>> THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO STAY ON TRACK
DURING THE HOLIDAYS WHEN IT COMES TO DIET AND EXERCISE. BUT
DON'T THROW IN THE TOWEL. CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH
PAUL HALLORAN, A REGISTERED DIETITIAN AT BAYSTATE MEDICAL
CENTER WHO SPOKE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING A
HEALTHY DIET AND GAVE GREAT ADVICE ON HOW TO PULL THAT OFF.
THAT DOES IT FOR CONNECTING >> YEAH, SO I SEE A LOT OF TIME
INDIVIDUALS MIGHT HAVE STARTED SOMETHING AND HAVE BEEN WORKING
ALL YEAR AND MAYBE THAT WAS THEIR PREVIOUS YEAR'S RESOLUTION
WAS TO MAYBE START EXERCISING MORE FOLLOWING A MORE HELPFUL
DIET AND THEN THE HOLIDAYS COME AND IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT
AND I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS MAYBE ONE DAY -- THERE'S A
HOLIDAY PARTY AND YOU HAVE THAT ONE MEAL AND THEN WHAT CAN
HAPPEN AS IT KIND OF SNOWBALLS FROM THERE OF JUST OH, NO, I HAD
THAT ONE DAY. SHOULD I GIVE UP WHAT I'D BEEN
DOING BEFORE? AND THERE'S ANOTHER HOLIDAY
PARTY AND IT CAN DEFINITELY SNOWBALL INTO LOSING TRACK OF
ALL THAT WORK YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE
YEAR. >> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
REMIND YOU ALL THE WORK YOU'VE BEEN PUTTING THROUGH THE WHOLE
YEAR BECAUSE IT'S EASY TO SAY I JUST CHEATED.
WHAT THE HECK, PASS ME ANOTHER PIECE OF PIE AND I THINK THAT'S
A VERY NORMAL REACTION FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND A LOT OF TIMES YOU
BACK IT UP TO, LIKE, HALLOWEEN, THE HALLOWEEN CONTAINED AND THEN
Y -- CANDY AND THEN YOU HIT
THANKSGIVING AND THEN THAT LONGMONT OF DECEMBER.
>> SO STAYING ON TRACK AND KIND OF JUST REMEMBERING, YOU KNOW,
TO ENJOY THE TIME WITH THEIR FAMILY AND ENJOY THE FOOD THAT
EVERYONE IS BRINGING BUT, YEAH, REMEMBERING -- JUST BEING
MINDFUL OF YOUR FOOD CHOICES AND JUST BRINGING IT BACK TO KIND OF
ALL THE WORK LIKE YOU'VE SAID -- JUST THE WORK YOU'VE
BEEN DOING FOR THE REST -- THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
>> RIGHT, AND ARE THERE STRATEGIES THAT YOU HAVE FOR
PEOPLE IF YOU'RE GOING TO A PARTY OR GOING TO A FAMILY'S
HOUSE FOR DINNER? DO YOU DRINK A LOT OF WATER OR
KIND OF POSITION YOUR PLATE SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF VEGETABLES ON
IT? I MEAN, WHAT I KINDS OF TIPS DO
YOU GIVE YOUR PATIENTS. >> YEAH, SO GOING TO A HOLIDAY
PARTLY, IF YOU KNOW -- PARTY, IF YOU KNOW THAT MAYBE A FAMILY
MEMBER IS GOING TO BE BRINGING A DESSERT THAT YOU KNOW YOU'RE
GOING TO BE GRAVITATING TOWARDS, MAYBE BRING SOMETHING YOURSELF
OR VOLUNTEERING TO BRING SOMETHING EVEN LIKE A VEGGIE
PLATTER OR FRUIT PLATTER JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN
GRAVITATE FOR IF YOU HAVE THOSE CRAVINGS.
USING A SMALLER PLATE AS AN EXAMPLE.
MAYBE YOU GRAB A DESSERT PLATE AND JUST USE THAT AND HAVE HALF
OF YOUR PLATE SOME VEGETABLES AND THAT WAY YOU'RE GETTING YOUR
VEGETABLE INTAKE FOR THE DAY BUT THAT CAN ALSO KIND OF TAKE UP
SOME SPACE ON YOUR PLATE FROM SOME OF THOSE MORE TEMPTING
FOODS. >> WHAT ABOUT CALORIE SWAPPING
I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE THE TURKEY, GRAVY AND THE STUFFING
BUT I'M GOING TO HAVE THAT GREAT PIECE OF APPLE PIE IS THAT
ALLOWED BY A DIETICIAN ARE YOU ALLOWED TO DO THAT?
>> KIND OF BEING MINDFUL OF YOUR CHOICES AND KIND OF SAVING ROOM
FOR THE END 'CAUSE, I THINK, AS WE'RE EATING YOUR BODY KIND OF
DOESN'T KEEP -- YOUR MIND DOESN'T KEEP PACE WITH HOW
QUICKLY YOU'RE EATING SO KIND OF EVEN EATING SLOWER CAN BE
HELPFUL JUST TO GIVE YOUR MIND TIME JUST TO SAY YOU KNOW WHAT?
I'M STARTING TO FEEL FULL OR EVEN I'M STARTING TO BECOME
UNCOMFORTABLECALLY FOOL JUST LOOKING FOR THOSE HUNGER CUES
CAN BE HELPFUL. >> AND I THINK ALSO FOR PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A HEALTH CONDITION, THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE OR A TARGET WEIGHT BUT THIS IS
REALLY -- JUST REALLY MAKING SURE YOU'RE KEEPING YOURSELF
HEALTHY THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAYS. HOW DO YOU HELP SOMEBODY WHO HAS
A HEART CONDITION, FOR EXAMPLE, OR DIABETES KIND OF REALLY
STAYING ON TRACK. >> IF YOU'RE HOSTING A HOLIDAY
PARTY AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING A MAJORITY OF THE COOKING.
