Americans gain an average of five to seven pounds between Halloween and New Years.
To start the New Year off right, the Schneck Medical Center Weight Loss Center in Seymour has the following healthy eating tips:
•Eat five or six small meals daily rather than the usual three meals: Frequent eating helps to control blood sugar and to curb your appetite.
•Eat a light, healthy meal a few hours before the holiday event: You are more likely to control your intake if you are not extremely hungry.
•Eat slowly and listen to your hunger cues: If you are not hungry, pass on the second helpings.
•Eat foods that make you feel fuller, longer: Foods that are high in fiber slow the transit of food through the upper digestive tract, making you feel fuller for a longer time. So eat a delicious apple or crisp carrots as a snack rather than grabbing a handful of chips.
•When choosing from a buffet, sample a variety of foods in small portions: Skip the usual, familiar foods and choose the special holiday items instead. Also remember to control calories by using only small amounts of sauces and gravies.
•Choose your favorite dessert and share it with someone: Just a taste of your special treat may be enough to satisfy your “sweet tooth.”
•Increase your exercise over the holidays: Exercise burns calories, reduces holiday stress, and renews your energy level.
•Pass by those close parking spaces and park farther from the mall entrance: Also take a few laps around the mall before you begin your shopping spree.
•Take a brisk walk: Before a holiday event, take a brisk walk around your neighborhood.
•Tomorrow’s A New Day: If you eat more than you had planned, get back on track the next day and set realistic diet and exercise goals for a healthier New Year!
Whether you’re looking for more nutritional counseling or wanting to take a bigger step with surgical weight loss surgery, Schneck Medical Center offers a variety of services. SMC has a Weight Management/Nutrition class that focuses on the basics of good nutrition and the behavior changes necessary to lose weight and maintain proper weight. The class includes an overview of healthy diet, exercise, and behavior modification.
If you decide that bariatric surgery is the right option for you, SMC has a comprehensive team in place to help you achieve your goals. In fact, Schneck Medical Center has just been named an American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence in the delivery of bariatric surgical care. To be eligible for ASBS designation, hospitals must perform at least 125 bariatric surgeries annually, and individual surgeons must do at least 50 surgeries a year. It is this amount of experience that makes us a leader in surgical weight loss surgery.
