Think Twice Before Grabbing That Cookie

It’s holiday cookie time! How many of you find yourself grabbing a cookie here and there as you tell yourself it’s not a big deal … you can burn off the calories later.  Read on to see how these little treats add up quickly and learn how to prevent “holiday treat weight gain”.

We have all been in the situation where we reach for some “small” treat thinking it really isn’t a big deal. You tell yourself that you will burn the calories off  with exercise later or will start dieting tomorrow. However keep in mind that mini indulgences on a regular basis will end up having an impact on your weight. As little as an extra 50 calories a day will make you gain 5 pounds a year. And with the holiday season in full bloom, there are many tempting little treats around!

Here are the scenerios:
– You are in your office and see the box of chocolates. You think one little chocolate couldn’t hurt.
– You are baking cookies at home (hmmm- do city girls bake? We usually don’t cook…) and see the cookie that came out malformed. You should probably eat it so your guests don’t think you are lacking in cookie baking skills.
–  You are at a holiday party and see the bowl of nuts. One little handful couldn’t hurt.
–  You have already had 3 glasses of bubbly at your holiday party. Why not one more small glass?

Before you indulge, think twice!
One holiday cookie = 100 – 150 calories
One bite of cookie dough = 50 calories
One tablespoon of frosting = 60 calories
The piece of candy that flows over the candy dish = 100 calories
One handful of nuts = 225 calories
One small piece of fruit cake = 300 calories
5 potato chips with dip = 130 calories
One glass of eggnog (6 oz) = 300 calories
2 oz of Liqueur (i.e. Bailey’s) in your coffee = 200 calories

Is it worth it?
So let’s say that you let yourself have that little something extra. Here is the amount of exercise you would need to do to burn off those extra calories.

– Stair climb for 30 minutes to burn off the calories in a glass of eggnog
– 40 minutes of brisk walking to burn off the calories in 2 oz of Bailey’s in your coffee
– 40 minutes of running to burn off 2 glasses of champagne and a handful of party mix
– Eliptical machine for 30 minutes to burn off the calories in 2 holiday cookies
– 25 minutes of raquetball to burn off the calories in a handful of nuts

* these are only estimations. The actual amount of exercise you would need to do depends upon your weight and exercise intensity.

So bottom line, holidays are a time of year to enjoy yourself. However don’t have the attitude that you can treat yourself on a regular basis. That is how slow creeping weight gain occurs. Try to keep the treats to a minimum! As you can see, it is hard work to burn off the extra calories.

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