How to Outsmart the Holiday Buffet with Kelly Berg and Maddison Garcia

James Hill:
Welcome to Weight Loss And, where we delve into the world of weight loss. I'm Jim Hill.

Holly Wyatt:
And I'm Holly Wyatt. We're both dedicated to helping you lose weight, keep it off, and live your best life while you're doing it.

James Hill:
Indeed, we now realize successful weight loss combines the science and art of medicine, knowing what to do and why you will do it.

Holly Wyatt:
Yes, the “And” allows us to talk about all the other stuff that makes your journey so much bigger, better, and exciting.

James Hill:
Ready for the “And” factor?

Holly Wyatt:
Let's dive in.

James Hill:
Here we go.

Holly Wyatt:
Today, we're diving into something that I think almost everyone or a lot of people struggle with this time of year: holiday weight gain.

James Hill:
Oh, yeah.

Holly Wyatt:
And Jim, let's be honest, people don't want to be good this time of year, meaning they don't want to eat perfectly, right? They want to have some of the foods that they really, really like this time of year. They want to enjoy the holidays. They want to eat the food they want to eat. They want to celebrate with their family and not step on the scale in January and wonder, uh-oh, what happened?

James Hill:
Exactly. So, Holly, here's the big question we're asking today. Can you get through the holidays without gaining weight and without missing out on the fun?

Holly Wyatt:
Spoiler alert. Yes, you can.

James Hill:
Oh, I can't wait to see how.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, it wouldn't be a good episode if it wasn't going to be a yes. Today, we're going to show you how to do that. We're going to dig into the science behind why people gain weight this time of year, what's actually going on with food, activity, stress, and holiday traditions. And then we're going to give you some clever tips and tricks and swaps for food and physical activity that can help you keep your weight steady without sacrificing that holiday magic.

James Hill:
So before we dive into the science, we want to bring in two people who are joining us for the conversation today. We've got the UAB Metabolic Kitchen team here with us. Kelly Berg and Maddison Garcia, welcome.

Kelly Berg:
Hello, thank you for having us.

Maddison Garcia:
Yes, thank you so much for having us, Holly and Jim.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, we are so glad that you're here. And for the listeners who may be meeting you for the first time, I feel like we know you so well, but our listeners may not. Could you each share just a brief introduction, kind of your role and the kind of work you do here in the UAB Metabolic Kitchen?

Kelly Berg:
I'll go first, Maddison. So as Holly said, my name is Kelly Berg. I am an assistant professor here at UAB in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. And I have a really interesting role where a part of my time is spent teaching and educating students. And then the other part is helping to direct our metabolic kitchen and research kitchen, in addition to this demonstration kitchen, which we are in today. And I work with Kelly Berg. As y'all were mentioning, my name is Maddison Garcia. I am one of the research dieticians on staff under Kelly, and it's so much fun working for this metabolic kitchen team. My efforts are split between research and a lot of community stuff. I have a pretty big background in recipe development, so I love channeling my inner Martha and everything. So we're just really excited to be here.

Maddison Garcia:
And I work with Kelly Berg. As y'all were mentioning, my name is Maddison Garcia. I am one of the research dieticians on staff under Kelly, and it's so much fun working for this metabolic kitchen team. My efforts are split between research and a lot of community stuff. I have a pretty big background in recipe development, so I love channeling my inner Martha and everything. So we're just really excited to be here.

Holly Wyatt:
Love that.

James Hill:
Okay, and just briefly, what makes the metabolic kitchen such a unique part of how UAB blends nutrition, science, and real-world eating?

Kelly Berg:
I love this question, Jim. So here at UAB, we have a state-of-the-art metabolic kitchen and demonstration kitchen, right along with having a room calorimeter on our second floor of the building. So we are creating translational research science, translating from scientific literature to the basic population, which we're here today. Everything we're going to tell you is scientifically proven, evidence-based nutrition knowledge from research dietitians. So we are one-stop shop in the state of Alabama and one of the only ones in the Southeast, even the country.

Holly Wyatt:
Wow, that is big. So Kelly and Maddison, you will be jumping in. They're going to be jumping in with us throughout this today's episode. They're going to answer a lot of questions. They're going to add some insights and they're going to bring the food side really to life. So thank you both for being part of this conversation. And I think you're also trying to, we're trying something a little different. We're filming, hopefully, a webinar that might can go along with the podcast at some point. We'll see how that goes. But I love trying new things.

James Hill:
Do we have any food to eat, Holly? Does this Zoom include food?

Holly Wyatt:
Well, I think they've got food there, but Jim, they got to get it to us. I don't know how that works.

James Hill:
Oh, bummer. All right. Now that we've got the whole team at the table, let's dig into the science behind holiday weight gain. Holly, here's what the research shows. Most people will gain one to two pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. That doesn't sound like a lot, but here's the problem. They don't lose it afterwards, so it accumulates from holiday to holiday. So it's not the big blowout that gets us, it's the small, subtle shifts over a month that we never reverse. Plus, some people gain even more.

