Binge Eating During the Holidays

Hank sat slumped on my black leather office couch, his back to a foggy bay view on this December morning. When he let me see how disgusted he was, the beer-belly joviality that he conveys when standing degraded into the angry look of a man who felt cheated of a birthright. Greying hair peeked out under his Irish tweed cap as he stared at me.
“Look. It was just a heart attack, ok? And the three stents made me good as new. My family needs to get off my back. Imagine trying to guilt trip me into believing that my grandson needs me… he’s got plenty of relatives.”
I waited for the emotional hurricane to pass. “How many Christmas cookies make a good night?” His petite wife loved to bake with her twin granddaughters. “Aww… they’re tiny… I really don’t count. Why spoil the fun?”
As I thought, Hank had no idea of the danger he was in. His holiday binge cookie eating and beer drinking were enough to roll out a weight gain of 10 pounds as I remembered from the last year’s binging.
“Hank, you are hurting your chances for a healthy year. Do you want to do that?”
“I’m not dumb!  Of course, I don’t want another heart attack, but a cookie is a cookie. It’s tiny.” He looked impatiently righteous. I backed off.
“I have some pointers for you. Take them or leave them but it can’t hurt to listen. They may help you enjoy cookies for many more years.” He sat attentively but there were no guarantees on his ability to stay in control over the holidays and I knew it. 
Thanksgiving through New Year’s can be a disaster for all of us. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s most of us eat as much as 4,500 calories a day or more than 500 extra calories a day, mostly from starches, like cookies, and the roast beef and other meat we love.
So we usually gain between five and eight pounds. The holidays are the perfect storm for binge eating. Why?
Holiday meals are made of rich food lacking fiber so it leaves us hungry. And, as soon as we think of celebrating we are deluged with temptation to throw away our good judgment.
For example, when we watch Christmas movies or football games we eat as much as 1,000 extra calories.
But what do we do to fight this binge bubble? The key is to plan ahead. 
Here are a few tips that many clients find useful:
1.    Wait to eat ’til 11 a.m.  Many of us eat more meals than our body can process so it stores the energy as fat. If we give our bodies a chance to burn up what we just consumed, we can better maintain weight and still get optimal nutrition.
2.    Drink a meal of water. If you eat a salad and drink cold or hot water you will feel fuller than you might think, and can then save some calories for the parties. A meal a day of salad and water is both healthy and refreshing for a body that must have vitamins and minerals and remain hydrated.
3.    When you feed others or dine in a restaurant begin the meal with a salad of bright colors and interesting tastes. Add apples, pears, nuts, carrots… colorful bits and pieces to please your eye as well as your health.
4.    Make green vegetables with little butter a main portion of your holiday meal. Sure, help yourself to the ham and roast beef, but rely on salad and warm green vegetables to fill up your insides and please your brain. Then leave a bit of room for one serving of dessert.
I looked at Hank and smiled. He had nearly fallen asleep from my suggestions. “Hank, what do you think?”
He pursed his lips and relaxed them. “Doctor Judith, I know you are right. And you say it so nicely that I can listen to you.”
“Tell me three vegetables and fruits you like.” I had to persevere for his health.
“Green beans, green beans, and green beans, but only with butter.” He looked over to see if he had gotten me to smile. He had.
“So how about we meet in two weeks and you can tell me how many pounds of green beans you have on store for the cookie catastrophe.” He smiled.
I felt a bit of relief. A time to touch base could help.
And he was willing to try.  Perhaps this would be a healthier year for Hank. I hoped so.
To consider: How can you plan for holiday binging? Is it worth it? Why?
To explore: The Mayo Clinic offers tips for holiday nutrition… https://mayocl.in/2DsBbsy
Dr. Coche practices clinical psychology in Stone Harbor and Philadelphia. She invites responses through her website, www.cochecenter.com