Overeating … especially during Christmas dinner.. happens to a LOT of us
First off, let’s get this out of the way. This holiday seasons, EVERYTHING will no doubt be delicious! Grandma has made her famous peanut butter balls, the turkey looks amazing, and stuffing is your arch nemesis. You just can’t stay away from it. Don’t get me wrong I love the holidays but we all tend to use it as an excuse to gorge ourselves on way too much food, dessert, and alcohol.
I am just as guilty of this in years past as anyone. I love my mom’s stuffing! To let you now what this actually looks like, I would get one plate with the rest of the turkey, potatoes, green beans, and yams… Then there was the plate of stuffing. (I’m being honest with you!).
It is easy to use the holidays as a release. My job can be stressful, my family almost never completely gets along (like any family right?) and overeating was just a tradition, my way of sort of unwinding.
That unwinding (and throwing my diet to the wind) used to be just Christmas day. Then it was Boxing Day. Then you weren’t going to start a new diet before New Years! Which lead to a bad diet and overeating straight into News Years. Before I knew it, I had spent the whole week eating pounds of turkey smothered in gravy and leftover stuffing. Inevitably, I felt absolutely awful.
Then made a pledge to get back on track. This cycle repeated every single holiday Christmas, Easter, long weekends, Thanksgiving and back to Christmas.
Now here we are…
It is very easy for this to lead to overeating in general. Often associated with the feeling of guilt, bloating, and general discomfort. So how do we slow down over the holidays while still having a good time? Can we still enjoy the food we and our family has made?
So here are four tip that I have used to help me stay on track over the holidays. I hope you find them valuable.
Tip Number 1. Aim for close, not perfect.
During the holidays there likely isn’t going to be “perfect” diet. Unless you have some pretty insane amount of willpower, you’re going to break and when you do, it usually isn’t only a couple pretzels. Am I right? So instead, aim for close enough meaning instead of having turkey with no gravy and just green beans (which is going to require some will power) have some gravy and save the willpower over time.
Tip Number 2. Own what you eat.
If you are going to eat some “bad” stuff eat it but own the decision. If you think to yourself you’ll only have one now because you won’t have one later, you’ll likely still have one later. Instead think to yourself I’m going to eat this gigantic plate of turkey gravy and will take full responsibility for feeling bloated later. That’s what I say to myself anyway.
Tip Number 3. Don’t make deals with yourself
This is often the first thing people will do. I worked out today so it’s okay. I’m going to workout tomorrow so I can eat extra today. I’ll be better tomorrow. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made deals with myself to workout and never end up doing it the next day. This can also sort of fall under the own-it rule.
Tip Number 4: Have a clean slate.
Did you stuff your face Christmas eve? That’s fine, but don’t make it a Christmas hangover and over eat right through to New Years. Wake up the next day ready to eat the way you know you should. This isn’t about guilting yourself into submission. It rarely works and only serves to give a punch to the self-esteem. Just get back to doing your best.
While all these tricks are helpful you are probably going to eat things you wouldn’t normally eat this holiday season. Enjoy it, own it, and move on.
Have a great holiday season everyone!!
Keep checking back for more articles on different aspects of nutrition. Here’s one while you wait on the big bad thyroid.
Be safe this holiday season, that means shovelling snow. Did you see our FAQ video on staying safe while shovelling snow?
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