How to Maintain Your Weight During Chanukah: Effective Tips for You

Seasonal holidays like Chanukah can encourage overeating, limited physical activity, and consumption of calorie-rich foods, such as doughnuts, latkes, and other fried delights. In fact, holidays and festive seasons — regardless of the time of year — can be significant contributors to weight gain and disrupt blood sugar balance.

Here are some tips to help you avoid weight gain during the holiday season:

1. Doughnut or Latke

The doughnut has a bad reputation for ruining diets, and rightly so: A regular medium doughnut contains at least about 350 calories. To burn off those extra calories, you'd need to run about five kilometers. Nevertheless, even those with diabetes can enjoy a doughnut, provided they balance their sugar levels and don't overdo it. It's recommended to make your own doughnut using almond flour to control the size, ingredients, and sugar content. Additionally, baking instead of deep-frying the doughnuts can save significant calories.

The infamous latkes are typically made from potatoes and deep-fried. Alternatively, consider making vegetable latkes from zucchini, cauliflower, or another vegetable.

2. Snack Smartly

During Chanukah, unhealthy snacks like doughnuts, latkes, and other treats are more readily available than usual. When these delights are in reach, there's a higher likelihood of unnecessary snacking. At home, this can be tackled by keeping treats out of sight. However, this strategy is harder to apply in situations like holiday meals, work parties, or family gatherings. Try arriving at these events after having a nutritious meal and drinking water — you might find yourself wanting the high-carb foods less.

3. Watch Portion Sizes

With the arrival of the holidays, it becomes easier to let loose and pile up the plate. Those who eat larger portions tend to gain weight more easily than those who stick to smaller portions. The best way to counter this is to control portion sizes (such as splitting a doughnut or latke) or using smaller plates.

4. Practice Mindful Eating

Often, during holiday feasts, people get into the festive spirit, feel relaxed and joyful, and pay little attention to what they're eating. Studies show that those who eat distractedly tend to consume more than necessary. This is because they're unable to notice the body's signals indicating fullness. To prevent this, eat consciously and minimize distractions. Try chewing slowly and thoroughly, which allows you to better recognize your body's fullness signals and consume fewer calories.

5. Ensure Sufficient Sleep

Lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. The reason is that those who don't get enough sleep tend to be hungrier, consume more calories, and exert less energy. Limited sleep can increase levels of the hunger hormone, ultimately leading to higher calorie intake. Additionally, insufficient sleep is associated with a lower metabolism rate.

6. Balanced Meals

Holiday meals are typically rich in carbohydrates but low in protein. Therefore, it's important to include protein in every meal as it promotes a sense of fullness and can be useful in weight maintenance. In fact, eating protein with meals can automatically reduce calorie intake by curbing hunger and appetite. Protein is also beneficial for weight control because it boosts metabolism and increases appetite-regulating hormones.

7. Focus on Fiber

Fiber is another element that promotes fullness and improves digestive system performance. Several studies have shown that dietary fiber can contribute to reducing overall calorie intake. Most foods during Chanukah don't contain enough fiber. Therefore, it's recommended to eat fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables, low-carb fruits, and nuts.

8. Minimize Cooking Engagement

Many people spend a lot of time cooking and baking during the Corona times and holiday seasons. Unsurprisingly, this can lead to weight gain as cooking often requires tasting the dishes. Even small bites of holiday dishes can add calories. Avoid cooking when you're overly hungry.

9. Limit Doughnut Consumption

Doughnuts make an appearance at every meal during the holiday, often leading to excessive sugar and fat consumption, common factors in weight gain. Instead of eating a doughnut every day, allocate yourself just one doughnut for the whole holiday or make a low-carb homemade doughnut.

10. Limit "Liquid Calories"

During the holiday, there's a tendency to drink more alcohol, sodas, and other calorie-rich beverages. These drinks can contribute a significant amount of sugar and empty calories, potentially causing weight gain. Additionally, alcohol consumption is often linked to an increased appetite and is another risk factor for weight gain. Therefore, drink water or soda instead of soft drinks or juices and limit alcohol consumption to up to one glass for women and up to two glasses for men.

11. Change the Recipes

Homemade high-calorie dishes are one of the factors for weight gain during the holidays. However, you can reduce the calorie content in recipes in many ways. Here are some ideas:

In Baking:

• Instead of sugar, use a low-calorie substitute like stevia, erythritol, or xylitol.
• Add nuts and dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, candies, or dried fruits.

In Cooking:

• Add flavor to dishes with herbs and spices instead of soup powders.
• Enrich your recipes with fat that contributes to satiety and slows the absorption of sugar into the blood.

12. Be Active with Family and Friends

Lack of activity can contribute to weight gain, especially when accompanied by overeating. Engaging in any physical activity, even short, can be beneficial in controlling body weight. Start with something simple like a family walk.

13. Connect with Like-minded Partners

Many people report success in achieving weight goals when they have a partner in the process. Try finding a partner – a spouse, friend, or neighbor – with a similar weight mission to yours, as this will add to your motivation and help you stay on track even during the holidays.

14. Draw the Line

During the holidays, many people hold a mentality that says: "I'll start the diet tomorrow." This mindset can eventually cement unhealthy habits. It's important to be aware that a slip or two may occur. People often abandon their goals after this happens. However, it's best to simply move forward and make a healthier choice the next time you eat.

In conclusion, Chanukah can pose a challenge to daily nutrition. It's essential to stay vigilant, pay attention to what you eat, and not overdo it. For those with diabetes, it's recommended to use a continuous glucose monitor to understand how various foods affect the body. Consult a certified clinical dietitian, even through online services, to commit to a balanced and healthy eating process during the Corona routine or holiday.

Adina Becher is a clinical dietitian at the DMC Center for Diabetes Treatment.