By Peggy O'Farrell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cookies tempt, but veggies delight. (Brandi Stafford photo illustration)

Charlotte Jacobs scans buffets for lean protein before she swoops in. Rosa Blackwell relies on an iron will (and soup or a salad beforehand) to save her from the perils of party food.

Jacobs and Blackwell come bearing this message of holiday cheer: Yes, Virginia, you can get through the season without gaining weight.

But it takes a little work, a lot of planning and some tradeoffs along the way.

Considering how much food is available from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, it shouldn't be a surprise that we gain weight. But somehow, it always is.

Lauren Niemes calls the holidays the season to "eat, drink and be wary."

Niemes, a registered dietitian and executive director of the Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati, suggests doing a little calorie math to keep holiday pounds from piling on.

It takes 3,500 calories to make a pound of fat, Niemes says, so 500 extra calories a day can lead to a weight gain of one pound in one week.

It's pretty easy to calculate how people manage to gain five pounds in the five weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, she says.

Susan Sewell, a registered dietitian and director of the Jewish Hospital Weight Management Center in Kenwood, suggests focusing on "whole" foods to save fat and calories.

"Foods in their natural form aren't going to have a whole lot of butter and sugar," Sewell says. "Have the baked sweet potato instead of the mashed potatoes and gravy."

If you're bringing a dish, bring something low in calories, but high in flavor, such as a platter loaded with fruits, vegetables and low-fat cheeses, she says.

And limit your exposure to dangers. "That may sound a little harsh, but for some people, that's what works best," Sewell says. "If you're going to a cookie exchange and that's your weakness, ask yourself if you should even go to it."

Planning ahead

Jacobs, the director of cheerleading for the Ben-Gals, has a serious sweet tooth. Cheesecake is her particular weakness. "It's a real downfall," she says.

Her strategy: Planning ahead.

"You really have to focus. Once you get to a party, if you're starving, you don't want to ruin what you've worked so hard to accomplish," Jacobs says.

So when she knows she's heading out to an event featuring lots of food, drink and calories, Jacobs plans her meals in advance. Cutting back on calories the day of the party allows for a little more grazing that evening, she says.

Her advice for curbing calories:

• Focus on lean protein, such as chicken, turkey or fish. Limit carbohydrates and fats. Protein makes you feel fuller longer and keeps blood sugar levels steady. Cakes, cookies and candies make you feel full for a while, but can cause blood sugar to plummet, making you hungry again.

• Make exercise a priority, even if it means rescheduling or canceling something else. "It's right up there with the top priorities in my life," Jacobs says. Exercise helps burn off extra calories, and also helps relieve the stress of the holiday rush.

Eat first

Blackwell, the deputy superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools, tries to make sure she's not ravenously hungry when she gets to a party.

To eliminate hunger pangs, she'll often eat a light meal a few hours before she goes out "so I have a feeling of being satisfied, but not completely full, before I get there, like in those articles that tell you not to go to the grocery store when you're hungry."

A bowl of soup or a salad usually does the trick, Blackwell says.

She saves calories for favorites, especially chocolate.

"With the desserts in particular, it has to be something that I really think is worth the calories," Blackwell says. "It has to be something really rich and chocolate. I love chocolate."

America's weight-consciousness - who doesn't know someone restricting calories or counting carbs? - does have a payoff, Sewell says: Most hosts are working harder to include healthier options at holiday spreads, such as fruit or bottled water.

"People aren't pushing the food anymore," she says. "I don't think that eat-eat-eat mantra is out there anymore."

E-mail pofarrell@enquirer.com