Holly Wyatt:
One to two pounds is the average, but I know personally I've gained more than a couple pounds over the holidays. So I think you have to look at your own situation and know what your tendency might be. And I know that I can do a little bit more damage than two pounds, although I think that is the average and what the data would show. Maddison or Kelly, what are your thoughts? What have you seen people? How much do people gain over this season?

Kelly Berg:
I would say your one to two pounds is accurate. However, the day after, the first two days after, we do see a high increase due to the fact that they're eating more calories, but also more carbohydrates and more sodium than normal. So the weight gain right away may not necessarily be bad. It could still be the weight from the additional carbohydrates and sodium holding on to extra water in our bodies. So you might see a little bit of a dip. However, that one to two pounds is still accurate due to the array of delicious calories that we have around the holidays.

Holly Wyatt:
Right, right. That water gain that comes with it comes on quickly, but also will leave quickly. So that's a good thing to remember.

James Hill:
So why do people gain weight over the holidays? What's going on, Holly?

Holly Wyatt:
I think there's a lot of things. And like always, there's not just one thing, but it's kind of the perfect storm if you think about it. A lot of things happening in the food environment. We've got bigger portions. We've got energy-dense foods. Some of the foods that we love have a lot of calories in them. Lots of desserts and special occasions and high-calorie dishes. And you're always going somewhere with food this time of year.

James Hill:
Yeah, and also physical activity can tend to drop off, too. You have family coming in. There are guests. There are parties to go to. It sort of disrupts your routine. And in much of the country, it gets a little colder, so it may be harder to go outside. You may be traveling. So the bottom line is you may drop off your physical activity during this period.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, so you're eating a little bit more calories, probably. You're moving a little bit less, kind of setting yourself up, and then you got stress. You got family.

James Hill:
Oh, my gosh.

Holly Wyatt:
Or being overwhelmed.

James Hill:
People talk about the holidays being so stressful. They're supposed to be fun.

Holly Wyatt:
I know, but I think for a lot of people, it's just a lot of moving parts. And sometimes families are fun, and sometimes they can add a little bit of stress. And a lot of people, I think, cope with food, and there's lots of food around. And if you are one of those people that tend to be an emotional eater or use food as a coping mechanism, that can add up a little bit, add a little few more calories in the mix.

James Hill:
Yeah. There are also some traditions. So a lot of families will have tradition. Grandma's special apple pie or something. And, you know, these are cool. I love traditions, but you have to be a little bit careful because there's a lot of this food around. Sometimes you have a buffet, so it's easy to overeat, and other people, they're eating, so there's kind of social pressure to eat more.

Holly Wyatt:
Well, definitely. If someone has made a special dish for your family and they bring it.

James Hill:
You got to try it.

Holly Wyatt:
There's pressure to eat some of it.

James Hill:
Absolutely. You got to have a slice of that pie.

Holly Wyatt:
Sometimes you love it. You really want it from that standpoint, too. We see those in potlucks and parties and then holiday drinks, Jim. It wouldn't be complete if we didn't talk about holiday drinks.

James Hill:
You can get a lot of calories with alcohol. And again, if you're around family and parties and everything, it's easy just to get one more drink. And you can get a lot of calories that way. You have to be a little careful to not overdo it.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. So I think it's really a combination. Things we talk about all the time on this show, it's not one thing that's causing this gain. It is really a little bit of all these things that we see come around this time of year that tend to put the pressure on our bodies and maybe have us hold on to a couple extra pounds of fat. So if we know it's coming, if we know that's the tendency, what can we do to prevent it without missing out? That's really what this episode is going to be all about today. How can we prevent that one to two pounds and not miss out on the fun of the holidays?

James Hill:
Yeah, and that's important. There are lots of things you can do that are no fun, but this is a time you want to have fun. Holidays are fun. So can we have some practical non-deprivation tips that actually help? And that's where we turn to our metabolic kitchen staff.

Holly Wyatt:
Yes. So we're going to talk about some clever holiday tips, tricks, swaps, things you can do that you might not even, can't even tell the difference. That's what I want to be clever. And it's not like, oh, you're missing out. It's like, oh, I did this and I don't even know I did it. And it may even be better. I mean, that's what I think could be fun. So let's start off with one. I'm going to turn it over to our kitchen experts and give us a swap that people could try this year to see if it would help them prevent some of that weight gain.

Kelly Berg:
Yes, Holly and Jim, great, great points. And you had mentioned alcohol. Alcohol is around more prevalently during the holidays. And our first swap is going to introduce new cocktails and or mocktails. So if you do want to enjoy your alcoholic beverage, you could minimize the amount of alcohol within it, or you can choose a lower-calorie beverage or base to your cocktail. That way you can save a lot of calories. You also likely have heard of these prebiotic sodas that are on the market. There are a few of them in many grocery stores, and that is one way to have lower calories, less sugar, and also feeding your gut some good, extra-healthy bacteria with having the prebiotics within it. So we do have one prebiotic here with us today, and it is the limited edition winter classic soda. So again, there are fun ways instead of a Sprite or juice, go ahead and find something that might be tickly or fancy with other flavors. So we're going to have this cranberry soda.

