Trimming the Holiday Fat

Easy tips from SAR’s Joan Salge Blake

Video by Alan Wong.

In the video above, Joan Salge Blake, a Sargent College clinical associate professor, reveals some “waist-friendly” tips to consider during the holiday season.

Indulging during the holidays is hard to avoid. There’s turkey and all the fixings at Thanksgiving, eggnog and all those calorie-packed cocktails at holiday parties, and Christmas cookies and candy to tempt you wherever you turn. 

According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the average adult gains about one pound between mid-November and mid-January each year. And while that may not sound like much, the study also found that most adults fail to shed that weight, which tends to add up over the years.

Experts say that it’s important to find strategies to keep from gaining weight in the first place. With that in mind, we consulted noted nutritionist Joan Salge Blake (SAR’84), a Sargent College clinical associate professor, for some tips about enjoying the holidays without having to let out your waistband in the New Year.

Among Salge Blake’s recommendations: reduce your plate size, don’t go to a holiday party hungry (she suggests eating a low-cal salad beforehand), and avoid using food as a tool for coping with academic or work stress.

Salge Blake reiterates the findings of the New England Journal of Medicine study and says that going into one holiday season a pound heavier than the year before adds up. “The cumulative effect of holiday weight gain could be a problem,” she says.

So take to heart the advice she offers in the video, and enjoy your holidays!


Check out Joan Salge Blake’s blog Nutrition and You! for more holiday tips.



Alan Wong can be reached at alanwong@bu.edu.