By Megan K. Scott
NEW YORK — Beth Dunn is taking a scale break. Judi Moreo is shelving her Jenny Craig meals. And Thea Lobell is relaxing her fried food rule — at least for the time being.
"I'm making fun choices, and I'm enjoying it," said Lobell, 39, a professional speaker in Baton Rouge, La. She wants to lose 60 pounds.
"I'll be ready to buckle down when it's time to buckle down," she added.
Holidays are often associated with parties, goodies and the inevitable weight gain. Studies show Americans gain about a pound during the winter holiday season, and for many of them, the pound never comes off.
But with many Americans stressing about their personal finances and the down economy, researchers predict more holiday bingeing than usual this year. And, they warn, that's going to catch up with them in the new year, even if they do try to get back on a healthy plan.
About one in five people eat to manage stress over the holidays, according to Katherine Nordal, executive director for professional practice, American Psychological Association. And people who use food as a coping mechanism eat more as their stress level rises, she said.
"I have been known to go through a bag of Ruffles in less than five minutes," said Betsy Goldman, 66, an attorney in Lake Charles, La., who calls herself a stress eater and habitual dieter. "It's not necessarily that I'm hungry. I just reach. I crave salt and if salt is not available, chocolate will do."
The holidays are a prime time for "stress eating," said Madelyn Fernstrom, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center. Worries over family and presents and the greater availability of food make stress eaters vulnerable.
"And sweets and fats are what people always grab when they are stressed," says researcher Adam Drewnowski, director of the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research in Seattle.
Andrea Gulley-Robinson, of Rio Rancho, N.M., said she has been reaching for the chocolate and sour cream and onion potato chips because of economic stress.
The 41-year-old resort sales manager is not making her quota at work, and her income has taken a hit because her husband is a car salesman and works on commission.
Gulley-Robinson, who is maintaining an 85-pound weight loss from a diet supplement, said she tries to work out harder to balance out the extra vending machines trips. But it's not easy.
For some people, stringent eating plans don't work during the holidays.
Dunn, 37, of Mays Landing, N.J., author of the novel, "Social Climbers," sometimes attends four or five parties a week. She normally adheres to a strict vegetarian, low-carb diet but allows herself to eat what she wants, no seconds and no dessert, during the holidays. She also takes a break from exercising — and the scale until the new year.
"This is the only time I'm like this," said Dunn.
While dieting breaks during the holidays are only natural, Fernstrom cautions against the "Thanksgiving to Jan. 1, I might as well forget it" idea. Someone in a caloric no man's land for six weeks will have a hard time getting back on track, she said.
"The new thinking is you have to pay attention," she said. "Otherwise, you will do tons of mindless eating. You will lose control and gain several pounds."
She recommends dieters work to maintain weight loss as opposed to losing during the holidays and then pick up the pace in January with a little more structure.
That's what many dieters say they are trying to do.
Moreo, 64, a motivational speaker and self-help author in Las Vegas, said her goal is not to put on more than five pounds. She gained 20 pounds between Halloween and New Year's last year.
"I'm not going to go crazy," she said. "But I say to myself, 'Oh it's OK. I can have pumpkin pie if I want. If I want to have a big helping of sweet potatoes, that's OK.' The rest of the year you try not to do it as much."
How to prevent the holiday eating binge
Stressed-out over holidays, finances, and a down economy? Before you reach for the cookies, read these tips on how to control the holiday binge.
Think about how you want to feel on Jan. 2, says Judith S. Beck, author of the "The Complete Beck Diet for Life." Ask yourself, "'If I gain a lot of weight, how will I feel?' says Beck. "'If I gain a little bit of weight, how will I feel?"'
Rethink your goals.
Rather than trying to lose weight over the holidays, work to maintain your current weight, said Madelyn Fernstrom, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center.
Do away with all or nothing thinking.
Many people feel they have two choices: stick to the diet or abandon it completely, said Beck. But there is a middle ground that is a lot healthier, said Beck, a cognitive therapist.
Her example: 'I'm going to let myself eat 200 to 300 extra calories every single day for 10 days knowing that I probably will gain a little bit of weight, but also knowing that I'm feeling good that I'm staying in control and still eating in a healthy way.'
Don't think one indulgence has ruined your diet completely.
Forgetting about a diet for a day is different than forgetting about it for a month, said Martin Binks, director of behavioral health at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.
If you pick a few days and have an extra piece of pie, you're not going to do that much damage, he said. But make sure free-for-all eating does not last until January.
Think about the purpose of the gathering.
Is to be with friends and family or overeat? said Binks.
Observe other dieters.
Compare yourself with people who are losing weight or maintaining weight loss, said Beck. Dieters often compare themselves to people who are not dieting and then feel resentful and deprived watching them eat, she said.
Be mindful of what you are eating.
Pick and choose what you eat and drink carefully, and monitor your portions, said Fernstrom.
Find another coping mechanism for stress.
"There are many people who don't eat when they are under stress," said Beck. "What do they do to cope?"
If you feel entitled to eat because you are under a lot of stress, remind yourself that eating whatever you want and whenever you want is incompatible with goal of losing weight, she said.
