Healthbolt

Spank On… Enjoying the Holidays

by shandra on November 1st, 2006

Spank’s tip when it comes to holiday eating, is, “do it and do it well”. There will be no “how to beat the holiday bulge” or “tips for not over-eating during the holidays” here. Many have called you crazy for being a triathlete, now laugh in their faces as you stuff yours, and reap the benefits of a 12+ hour per week workout plan! Each holiday month, we are given 1-2 days of pure taste bud heaven – keep a normal calorie count during the non-holiday days, and you are free to indulge on the holiday.

We are heading straight for the Spank Ranker on this one, so that he may guide you in the holiday gluttony fest. Should you prefer to be responsible and choose only one holiday to full-out disgust yourself, leaving the others to moderation, make sure you choose wisely - if this is your path, don’t waste your bites on a one-act holiday. Spank has rated each holiday according to the eating rituals you can expect, so that you may make an educated decision.

Spank Ranker
Valentine’s Day 4/12 stars

• Dish Variety: 1/4 - this is, if you’re lucky, one meal and one box of candy
• Participation: 2/4 - not everyone is in a relationshipLength of
• Opportunity: 1/4 - if he/she takes you someplace fancy, with the wait/appetizers/meal/dessert you get (maybe) a 2 1/2 hour window

Easter 7.5/12 stars

• Dish Variety: 3/4 - usually a decent showing of pot-luckness
• Participation: 2.5/4 - most participate in the holiday, but based on the beliefs behind the celebration not everyone will go for the big family meal
• Length of Opportunity: 2/4 - if you do the big meal, you get some lunch or dinner and it’s over, but the candy should last for days

Thanksgiving 10/12 stars

• Dish Variety: 4/4 - all the glory of the multi-person, pot-luck buffet (including multiple desserts)
• Participation: 3/4 - seems to be a widely celebrated holiday, but only in the US
• Length of Opportunity: 3/4 - the size of the meal often guarantees leftovers and/or a late evening event where all dishes are brought back out to the table

Christmas 11.5/12 stars (This is the big show folks!)

• Dish Variety: 4/4 - all the glory of the multi-person, pot-luck buffet (including multiple desserts)
• Participation: 3.5/4 - not all for the same reasons or in exactly the same way, but most celebrate
• Length of Opportunity: 4/4 - there is often an Eve meal as well as a Day meal, and most present-giving traditions include candy at some point

Spank Presents… Should You Care To Know

The average holiday dinner contains about 4,000 calories and enough fat to raise the Titanic! To compound matters, it’s filled with gassy objects such as sweet potatoes, turkey, ham, fruit salad, nuts, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and baked beans. That’s enough gas to blow up the Titanic! - Dietbites.com

*New Year’s was omitted because that’s not about the food and you boozers know it…

Technorati Tags: holiday, eating, food, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine’s Day