| It happens at every party: You swear that you'll stick | | | | one child is eating a certain way, the whole family |
| to your diet and you're really sticking to your guns, | | | | should be eating that way - healthy." |
| popping crunchy baby carrots into your mouth like | | | | Outside buddies, who provide encouragement and |
| chocolate bon bons while everyone else is loading up | | | | help 24/7, also can be part of your weight-loss |
| on nachos and guacamole dip. | | | | network. "I recommend having someone to talk to |
| Then someone - your mother who has been slaving | | | | before, during and after you go to these events," |
| over the hot stove all day, your Uncle Mike who has | | | | Harrison says. "Buddying up during the holidays is |
| polished off three martinis, your best friend Mary | | | | crucial for people who are alone because you get |
| who has been trying to lose 25 pounds for the last | | | | companionship. You get someone on your team. is |
| 25 years - steps up to your plate and fills it with an | | | | one way to do this. It is ideal for a lot of people |
| extra-large helping of guilt. | | | | because it's like one-stop shopping." |
| "Come on, live a little. Just eat one piece," your sister | | | | Once you have a buddy, you can work together to |
| says as she tries to stuff the stuffing in your face. | | | | change the menu for future parties. "Make the |
| "It's your favorite, and I made it just for you. I'll be | | | | holidays less about food," Cipullo says. "Meet for |
| hurt if you don't at least try it." | | | | appetizers and drinks, not for formal sit-down dinners. |
| And before you know it, you're having your and | | | | Go ice skating or go for coffee or go out to a |
| everyone else's cake and eating it, too. | | | | restaurant and choose your own food. Go out and |
| Family and friends, the people you expect to support | | | | look at holiday lights. Go for a manicure or a pedicure |
| you, are the very ones who are most likely to | | | | with your friends so you can sit around and chat and |
| sabotage your diet, either consciously or | | | | catch up." |
| subconsciously, and that's why you need a neutral | | | | And if your willpower does buckle under the |
| buddy to get you through not every wedding, | | | | mistletoe, remind yourself that it doesn't have to be |
| birthday, bar mitzvah and holiday party, experts say. | | | | feast or famine. "When you learn to ride a bike, you |
| "When we sit down at the table, we're all sort of | | | | sometimes fall off," Harrison says. "And when you |
| comparing how we shape up with the other people | | | | learn, you don't learn to ride in a straight line; you |
| there," says Henrietta Harrison, a psychotherapist and | | | | weave back and forth and that's how diets should |
| life coach in Westport, Conn. "We're all looking around | | | | be." |
| the table to see who looks older than last year, who | | | | WeightLossBuddy.com's Top 10 Tips for the Holidays |
| looks thinner, who looks heavier." | | | | 1.Find a buddy to help you get through the event and |
| And when people indulge, adds Laura Cipullo, a | | | | call or e-mail the buddy before, during and after the |
| registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator | | | | party. For more information on the buddy system, go |
| with offices in Manhattan, New Jersey and upstate | | | | to |
| New York, "typically they want others to be 'bad' | | | | 2.If you are a guest, eat a small low-calorie snack |
| with them and indulge, too." | | | | before you go to the party at the time you usually |
| But as Cipullo and Harrison point out, just because | | | | eat dinner. If you are the cook, eat a small |
| you are offered the piece of homemade pumpkin pie | | | | low-calorie snack before you prepare the meal. |
| doesn't mean that you have to eat the whole thing. | | | | 3.Eat smaller portions of everything on the table. |
| But it does mean that you can understand why you | | | | 4.Nibble your way through the party. |
| are being asked to eat it and then enlist your family | | | | 5.Use the three-bite rule: If someone insists you eat a |
| and friends to help everyone beat their bad eating | | | | food that's not on your diet, only eat three bites of |
| habits. | | | | it. That way, you can tell the cook how much you |
| "It can be threatening to a partner when the other | | | | have enjoyed it, and everyone is satisfied. |
| loses weight because the thinner person will become | | | | 6.Ask whether you can take a piece of pie or cake |
| more attractive to other people," Harrison says. | | | | home to eat later. Savor every bite by pacing |
| "When you lose weight, particularly if you are a | | | | yourself, only eating a little bit every day. |
| woman, your confidence increases and it's | | | | 7.When you turn down a fattening food, substitute a |
| empowering. This can upset the balance of power | | | | lower-cal food in its place. For instance, instead of the |
| because as she gets more assertive, she becomes | | | | pumpkin pie with whipped cream, eat an apple. |
| confident enough to change jobs, run for the PTA or | | | | 8.Just say no to that extra helping of stuffing. But do |
| even go back to work." | | | | it politely. |
| By making your family and friends your buddies, | | | | 9.Change your holiday traditions so that activities, not |
| everybody wins the weight-loss game, Harrison and | | | | food are the center of attention. |
| Cipullo say. "The buddy system is a good idea," Cipullo | | | | 10.If you do blow your diet, don't punish yourself and |
| says, "because the entire family can be on the same | | | | don't end your diet. Every day is a new day. |
| page. If mom and dad are eating a certain way or | | | | |