Holly Wyatt:
So tell us, wait, get me the how many calories? I got to know how many calories are in that.

Kelly Berg:
Yeah, that's a great question. We have 20 calories for a whole entire can with only two grams of added sugars.

Holly Wyatt:
Wow. I like it. Yes. And it's a fun flavor. It sounds like.

Kelly Berg:
Fun flavor and can be paired with other fruits. So we as dietitians and nutrition professionals also want to encourage the consumption of healthy foods, not only because we want to just eat healthy, but we want to know that what we are providing in our bodies also nourishing us from the inside out. So you can add additional limes to this, cranberries, other berries that are in season to add an extra pop of flavor, but also a pop of nutrients.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. So we're going what from a typical drink, maybe 300 calories, maybe 30 grams of sugar, maybe more, I guess, depending on what it looks like then. And we're taking it down to what? What are we taking it down to?

Kelly Berg:
So currently in this jar right here, we have maybe 15 calories, it's not a whole container yet. But if you were to add, let's say, a shot of tequila, that would technically bring it up to around 100 calories.

Holly Wyatt:
But a big swap there, a big difference.

James Hill:
A third of what you would normally get. That's nice. I see in the stores all these mocktails. There are just tons of these mocktails. How many calorie savings do you get there?

Kelly Berg:
A lot of the mocktails really truly depends on what the ingredients are. Sometimes they are still based with juices. But making sure their base is a club soda and then additional fruits as other flavorings, that could really save you a lot. Or choosing a lower sugar or no sugar added juice. So let's say you have a cranberry juice, find one with no added sugars. There are plenty of those on the market. Make sure you are looking at the nutrition label and understanding the total sugars and total added sugars.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, you've got to read the label.

James Hill:
Read the label. And if you're getting lower than 300 calories, you've saved something at least versus your typical cocktail.

Kelly Berg:
That's correct.

James Hill:
Great tip.

Holly Wyatt:
My favorite right now, and this has been, I've been doing that for the last couple of weeks. I don't know if you've seen this come out, the winter edition ice drinks. So they have just some flavors that just come out in the wintertime. And it's like an apple cider. There's a punch. There's a ginger lime that's actually not too sweet, but it's a great mixer. So I've been playing with those and I think they're better. I'm not deprived of myself. I've actually made some of these drinks better. So this is a very cool swap that I think people should try.

James Hill:
Wow, that's a good one, guys.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah.

James Hill:
What else do you have for us?

Maddison Garcia:
All right, Jim and Holly. So this one's my personal favorite and my mom would do it all the time growing up for us and everything. But did you know that in most pie recipes, the crust actually contributes to nearly double or half the calories of a whole slice, which I just think is absolutely insane. So as my healthy swap, what I did here was I found some really cute, like creme brulee ramekins. And we actually just took the basic filling of a pumpkin pie recipe. We baked it in these ramekins and now you have like pumpkin custard and it's so good. It's so so good.

Holly Wyatt:
I don't even like the crust. That's not my favorite part.

James Hill:
Oh, I like the crust but I could see this as a good swap.

Maddison Garcia:
Even if you really love crust, you know, there's a lot of stores nowadays where you can just buy these really cute little cutouts. Get you some pie crust. Just cut out that little mini cut out. Bake in the oven then you've got a little cute topping there. I’ll add maybe a tiny dab of whipped cream.

James Hill:
That is a great idea. I could do this one, Holly.

Holly Wyatt:
And you could also maybe change the size of the ramekins to kind of control the portion a little bit. Because when I cut a piece of pumpkin pie, I can kind of cut a big piece. But if it's pre-portioned out in a ramekin, I'm probably going to eat one of whatever size that is.

Maddison Garcia:
Absolutely. I love the idea of individual portion sizes. One thing that's also just good to know, too, if you're in a holiday setting where you can't, you didn't bring the pie or the dessert, so it’s kind of out of your control. You can just eat the filling and maybe have a bite or two of the crust. You're good to go. You don't need to eat all the crust. And most of the time, people even just use the store-bought crust, which, in my opinion, homemade crust is so much more delicious, especially with all the butter and everything. So, yeah, just love this hack, and I hope you all try it out.

James Hill:
This is great. This is not deprivation. This is good stuff.

Holly Wyatt:
And how many calories, remind me again, how many calories are we swapping here?

Maddison Garcia:
So I'd say a typical pie, depending on the slice, could be 300 to 400 calories. So now this filling is probably now just 200 calories, depending on the serving size, as you're mentioning. And most of that, we've got the beta carotene and the fiber also from the canned pumpkin, which is great for satiation. And obviously, who doesn't want some healthy vitamins and minerals over the holidays and everything? So, yeah.

James Hill:
Wow, that's a good one.

Holly Wyatt:
I'm going to do this one. Because this one, for me, it won't feel like I'm giving up anything. Maybe to Jim, this might not be as good for you, but for me, it's the pie filling that I like, you know?

