Biggest Loser Dietitian: Use Holidays to ‘Find Your New Normal’

Cheryl Forberg is the perfect person to talk with about having a healthy relationship with food. Not only is the registered dietitian the nutrition expert for The Biggest Loser, she’s also a James Beard Award-winning chef and author/contributor to more than a dozen books including Flavor First, Positively Ageless, Cooking With Quinoa for Dummies, and the series of Biggest Loser books for Rodale.

Cheryl Forberg, RD, knows a thing or two about healthy eating. Credit: NBC

Coming out just in time for the new year is her latest book A Small Guide to Losing Big, a pocket guide that offers tips, tricks, menus and recipes for losing weight.

We can’t wait for the new year to get her advice — Christmas cookies are around every corner! So we talked with her the other day about maneuvering through holiday eating.

If people are in weight-loss mode should they push through to continue losing or just hope to maintain? If you have set a goal for yourself, don’t procrastinate because the holidays are here. There are holiday-type occasions throughout the year and this is the time to find your new normal — holidays or not.

• It’s okay to have “tastes” of your favorite things, but limit yourself to tastes only.
• Focus on lean proteins and veggies.
• Intensify your work outs if need be.

Keep marching — you’ll be extra proud that you didn’t become another “holiday statistic”!

What’s your best tip for conquering the holiday buffet? If you’re attending someone else’s buffet, bring at least one healthy dish to add to the spread. If there’s nothing healthy on their menu, at least you’ll know you have one dish you can rely on.

Other tips:

• Sit with your back to the buffet — out of sight out of mind.
• Choose a smaller (salad or even dessert) plate, so it’s less tempting to try everything.
• Allow yourself tastes of the indulgences, but load most of your plate with veggies and salad.
• Have a glass of water before you begin, during and maybe even after — especially if you know you’re likely to succumb to indulgent temptations.

Cheryl’s favorite winter salad features kale, persimmons and pomegranates. Credit: Cheryl Forberg

What’s your favorite winter food item? Luckily, I love kale because it’s the only vegetable in my garden this winter. I have been enjoying a salad made with torn kale, toasted pumpkin seeds, dried currants, fuyu persimmons, pomegranate arils, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, smoked salt and cracked pepper.

How are you staying on track this holiday season? —Gail