A study in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat quickly tend to be three times more likely to be overweight. A study in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat quickly tend to be three times more likely to be overweight. (iStock)

'Tis the season to avoid temptation. An abundance of parties have food and drink flowing your way this time of year.

According to The New England Journal of Medicine — which has published a surprising number of studies on holiday eating habits — if you're of average weight, you can expect to walk away from all that eggnog and Bûche de Noël about a pound heavier. But here's the real jaw-dropper: The journal also reports that most of us never shed that one pound gain, and separate studies show this poundage accounts for 51 per cent of our annual weight increase.

From that perspective, the holidays look an awful lot like some kind of diet playoff — shine here and you're on a roll; falter now, and you've got some serious training ahead of you this spring.


"One plus with the holidays is that you know ahead of time that you're going to be dealing with an increase of food and temptation," says San Diego-based physical trainer Jaana Kunitz. "Instead of stressing about slip-ups after the fact, this means you can actually be preemptive. I tell people to bump up their workout by about 15 minutes a session for the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's," she advises.

Not only are you giving yourself some leeway, but studies also show that calorie burn is directly connected to muscle-to-fat ratio (think of muscle as a calorie furnace). The fitter you are going into the season, the more efficiently you'll metabolize that fruitcake.

But if you want to avoid the "eat now and pay later" scenario, you can train your brain to resist temptation.

"What we're learning is that the brain is highly trainable, almost like a muscle," says Martin Binks, Ph.D., clinical director and CEO of Binks Behavioral Health and assistant consulting professor at Duke University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "Each time you resist a craving, you're wiring your mind to respond that way more naturally."

Engage in mindfulness

In addition to repeatedly making healthy choices, regularly engaging in mindfulness practices can help. According to a recent study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, people who practice yoga on a daily basis tend to eat less and to be more in control of what goes into their mouths.

"A lot of overeating happens when we don't pay attention," adds Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. Wansink's research has consistently shown that eating is influenced not by fullness but by outside factors. For example, people eating from soup bowls that were constantly (and secretly) being refilled consumed 73 per cent more than those who ate from a normal bowl.

"We tend to rely on visual cues to help us determine when to cut ourselves off," says Wansink. "My best advice is to serve yourself once, on a single plate, and graze from that for the rest of the night. That way, you'll really be able to see how much you're having."

'I like to pick out two or three things I really enjoy and eat them slowly. If you think about those first few bites, they're the ones you react to. After that, you get used to the taste.'—Mirelle Guilliano, writer

Experts also discourage fasting before an event to try to limit the caloric damage. "Come the holidays, I see a lot of the feast-or-famine approach," says nutritionist and registered dietitian Elizabeth Somer, author of Eat Your Way to Happiness. "People know they're going to get a lot of food later in the day, so they try to cut back earlier on. Unfortunately, this means they're starving by the time the finally eat — and they wind up overdoing it."

Somer suggests increasing your ratio of foods rich in fibre throughout the day, as this creates a lasting feeling of satiety and buffers the rate at which glucose is absorbed into your bloodstream. A recent Pennsylvania State University study found that people who ate an apple about 15 minutes prior to a meal not only consumed 190 calories less than those who came to the table unfed, but they also ate 190 calories less than people who'd had applesauce or juice. It turns out that the sheer volume of the apple in their stomach kept their appetites that much more in check.

Still, there's no denying that the excitement, extra stimulation and peer pressure surrounding holiday events pose a challenge. "I tell my clients to arm themselves … especially at parties," says Manhattan nutritionist Stephanie Middleberg. Among her most time-tested tips: wear something form-fitting. Not only will the exposure keep your mind squarely on not overdoing it, the snugness of the clothing will let you know the second you eat one canapé too many.

Be a picky eater

Similarly, she recommends keeping your hands full of anything but food. From cameras to fabulous clutches, the more things you have to juggle in order to load up on food and wine, the less frequently you'll indulge. Also, hang out with a mixed crowd. A recent study found that women ate 300 calories less when in a larger mixed-gender group than they did among only women.

The holiday season is the best time to be a picky eater. "Apply the selectivity process as much as possible now," says Mirelle Guilliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat. "I like to pick out two or three things I really enjoy and eat them slowly. If you think about those first few bites, they're the ones you react to. After that, you get used to the taste."

There's solid science behind this slower, more choosy attitude: A study in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat quickly tend to be three times more likely to be overweight. Researchers believe this has to do with the fact that these people eat so fast they don't give their fullness signal time to kick in (about 20 minutes after your first bite).

And go for quality, not quantity. Protein-rich treats like sashimi or feta cheese fill you up and have staying power. Plus, they have complex flavors, which have been tied to satiety, and contain fewer simple carbohydrates and other quickly metabolized ingredients.