James Hill:
That's an acceptable change. I could live with this one.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. All right. Two great ones. Let's hear another one. What other swap could we make?

Kelly Berg:
Another swap is another literal swap. So the easiest method that I prefer to use and like to use and encourage others to also use is to use a smaller plate. So as we're walking up to the buffet table or if we're being served on a plate itself, whoever is serving or if you're doing the serving, we are visual eaters. We want to try everything. We want our plates to be full. There's a stigma around the holidays that we want to stuff ourselves so utilizing a smaller plate will allow yourself to kind of unconsciously put less food onto your plate. So instead of having a ginormous plate that might be fun and look decorative, you can always use or ask for a smaller plate, fill it up, and you'll already be satisfied mentally before you even go and take your first bite.

James Hill:
That is so cool because our plate sizes have increased. It's fun too. If you have some time, go back and look at old pictures of the 40s and 50s. Their plates were like our bread plates. They were eating on small plates. And we just made them bigger and bigger. And what do we do? We fill them up and eat everything that's on them. So this is a great tip.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. And there's lots of data, I mean, science that shows the size of our plates, the size of our cups, bags of popcorn, how big the bag of popcorn is, impacts how much you eat. So there's a lot of good data to say this works.

James Hill:
Absolutely. Portion size really affects how much you eat.

Holly Wyatt:
You get a smaller plate. You know, I tell myself, I can go back and get more if I want to. So it's really a swap, a trick that you don't even realize is working. You don't feel like you're giving up something just by changing the size of your plate. So this is another really good one to try out.

James Hill:
That's an important point. You can always go back, but you know, what happens is when you eat something, it takes a little bit of a delay before some of your satiety mechanisms come in. And everybody's experienced that where you're eating and you think you're going to go back for seconds and then you get distracted and then you're not hungry anymore. So if you wait a minute before going back, you might find that you really don't want seconds.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah.

Kelly Berg:
Another tip to add on to that and regarding satiation, we know that protein and produce or fruits and vegetables that have fiber and proteins will keep us satiated for a longer period of time. So if you're filling up your smaller plate with protein and produce; have your plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter of it being protein sources, you are going to put things into your system that are going to take a little bit longer to digest. So that way, when dessert comes around, you are not ravenous and wanting to eat the whole pumpkin pie.

James Hill:
I love it.

Holly Wyatt:
So I have to eat my vegetables first. It's kind of going on with that, right? Eat them first. And then that kind of sets the stage for what's going to come next. So I like that one too.

James Hill:
And you still can have a little bit of dessert. We're not telling you not to have dessert. We're just saying you may not need to overdo it.

Holly Wyatt:
Yes, Jim, you can have dessert. I promise you. You can have it. All right. Do we have another one?

Maddison Garcia:
Yes. Well, as Kelly was mentioning, speaking of vegetables, this is another wonderful hack that I use often. I even use this just as weeknight meals and everything for my husband and I. But did you know that if you add some roasted vegetables, maybe your mac and cheese or another holiday side dish and just swap out some of that pasta, you can reduce the calories maybe by about 30%, which is, I think, wonderful. And with that, I personally love roasting my vegetables ahead. You could just stick your raw vegetables in the mac and cheese casserole. But the issue with that is it's essentially going to steam while it's in the oven with all that mac and cheese and sauce and everything. And the texture just isn't really the best. So, really roasting them really brings out that caramely flavor. And I also recommend not overpowering your pan either. So just really try to space out the vegetables and everything so they've got good surface area for that caramelization.

Holly Wyatt:
So you roast the vegetables ahead of time.

Maddison Garcia:
Yes.

Holly Wyatt:
Because it kind of makes them sweeter too, doesn't it, when you do it that way? It brings out some of the sweetness. And then what do you do? You take them and add them to, give us a little details there ‘cause you know me, I'm not good in the kitchen. You got to spell it out for me.

Maddison Garcia:
Absolutely. So let's say we're making a mac and cheese, like a baked mac and cheese as a holiday side dish. So let's reduce that pasta maybe by about half and add instead our roasted vegetables, mix it all together. And there you have your side and everything, or you can pop in the oven, your mac and cheese and everything. But yeah, it's great. I love this. and it also works great. Let's say you're making a potatoes au gratin or like a Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing casserole. This works wonderfully too, because essentially you're just replacing that starch with vegetables that are lower in starches, obviously, and higher in fiber and vitamins and minerals. So that'll help you keep you satisfied and also lower your calorie intake.

Holly Wyatt:
So remind me, how many calories? You know me, I am keeping track.

Maddison Garcia:
So let's say we have maybe like 500 calorie portion of mac and cheese. I would not be surprised if we swap out some of the calorie dense noodles with roasted vegetables, it would probably bring it down to maybe 320 calories, which is great. And to further reduce the calories, when you roast the vegetables, you could also just use a little bit of nonstick spray instead of oil, which tends to be more calorie dense. It roasts just as well and works great.

