anywhere from one to six pounds during the six-week holiday period, said Liz Applegate, University of California director of sports nutrition.
Gaining even more weight is likely if people start pigging out around Halloween.
Then just a few weeks later comes Thanksgiving where the main meal can consist of 4,000 calories -- more than twice what most people need in a typical full day.
"We'll be finishing up (Halloween) candy from the kids and then the holidays roll in -- Thanksgiving and Christmas. But, it doesn't even end there. We can go all the way to the Super Bowl," Applegate said.
And it doesn't take much for the weight to slowly creep on, she said.
An added 250 calories a day can result in a gain of one pound in two weeks, she said.
Solano County Nutrition Services Program Manager Denise Kirnig said pounds added during the holidays don't necessarily get shed later. They can result in permanent weight gain, which is hard to get off.
That's an unhealthy trend when the nation is already battling an obesity epidemic, she and others said.
In the last three or four decades, the country has seen a dramatic rise in obesity, particularly among children and teens, Applegate said.
Studies indicate that as many as two-thirds of the American adult population is overweight or, worse, obese, Applegate said.
New data indicate nearly 40 percent of Solano County youth are overweight, Kirnig said.
Some 38.29 percent of Solano's youth population logged in as overweight in 2005, and five years later, that rate had increased slightly to 38.44 percent, Kirnig said.
While stressing the rate is still too high, Kirnig takes hope it has not increased much in the last five years.
"It's not good but it's nice that it's staying (virtually) the same. It's a baby step but it's a step," Kirnig said. "Just maintaining your weight is sometimes tough."
Holiday overeating can lead to other health challenges, said Tina Singh, a Sutter Solano Medical Center family physician.
Those with high blood pressure or diabetes can find their conditions worsening if they given in to the urge to overeat, Singh said.
While DuBois plans to avoid unhealthy food altogether, others say it's OK to indulge a bit during the holidays, as long as they plan ahead and don't overdo it.
Choosing healthy fruits and vegetables and other low-fat foods over sugar- and fat-laden ones is one helpful strategy. Another is to fit in exercise among all the holiday obligations, speakers said.
People should enjoy themselves during the holidays but put the focus on people, not food, Singh said.
Of course, meals shared with families and friends make the holidays special, Solano Coalition for Better Health Executive Director Doug Hayward said.
"But people also need to keep in mind that it's easy to overload on the calories," he said.
Contact staff writer Sarah Rohrs at srohrs@timesheraldonline.com or (707) 553-6832.
At a glance:
Local weight and nutrition experts offer the following tips to help curb holiday overeating:
--Fill up on low-calorie food, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, a hard-boiled egg or cottage cheese before a holiday party to help resist tempting treats.
--Display food in only one area at a house party or at work to better control temptations.
--Avoid high-calorie alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks such as egg nog, Bailey's Irish Cream.
--Make time for exercise, even if it's a 20-minute walk, to reduce stress and burn calories.
--While at a party, avoid food to make it less convenient to eat.
--Pass on fattening food you can get any time, such as cheese and crackers, in favor of items you can only get at the holidays.
--If you have seconds at a holiday meal, eat low-fat vegetables until you get full.
--Schedule bigger meals earlier in the day and then take the family or group of friends on a walk afterward.
--Be mindful of fattening appetizers or skip them and just eat vegetables.
--Watch portion sizes.
--Make new holiday traditions, such as going to a park for a walk before or after dinner, or making healthy dishes.
--Change recipes slightly to make them less fattening -- reduce sugar and fat amounts in recipes or use low-fat cream cheese and mayonnaise.
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