Resolution: Maintain, don’t gain during holidays

BY JOHN L. GUERRA

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

New approach to consider: Instead of trying to lose weight during the holidays, try not to gain weight. That advice is from the Monroe County Health Department and North Carolina State University, which have teamed up to create the “Maintain, Don’t Gain Holiday Challenge.”

That’s because people in the Keys are overweight — they’re not as bad as other counties in the state, but still need improvement, the health department says.

The Florida Health Department’s 2012 obesity study puts Monroe County pretty low on the overweight children scale. About 9.5 percent of Keys middle and high school students are considered obese, leaving only three other counties with lower rates. Hendry County’s 19.2 percent obesity rate for middle and high school students, for instance, is highest in the state.

A related figure: 17.2 percent of Keys mothers were themselves obese when they gave birth in 2012. That’s why health experts believe eating habits may be handed down from parents, and thus the note to the home.

The “Maintain, Don’t Gain” program, among other things, tweets out ways to eat healthier at holiday parties. As if anyone will listen to those tweets when faced with outstanding food.

Chris Tittel, spokesman for the Monroe County Health Department, says it’s a lot to ask for anyone to go on a diet during the holidays, so maintaining one’s weight is not so unreasonable sounding. Once you have the weight steadied, that can be a base from which to attack after the holidays.

“If you know your Body Mass Index at the start, you can check your BMI every few weeks into your plan to see if you’re actually doing any good,” Tittel said. “If not, then you’ll have to decide where you can improve.”

OK, here are some tips, which show up every year like pumpkin pie.

  • If you’re used to big meals in the morning, at noon and in the evening, try to work toward eating smaller meals throughout the day instead. Smaller meals break down more quickly and easily in your body.
  • “When you order, ask for a takeaway container so that you can cut your meal in half right when it comes to the table,” Tittel said. “Stowing half your meal at the start not only ensures that you’re not going to overeat, but also gives you another meal to enjoy the next day.”
  • Make sure at least half of your plate is filled with fruits and vegetables.
  • Just 30 minutes of walking every day, along with eating a healthy diet, can bring changes pretty quickly, Tittel said.

“Although adult obesity rates in Monroe County are low compared to statewide rates,” Tittel said, “There’s always room for improving those figures. We also want to encourage those who are already at a healthy weight to maintain that weight.”

The holiday health eating program is the latest effort to keep kids and parents trim in the Keys. School nurses send letters home to parents of children who are overweight.

“We have a nurse in each school, and every year they do body mass index (BMI) checks on the elementary school kids,” Tittel told Konk Life. “What they’ll do is see a kid whose BMI is low or high, and send a note home to the parents.”

To sign up for the program, which lasts until after the holidays, go to https://esmmweighless.com. You’ll get tweeted reminders on eating, emails updating you with more information, and other strategies for maintaining your weight.

 

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]