James Hill:
Holly, I could do this one. This one, I could see doing it. Because you still get the good taste of the mac and cheese. I like it.

Holly Wyatt:
I know. Now, are you going to be doing it or is Trish doing it? Are you going to be preparing this? Or are you just going to be eating it?

James Hill:
That's information you don't need to know.

Holly Wyatt:
Well, I'm just saying, you're volunteering Trish to do this is what I think is happening.

James Hill:
Okay. Well, maybe.

Holly Wyatt:
Let's be honest, right?

James Hill:
Let's be honest. Guys, this is great. You got any more?

Kelly Berg:
I will also like to mention that, yeah, we're trying to master the holidays with our food. And it's not only just about reducing calories. It's about increasing the micronutrients to help keep even our immune systems healthy during the busy travel, during the changing of seasons, maybe the lack of sleep or the alcohol. Again, everything we have on this table is for a vegetable. So here there are fun ways to make your meals delicious, but also that abide by your traditions and habits you may already have.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. I know you've talked about this before. Tell us a little bit about applesauce, how you could use applesauce, because I know that's a swap people can make. How can you do that in some of your recipes.

Kelly Berg:
So you can help reduce the fat content by swapping out added oils or butters and utilizing applesauce. So let's just say we're making a cake. You can reduce or omit the fat content and add in applesauce. Now every recipe will be different so I do not want to verbalize how much applesauce per this one cake. It will be different for each. There is some science behind it but because we're removing the fat we're kind of removing the mouthfeel of that. However adding more applesauce to that or instead of adding applesauce instead of because it is so liquidous and sweet you're still adding a lot of extra natural sugars while adding moisture to that cake so to still be nice and fluffy and sweet.

Holly Wyatt:
There we go. So we're pulling out the fat but keeping it moist which sounds like that's the key. Yes.

Kelly Berg:
Yeah. You can do that with cookies cakes muffins etc.

James Hill:
Let's get back to desserts because you know desserts are fun around the holidays but one of the things I like, I always enjoy a little bit of different taste. Can you reduce the size of desserts and almost have many desserts rather than a huge apple pie that you take a big slice of?

Maddison Garcia:
Absolutely, Jim. So one of my favorite ways for serving desserts, and it's kind of similar to what we were talking about with the pumpkin custard, but we can actually just plan on individualizing the portion sizes ahead of time. So why don't we just serve like a really cute little cheesecake in a shot glass that will help reduce portion size and therefore the calories by maybe about to 50 to 60 percent. We can also just be a little bit more thoughtful in our presentation. As Kelly was mentioning, we eat with our eyes so if we want to put our desserts like our miniature desserts on a beautiful tiered platter, guests will love that and everything. We really just want to make the experience of eating just a lot more fun and thoughtful and everything. And I love the shot glass idea. We use that idea often at home.

Holly Wyatt:
I was going to say, I think a cheesecake and a shot glass. I could do that.

James Hill:
These are great tips because they're not about deprivation. It accomplishes what we want. It's how you can manage your calories a little better, but still get the fun and the tastes and everything of the holidays. This is fabulous.

Holly Wyatt:
So I have one. I've been doing some podcasts.

James Hill:
No, wait, are you a dietitian?

Holly Wyatt:
No, Jim, but this is a good one. I've been spreading this. I've been telling everybody this.

James Hill:
We'll be the judge of this. Go ahead.

Holly Wyatt:
Okay. No, this is fabulous. I think you're going to really, really, really like this. So what I've been doing, and I've been doing it, I'm doing it for the holidays, but I also do it when I go to a buffet or go to someone's house sometimes, and I'm calling it Holly's Tasting Plate. You know how you have a tasting menu? Have you ever been to a restaurant with a tasting menu?

James Hill:
Yeah. Oh, gosh, yeah. Love those.

Holly Wyatt:
And you know, when they start out, they give you these really small little portions and you kind of think, oh my gosh, I'm not going to be full. It literally is like a bite. You know, they bring the plate out and it's like a bite and you take it. But there's like 20 of them, you know, or there's a bunch of them.

James Hill:
Yeah. So you get full by the end.

Holly Wyatt:
And there's space in between them kind of. And so by the end, you're full and you've tasted so many different things. So my strategy sometimes now is to say, “Okay, I'm going to develop a tasting plate.” And I take my plate and I literally put one bite of everything that's on the buffet or at the table, you know, for these big meals. And I sit down and now people know they're like, are you going to do that? That tasting plate? And what I tell them is I don't want to miss a thing. That's what I say. I don't want to miss a thing. I'm going to taste everything and the things I love the best. I'm going to go back and get more. Don't worry, you know. But I don't want to miss a thing so now I know people who are like “Are you going to do that tasting plate?” And I'm like “Aha.” And so they're like, “So am I. I'm going to do a tasting plate too.” And then it really does allow you at the end to say, “Oh I want some more of that.” But you tend to get full after slowing down and taking those bites so it's less kind of autopilot. It kind of curbs that fear of missing out. I get to have a taste of everything. I'm not missing out. And then I get to go back and have a little bit more maybe of the things I really, really want.

