You Can Keep a Healthy Balance, Even in December

Recently, a famous actress injured herself at home, but rather than drive immediately to the emergency room, she first showered, washed her hair, made herself up and dressed to be seen. After all, she pointed out, a woman in her position has to keep up a certain image.

I understand her sense of obligation. Imagine for a second that you are a reasonably famous and celebrated fitness expert who’s often recognized in public. As you enter a crowded Ben & Jerry’s, the store buzzes with whispering, “Look, it’s. . . . What’s she doing here?” To these people, you seem more out of place than an armed robber. They think you spend all your time either exercising or eating carrots, and the thought of you actually enjoying a scoop of Cherry Garcia is startling.

Scenarios like that happen to me whenever I stop for something--candy, ice cream, pizza--that others consider sinful.

Not long ago I was at a party, savoring the last bite of a sumptuous pumpkin flan, when I heard, “Get a camera. Kathy Smith’s eating dessert.” If I’m at a restaurant with someone who hasn’t eaten with me before, invariably he or she will wait to see what I’m ordering or will comment, “I just don’t know what to get . . . with you here.”

While I’m personally not bothered by the attention, I am terribly disturbed by the attitude it reflects, because that attitude can be destructive to our bodies and our spirits.

Women, especially, have developed warped ideas about food. Over the years, they’ve heard the mantra that in order to be beautiful and thin they have to eat certain foods--say, cottage cheese, celery and tuna--and forgo all others. They believe that there are such things as “good” food and “bad” food.

In fact, no food is inherently good or bad. Virtually all foods have their proper place in your diet. Take French fries, for example, which I know are on almost everyone’s taboo list. Truth is, an order of fries with some broiled fish and fresh vegetables may be just the addition your body needs to get from lunch to dinner without snacking. Why? The fat in the potatoes takes longer to digest than protein or carbohydrates, leaving you feeling fuller longer.

Such thinking runs contrary to today’s conventional wisdom, but I’m against diets that are based on the false concept of “good” food and “bad” food. I’m in favor of balance in living--an overall healthy diet and regular exercise program. In that context, an occasional slice of cheesecake or a scoop of mint chip ice cream is perfectly all right.

Balance is the opposite of deprivation. Deprivation entails strict adherence to a prescribed set of do’s and don’ts--do eat this, don’t eat that--and is doomed to fail sooner or later. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard women admit, with anguish tightening their voices, “I’ve been bad.”

To them, this means that their rigorous, no-nonsense regimen of eating only certain foods on a prescribed list for X number of days or weeks has collapsed. They finally “slipped,” eating six candy bars or a quart of ice cream or a bag of cookies. And now, they think, “I’m no good,” which in itself can result in a “What’s the use?” attitude.

Nowhere do you see this cycle played out more predictably than around the holiday table.

If you’re like most people who approached Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast as a challenge to your diet, you probably “gave in to temptation” and nibbled at foods from your “bad” list, then awakened Friday morning either paralyzed by guilt or resigned to abandoning your “diet” until Jan. 2.

What you need to realize is that the month of December doesn’t have to send you into a tailspin. You can still have fun, eat special foods, entertain family and friends, and stay healthy.

Try this: Start each day with a substantial breakfast, which builds a strong foundation of energy. You’d be surprised how that helps you to avoid grabbing food on the run. When I feel as though I’m starting to tumble out of control or am overwhelmed with sugar cravings, I head toward a strong source of protein--say, the turkey sandwich I put in my purse before shopping.

And if the craving just won’t go away, I’ll give in to it. Let’s say I’m near a candy store. I’ll buy two pieces, letting each one melt in my mouth completely. By savoring and not devouring, I’m usually satiated after those two. (I recommend not buying a whole box.) And what did they cost me, 150 calories? No big deal.

I also try to eat only what’s absolutely fabulous--the best of the best--then balance calories in with calories out. So when I eat more fattening foods, I exercise more--even if that means making my shopping more strenuous by parking farther from the store (which lets you avoid those parking hassles) or taking an extra few laps around the mall.

Most importantly, I approach the busy holiday season by trying to maintain the healthy habits I’ve practiced all year with some additional flexibility. Knowing that I eat well and exercise frequently most of the time allows me the latitude to indulge. That’s the essence of balance.

If I’ve learned one thing in my 25 years as a fitness consultant, it’s that no good can come from feeling that “I’m bad.”

Copyright 1997 by Kathy Smith

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Kathy Smith’s fitness column appears in Health on the first Monday of the month. Reader questions are welcome and can be sent to Kathy Smith, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. If your question is selected, you will receive a free copy of her video “Functionally Fit Peak Fat Burning.” Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number with your question.