YOU CAN ALWAYS DEVIATE FROM THE RECIPES AND KIND OF NOT
FOLLOWING THEM TO A T IF A RECIPE HAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF
SALT, MAYBE ADDING MORE FLAVORS ADDING HERBS AND SPICES INSTEAD
OF RELYING ON SALT. IF A FAMILY MEMBER DOES HAVE A
HEART CONDITION MAYBE USING THE VERY LOW -- OR LOOKING FOR LIKE
NO ADDED -- SORRY, NO ADDED SALT BUT VERY LOW SODIUM LIKE CHICKEN
BROKE THE IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE MAKING A GRAVY, THOSE TYPES OF
CHOICES JUST TO HELP REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF THE SALT YOU'RE GOING
TO BE CONSUMING OVER THE WHOLE MEAL.
>> OKAY. YOU WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE
SMALLER PLATE AND EATING SLOWLY. ARE THERE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, JUST PULLING YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE
TABLE AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THE TIME, JUST SIMPLE THINGS TO
KIND OF DISTRACT YOU FROM WHAT'S AROUND YOU?
>> YEAH, DEFINITELY ENJOY DEFINITELY THE COMPANY THAT
YOU'RE WITH. IF YOU'RE TALKING OR DEFINITELY
DIFFICULT TO EAT SO -- >> RIGHT.
>> JUST ENJOY THE CONVERSATION. THERE'S EVEN A TRICK OF PUTTING
YOUR FORK DOWN IN BETWEEN BITES CAN BE HELPFUL, JUST TO KIND OF
KEEP YOU ENGAGED IN THAT CONVERSATION BUT ALSO FROM KIND
OF JUST MINDLESSLY KIND OF EATING SO THAT CAN BE HELPFUL,
YEAH. >> AND HOW ABOUT CHILDREN AS
WELL BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS CAN BE A BIG TIME AND EXCITING TIME
BUT THERE'S LOTS OF CANDY AND SWEETS OUT THERE AS WELL.
>> MAYBE EVEN FOR THEM JUST KEEPING THE SWEETS FOR DESSERT
TIME, JUST KEEPING IT FOR THAT ONE TIME INSTEAD OF KIND OF
THROUGHOUT THE DAY. IT CAN BE FOR EVERYONE, TOO,
SO... >> WHAT KIND OF ENCOURAGING
WORDS DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEBODY WOULD MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT ON
TRACK AND DID HIT THAT, YOU KNOW -- THAT LITTLE OBSTACLE AND
FEELS LIKE FORGET IT, I'LL WAIT UNTIL JANUARY 1st.
I'M SURE YOU'RE GOING TO RECOMMEND NOT WAITING UNTIL
JANUARY 1st. >> DEFINITELY, JUST REMEMBERING
KIND OF THAT YOU DO WANT TO ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS BUT JUST
REMEMBER THAT YOU WANT TO DO IT WITH THE BEST CHOICES IN FOOD AS
POSSIBLE. >> AND IT'S A LIFESTYLE CHANGE,
ISN'T IT? BECAUSE I THINK WHEN WE THINK OF
RESOLUTIONS JANUARY 1st I'M JUST GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING THAT
I DO, THAT'S NOT REALISTIC BUT SLOWLY BUILDING UP TO IT AND
CHANGING HABITS IS REALLY THE KEY?
>> IT CAN EVEN BE SMALL CHANGES TO START.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ALL AT ONE TIME.
IF YOU DRINK 3 BOTTLES A SODA A DAY, MAYBE TRYING TO DRINK MORE
WATER AND HAVING ONE BOTTLE OF SODA A DAY IS A REALISTIC
STARTING POINT 'CAUSE YOU DO WANT TO KEEP IT REALISTIC AND
DEFINITELY ACHIEVABLE. YOU DON'T WANT TO SET GOALS THAT
ARE TOO HIGH BECAUSE THAT CAN LEAD TO THAT FEELING OF OH, NO
I'VE BROKEN IT THIS ONE DAY. IS IT EVEN WORTH CONTINUING?
YEAH, DEFINITELY JUST STAYING MOTIVATED AND STAYING ON TRACK.
>> ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU AND A LOT OF THINGS PEOPLE
GET CARRIED AWAY IS THE SCALE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE MOVING
THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS AND THERE MIGHT BE A LOT OF SALTY FOODS
AND MAYBE YOU HAD A SET-BACK. >> YEAH.
>> D YOU STAY AWAY FROM IT? HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT?
>> YEAH, I TYPICALLY DON'T RECOMMEND TOO MUCH AS FAR AS THE
SCALE. IF INDIVIDUALS DO YOU HAVE A MEL
CONDITION THAT THEY DO WANT TO BE MONITORING THEIR WEIGHT, THEY
SHOULD BE CONTINUING THAT ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS
BUT FOR A GENERAL HEALTHY PERSON WHO'S JUST TRYING TO KEEP THEIR
EYE ON THEIR WEIGHT FOR THE HOLIDAYS, I WOULD PROBABLY SAY
CONTINUING WITH WHAT YOU WERE DOING BEFORE, MAYBE ONCE A WEEK.
MAYBE NOT GET TOO WRAPPED UP IN THE NUMBERS ESPECIALLY OVER THE
HOLIDAYS. YOU DO WANT TO ENJOY YOUR FOOD
AND THE TIME WHEN YOU'RE WITH YOUR FAMILY.
♪