James Hill:
Wow. You know, Holly, that makes sense. That is actually a good strategy. Because again, oftentimes you'll put a lot of everything on your plate and then you find something, it's not that great, but you probably eat it anyway because you've already put it on your plate. This way you're not wasting things. You only take a bite. And if it's not that great, you don't eat any more of it.

Holly Wyatt:
Right. And nobody gets their feelings hurt. Like no one, you know, it's like, oh, I'm taking a bite of this is what I'm doing. And everybody kind of is okay with it. And now they're used to it. Holly's doing her tasting plate. Leave her alone, you know? So what do y'all think in the kitchen? Have y'all tried that?

Kelly Berg:
I think that's very whimsical. I know a lot of folks even go to bars for flights or like little flights of different types of states.

James Hill:
Yeah, that's right.

Kelly Berg:
Why can't we have a Thanksgiving flight or a Christmas flight or a Hanukkah flight? And then you kind of have like a whole spread already pre, like as Maddison mentioned with the desserts, already pre-portioned and kind of tying back in the tasting plate with going back for seconds, you know what you want more of. So going back and only getting what you truly want after that flight or tasting plate.

Holly Wyatt:
Kelly, I love it. A holiday flight. I mean, now that's even better than...

James Hill:
We started a new tradition. Oh, my gosh.

Holly Wyatt:
Better than the tasting plate. You made it better. I'm totally going to think about that. A holiday flight. Because I do flights all the time. You may need to trademark that sometime. Yeah.

Kelly Berg and Maddison Garcia:
We need a competition.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah.

James Hill:
Wow. Amazing things coming out of the metabolic kitchen.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. So, Jim, we can switch gears because I know what you're dying to talk about. We've been talking about food a lot.

James Hill:
Food, food, food. Where's the physical activity?

Holly Wyatt:
I know. So this is your time. Any swaps or tricks or tips that you use to help get the physical activity up especially on days when you're having a lot of calories or more calories than normal. Is there a way to also increase the energy expenditure?

James Hill:
Yeah. My favorite is go for a group walk. Most people are up for that. You can go for a walk before dinner. You can go for a walk after dinner. It doesn't have to be a vigorous walk. You can talk to your family and friends. And most everybody is up for a walk, especially when they know they've either just had a big meal or they're going to have a big meal. So that's one that I think should become a tradition in every family. You have a pre or post or both meal walks. So that's a good one.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. I think that can be just like that you get in a tradition of doing something that isn't physically active. You can introduce a tradition of something that gets a little bit movement going in and add that in. I think that's really good. One of the things that we've been doing with State of Slim and our energizers is we've added in this idea of a scavenger hunt. I give them a list of things to go look for when they go out and they do it with their families and everybody gets involved. They're like, what are we looking for this year? Wait a minute, you know, and sometimes I go for like certain things they're supposed to find or certain colors or certain letters or things they're grateful for. There's a million ways to kind of come up with a scavenger hunt for people to look for things, but the whole family can get involved. And then we even have take a selfie with it. So now they've gotten pictures that they can use for the holidays of everybody going out and looking for the best lights or an angel that's in a tree or, you know, all these different type of things. And so people really like that. And it's a way to get you moving and kind of a new tradition.

James Hill:
And they can be fun. These are things, again, just like we did on the food side, there are things that can actually be fun. It's not deprivation. And I think when you do this, you'll find that it's fun and it may become a tradition for your family.

Holly Wyatt:
Exactly.

James Hill:
Should we talk about mind state? Because that's important in everything.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. One swap or trick when it comes to mind state. Do you want to talk about this one?

James Hill:
Well, one of the things that you and I talk about a lot is people will complain about other people doing that and they're doing bad habits and you can be the change. And one of the things we try to get people to understand, they say, well, my family doesn't like to do this or that. You can be the change. You can be the person that starts the others to do something different. You model the behaviors you want. And sometimes you'll find that that's contagious, that other people will like that. So you'd say, well, nobody in my family likes to go for a walk. Start it. You might be surprised that people are saying, oh, you know what? I'm glad we did this.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. This is my favorite trick. I use it all the time. You don't tell anybody you're doing it. That's the trick of it. You don't say, all right, I'm going to do this. So all of you follow me and you need to be exercising and we need to get our minutes in or you should eat like this. You don't do any of that because that doesn't work. You just do what you wish other people would do and you're quiet about it. And then you just watch. And it may not be contagious right away, but you do it enough and people start to do, they start to mirror your behavior. We know behaviors are contagious, good behaviors and bad behaviors.

James Hill:
That's right.

Holly Wyatt:
So if you know that, that it tends to be contagious, you can model the good stuff and spread that just like the bad behaviors sometimes are spread between people.

James Hill:
All right, Holly, what's next?

Holly Wyatt:
I wanted to do, I added a new section. I'm going to call it the rapid fire tips from the metabolic kitchen.

James Hill:
So they have to answer that.

Holly Wyatt:
They have to answer. We got a couple of questions and it's just rapid fire.

James Hill:
It's putting them on the spot. They have to be ready.

Holly Wyatt:
Yes.

James Hill:
I tell you, they're up for it. I know.

Holly Wyatt:
I think they are. We may have more podcasts with them, so we got to test them out. They got to get them ready. So we're going to ask some questions and you don't have to have long answers, just quick answers. Think what you would say. So first question, your favorite holiday swap that surprises people.

Kelly Berg:
My favorite holiday swap that surprises people is filling my plate up first with half my plate fruits and vegetables. That way I know I'm getting all the nutrients and fiber and being full while all having a big full plate. As dieticians, my family looks at me like I'm the food police. So as long as my plate is full, they have nothing to say to me and I am good to go and I'm past being able to sit at the table.

James Hill:
I love that.

Holly Wyatt:
It surprises them. Your plate's full, right?

Kelly Berg:
Yes.

Holly Wyatt:
They're going to have a full plate. I like it.

James Hill:
Maddison, you want to give yours?

Maddison Garcia:
My absolute favorite holiday swap. And like I was saying, I just do this in my day-to-day routine and everything. But I love finding classic comfort foods where you can just load it with lesser calorie ingredients like vegetables and everything. So something like that mac and cheese we were talking about before or adding it to a dressing, that is by far my favorite holiday swap. And I think a lot of people do get surprised by that whenever they come over for dinner.

James Hill:
Cool. All right. What's the easiest way to save 100 calories in a holiday meal?

Kelly Berg:
II would say alcohol and beverages. We drink beverages very quickly, and a super easy way to omit at least a minimum of 100 calories is being mindful of our beverages. I 100% agree with Kelly about that.

Maddison Garcia:
I 100% agree with Kelly about that.

James Hill:
Okay.

Holly Wyatt:
I like it. Oh, I can't wait to hear this. One ingredient that instantly makes a dish healthier? Oh, this is a good one, Jim.

James Hill:
Oh, they're having to think about this one.

Holly Wyatt:
One ingredient that would make a dish healthier.

Kelly Berg:
I am trying to be creative because adding vegetables is obviously the answer in my mind. And it could be as simple as adding more onions to a dish that has onions, incorporating more garlic and aromatics and herbs and spices to flavor your dishes. So to add more flavor and also be more healthy, you can add these aromics and herbs and spices to add those medicinal components of the herbs and spices onto the plates with already vegetables or other types of cuisine.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, spices. Yeah, I like it.

Maddison Garcia:
So this one might be a little bit of a hot take, but I am a firm believer in bone broth. I just love that it instantly boosts protein in dishes, whether you're making a soup or like I was saying, a side dish and everything. So y'all know that protein, it just helps so much with that satiation and everything. Kelly was talking about it before. Yeah, love bone broth. I think that's a really good ingredient that instantly boosts nutrition.

James Hill:
I can't wait to hear your answer to this one. What's a holiday food that's worth every calorie?

Kelly Berg:
Every one? I don't know. Mine would definitely be gravy. I put gravy on everything. And as we know as dieticians, adding sauces and condiments to your plate does add extra calories. However, gravy is a little bit more minuscule compared to adding mayonnaise or whatnot. But I love adding gravy to add moisture and flavor to everything on my plate.

Holly Wyatt:
Nice.

Maddison Garcia:
So gravy is a close second for me, but I think I'm on your team, Jim, where I just love all butter pie crust. Like I was saying, I don't think a lot of people do that often around the holidays because they're so busy cooking other dishes. They'll just go for the store-bought crust, but I just love a good all butter crust.

James Hill:
I love it. So if I put veggies in my mac and cheese, I can put crust on my pie, okay?

Kelly Berg and Maddison Garcia:
Yes.

Holly Wyatt:
There you go.

James Hill:
Trade-offs. You don't have to do all of these. Pick ones that work for you.

Holly Wyatt:
All right. Those were good. I like that. Do we have time for a listener question, Jim?

James Hill:
Yeah, let's do one or two.

Holly Wyatt:
Okay. I think here's a good one. I would like to hear what the RDs want to say about this. How do I handle food pushers without hurting their feelings? Especially this time of year, family bringing food in and really wanting you to eat everything, maybe in larger portions than you want, kind of pushing the food. Any strategies there?

Kelly Berg:
So Holly, you've already alluded to this in the beginning, mentioning that how you want to taste everything. And so one way is to say, tell somebody, “I would love to try that. However, I've already tried it. And I want to try, I want to save space for other foods, or I'm really eyeing up this. I don't have that much room right now. I'm so full, but I really want to try this one dish. I'm going to try that one finish, and I will come back to this at another time.”

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah.

James Hill:
Okay.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah.

James Hill:
Good answer.

Holly Wyatt:
I like it.

James Hill:
All right. I'll do one more. If I overeat one day, think Thanksgiving dinner, how do I recover without overcorrecting?

Maddison Garcia:
I would say make sure that you're maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle, like y'all were talking about before, Holly, with your walks and Jiim, with just the importance of physical activity and everything. Staying active is so good, just keeping our metabolisms healthy and everything. And I'd also just say that, you know, just really listen to your body just throughout those coming days. Cause I don't know, sometimes whenever I eat a lot the prior day. I'm not really that hungry the day after. So it kind of balances out in the end and everything. Also staying hydrated is really good. I think a lot of times we confuse our hunger or dehydration. I know I struggle with that sometimes. So just really try to stay hydrated. Listen to your body and stay active.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah. I think that listening to your body is the important part. Not to go on starvation right after it. Not to have a big meal. I'm not going to eat anything for all day the next day. I think you’re setting up kind of a bad pattern. But for me, it's like having that next meal planned that's healthy kind of gets me back on track. It's not too big, but starting to kind of get back into my normal habits. I always say it's the meal after a big meal that is the key meal. One meal isn't going to cause you a problem. It's when that one meal leads to other meals that continue to be an indulgent that you then go on a whole weekend or a whole week and then the week becomes two weeks and so forth. So that next meal, kind of planning it out and thinking about it is helpful for me.

Maddison Garcia:
And even to your point on that, Holly, I'd say even as a follow-up meal the next day, if we're planning ahead, I would definitely recommend just emphasizing that protein and that fiber intake. As we were talking about before, that's just what really keeps you full. And obviously, the vegetables and the prebiotic fibers in vegetables just really help with your microbiome and everything in your stomach. So yeah, just a lot to think about there.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, that's great.

James Hill:
All right, Holly, we going to do vulnerability this time?

Holly Wyatt:
Of course, let's do a vulnerability question.

James Hill:
All right. What's the one holiday food you cannot be left alone with? Like it calls your name from the other room.

Holly Wyatt:
So it's kind of a favorite, right? The one that you can't be left alone with. So, okay.

James Hill:
I'll go first. Mine is fruit pastries, apple pie, cherry pie. Love it. With the crust.

Kelly Berg:
Mine would be my dad's stuffing. He makes his with breakfast sausage. And it is just the most robust flavor. And obviously the extra fat added from the pork sausage, but it's to die for, especially with added gravy, going back to my gravy addiction. That one can really add up on calories. My favorite would probably have to be, so my grandmother made these all the time for us growing up. So I'm of Ukrainian heritage, fun fact, and she would make homemade probies all the time, every Christmas and Thanksgiving. And they were just so pillowy and delicious. And we'd always have like bacon and onions on them. And I could just eat like probably 10 of those when I was a kid.

Maddison Garcia:
My favorite would probably have to be, so my grandmother made these all the time for us growing up. So I'm of Ukrainian heritage, fun fact, and she would make homemade probies all the time, every Christmas and Thanksgiving. And they were just so pillowy and delicious. And we'd always have like bacon and onions on them. And I could just eat like probably 10 of those when I was a kid.

Holly Wyatt:
Wow. Wow. I guess mine would be sweet potato casserole. That was a family tradition and we only had it during the holidays. So it was one of those special things. And I can still remember the smell. It has the marshmallows on top. It's kind of a special treat for me.

James Hill:
Wow, good stuff. All right, Holly, let's wrap it up.

Holly Wyatt:
Pie in the plate.

James Hill:
Apple pie in the plate with crust.

Holly Wyatt:
Okay.

James Hill:
All right, holiday weight gain isn't inevitable. It's predictable and preventable.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, you don't need to skip the fun. I hope that you heard that this episode.

James Hill:
Definitely. We're all about the fun.

Holly Wyatt:
Yeah, you just need to be a little smarter, just a little bit more intentional, and you can prevent that weight gain.

James Hill:
Small swaps, big impact.

Holly Wyatt:
And, you know, you might just feel better because of it. It might even make things better than they were before.

James Hill:
Yeah. So, Kelly and Maddison, awesome. Thank you for letting us crash your webinar and bringing the Metabolic Kitchen to life during this podcast episode.

Kelly Berg:
Thank you for having us. And I wish we could send all these aromas to you.

James Hill:
Oh, me too.

Holly Wyatt:
I know. I need to come down and taste some of those things you've been doing. So, guys, to all of our listeners, enjoy the holidays, savor the food, make memories, and don't let January catch you off guard.

James Hill:
We'll see you next time on Weight Loss And.

Holly Wyatt:
Bye, everybody.

James Hill:
And that's a wrap for today's episode of Weight Loss And. We hope you enjoy diving into the world of weight loss with us.

Holly Wyatt:
If you want to stay connected and continue exploring the “Ands” of weight loss, be sure to follow our podcast on your favorite platform.

James Hill:
We'd also love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, questions, or topic suggestions by reaching out at weightlossand.com. Your feedback helps us tailor future episodes to your needs.

Holly Wyatt:
And remember, the journey doesn't end here. Keep applying the knowledge and strategies you've learned and embrace the power of the “And” in your own weight loss journey.